Reasons to be Optimistic About Bryce Young in Year 2
The 2023 season could not have gone worse for the Panthers. They finished 2-15, fired their head coach just 11 games into his first year, and then didn’t even get to use the #1 overall pick they “earned” because they traded it away a year earlier to draft Bryce Young. Their offense, led by Young, finished 31st in points and dead last in total yards.
It was a disaster from start to finish.
Many are already questioning if Young is on the path to becoming a bust. He threw for less than 3,000 yards in 16 games (which would have been a concerning stat even 20 years ago) and completed less than 60% of his passes.
But it’s tough to judge Young’s first year accurately without throwing in the fact that his offensive line was bad (and even horrendous at times). Seriously, what is any quarterback supposed to do with this:
The Panthers finished 25th in pressure percentage allowed according to Pro-Football-Reference, and it’s shocking that it was even that high based on what I saw on film. Carolina also finished 30th in sacks allowed and sack percentage.
What made that pressure so debilitating is that there was nowhere for Young to get rid of the ball quickly since his receivers couldn’t consistently win 1-on-1’s and create any separation. There were also no big play threats (Carolina finished dead last in completions of 20+ yards).
Perhaps that’s why they saw the 4th highest rate of Cover-1 last season according to
of , a decent indicator that opposing defenses did not fear the Panthers’ receiving corps.Under constant pressure with your receivers smothered is no way to go through a rookie season in the NFL.
That said, there are reasons to be optimistic about Young’s future. For one, he didn’t look lost on the field like many rookie quarterbacks (and eventual busts) do. The thing that translated from his college tape to the NFL is that he understands how to play the position. He knows where to go with the ball, can process quickly and calmly from the pocket, and shows high-level abilities when it comes to throwing with anticipation and managing blitz pressure.
There is plenty to work with for the Panthers.
Processing and Anticipation
You could see Young’s ability to calmly yet quickly work through his progressions on his very first pass attempt in the NFL. Watch him look left during his drop, not like what he saw, then quickly get the ball out to the in-breaker coming from his right:
Here’s another example. Watch Young look right, then shallow left, then come back to the middle:
Just like he did at Alabama, Young also showed the ability to consistently throw with anticipation, which is a byproduct of being able to process quickly: