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David Newton, ESPN Staff WriterDec 9, 2024, 06:00 AM ET
- David Newton is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Carolina Panthers. Newton began covering Carolina in 1995 and came to ESPN in 2006 as a NASCAR reporter before joining NFL Nation in 2013. You can follow Newton on Twitter at @DNewtonespn.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young stood confidently in the pocket Sunday with the Philadelphia Eagles‘ blitz bearing down on him.
Rookie wide receiver Xavier Legette, lined up on the right side, eluded his defender near the 20-yard line. By the time he’d reached the 15, Young had uncorked a perfect pass that fell right into his outstretched arms around the 1-yard line.
Unfortunately, Legette, four yards clear of the nearest defender, didn’t secure the ball until after it hit the turf, as he rolled into the end zone for what could have been the winning touchdown.
Forty-four seconds later, the Panthers (3-10) were left with a 22-16 loss at Lincoln Financial Field that assured their sixth straight season with at least 10 losses.
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For the fifth straight week, Young put Carolina in position for victory, and for the third straight week, they came up short — but not because of the 5-foot-10 quarterback’s size or any deficiencies he showed during a 2-14 rookie season and 0-2 start to 2024.
He looked like the player the previous staff thought he could be when they traded two first-round picks, two seconds and wide receiver DJ Moore to the Chicago Bears so they could draft the former Alabama star with the No. 1 pick of the 2023 draft.
That play showed why.
“That’s a big play we’re counting on,” said first-year coach Dave Canales, adding Legette “absolutely” had to make the catch. “Bryce steps up, makes a beautiful throw in the situation. We had the coverage we wanted, all that. Those are the plays that we’ve just got to find a way to make for us to get back in the winning column.”
play
0:27
Xavier Legette can’t hold on to a potential tying TD for Panthers
Bryce Young throws the ball up to Xavier Legette, who can’t hold on as the Panthers’ comeback bid comes up short.
That play and others Young has made the past month should quiet critics who question whether the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner is too short or not good enough to be the Panthers’ franchise quarterback,
Young has shown signs that he can be successful when surrounded by a good line, dependable playmakers and a defense that can keep good teams like the Eagles (11-2) from running roughshod over it, as happened during the first half of the season.
He may be showing that Carolina — among six 3-10 teams and two 2-11 teams vying for the top pick of the 2025 draft — won’t need to spend another high draft pick on a quarterback.
“Being competitive is the first step,” said one NFL executive familiar with Young’s situation. “It’s learning to win and adding talent around him. He will be fine.”
The proof goes beyond the pass that Legette dropped. The third play of the same drive may have been more impressive.
Young faced third-and-11 from the Panthers’ 2. He lined up in the shotgun, faked out defensive tackle Jalen Carter six yards deep into the end zone and then sidestepped Josh Sweat as the linebacker got a piece of his jersey that had been shredded earlier.
He then lofted another perfectly thrown ball to Legette, this one caught, for a 31-yard gain.
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“I just love how he’s been able to persevere through some of the things that he’s been faced with,” said Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, Alabama’s starting quarterback in 2018. “And [I] like seeing him comfortable out there and playing the way he’s playing.
“So that’s encouraging for him. I always support him and wish him nothing but the best in that.”
Young has been at his best the past four starts. He has a 63.1 Total QBR with four touchdown passes, a rushing touchdown and one interception (Sunday, breaking a streak of 125 consecutive passes without one).
By comparison, last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, C.J. Stroud, who went to the Houston Texans at No. 2, has a 40.4 QBR over the last four games with four touchdown passes and four interceptions.
At 4-20 overall, Young is the fourth quarterback since 2000 to lose 20 of his first 25 starts, joining Blaine Gabbert, Justin Fields and Trevor Lawrence.
But lately, he’s been doing the necessary things to show he can bounce back and have a successful career if the Panthers are patient and build around him the right way.
“It’s not a consolation for today,” Young said of the how the offense performed. “But it gives us some stuff on film to build off of. … Just being in that headspace, it’s good for growth.
“But now it’s on us to make sure we actually grow and take those steps.”
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, the No. 1 pick of the 2018 draft, said last week that the 23-year-old Young could be a franchise quarterback.
Hurts, a second-round pick in 2020, saw Young’s potential on Sunday.
“He’s a great player,” Hurts said. “A great player.”
