It's fair to say that things with the Carolina Panthers' franchise have been looking grim for quite some time now. Things were not helped last year with the perpetual failure the team experienced as a whole and the flop that was their number one overall pick in Bryce Young. Making matters worse was the quarterback who went right after him in CJ Stroud is consistently already considered a top ten quarterback in the league. All hope is not lost however, as Young showed plenty of flashes and this years team put an emphasis on supporting their young signal caller.
Bryce Young Week 16 vs Green Bay Packers Highlights 2023 (All22) 🍿 #Panthers pic.twitter.com/ImgMdjYUVK
— Justin Dolloff (@JustinDolloff) April 22, 2024
Off the initial look at the stat page and the collective of Young's season, there may be some raised eyebrows at the projected optimism going into his second season. When you look at Carolina's main misfires on offense last season, this years coaching staff and front office aggressively attacked them. Given the Panthers fielded a turn style on the interior line last season (injuries and lack of depth buried them) and when your quarterback excels at peppering the middle of the field while simultaneously struggling to see over defensive lineman, having immediate pressure in your face seemingly every play is a recipe for disaster. New general manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales attacked the interior right away in free agency, signing superstar guard Robert Hunt to a mega deal and snagging away the Seattle Seahawks best offensive lineman in Damien Lewis. Given the shaky play of center Bradley Bozeman last season, shifting the reliable when healthy Austin Corbett to the position should yield plenty of success. The depth remains an issue behind their new stars, but it's certainly in a better place than last year.
One of the other areas where Carolina could not find any success was in receivers separating. Outside of long time veteran Adam Thielen, Carolina virtually had no one who was beating coverage quick enough in an offense that was inherently designed to get the ball out quick. Adding one of the best separators in the league in Diontae Johnson from Pittsburgh is going to give Young a reliable 'X' receiver who has been routinely under sung as a receiver who can get open. Pairing Johnson and their new explosive rookie Xavier Legetee on the outsides with the ever reliable Thielen on the inside gives the Panthers options off the line and down the field. Offensive guru Dave Canales also has a knack for putting receivers in their optimal positioning and attacking the strengths of his quarterback as he did in Seattle and Tampa Bay.
This is not to say Young was just a complete player last season only let down by the team around him. He played poorly in a lot of spots and was clearly shaken by a multitude of factors. Any fan watching can see the arm strength is not going to be one that is going to carry the team, and he will instead need to be perfect in what he did in college. This means he will need to get stronger outside the pocket, better in his footwork to nail the windows that are there, and succeed more on those down the field passes. Going into his second year with a bolstered offense utilizing his strengths, and another season under his belt to work on his flaws, Young is going to break out in his sophomore campaign.
