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David Newton, ESPN Staff WriterSep 3, 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. — Bryce Young took the snap out of the shotgun. Protection was solid.
One second, two seconds.
The Carolina Panthers‘ second-year quarterback, his feet firmly planted and eyes downfield, turned slightly to the right toward running back Chuba Hubbard, who was covered. Then down the middle. Nothing.
“They did a good job of matching what we did,” Young said.
“It was really kind of a dead play,” coach Dave Canales added.
Three seconds, four.
Young, who’d had it ingrained all offseason to get rid of the ball in 2.7 seconds, felt pressure on the fourth-and-3 play. Instincts took over. He floated to his left to buy time, avoiding a Buffalo Bills defender diving at his feet.
Five seconds … six.
Young pulled back his right arm, twisted his 5-foot-10 body as he continued moving left and lofted a cross-body pass to wide receiver Diontae Johnson near the left sideline for a 17-yard pickup.
It was just one play against Buffalo backups in Young’s only preseason appearance. But it was a glimpse into why Canales believes the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 draft is on target to bounce back from a disastrous rookie season as the Panthers open the season Sunday at the New Orleans Saints (1 p.m. ET, Fox).
It’s one of many reasons the first-year head coach believes he can turn Young’s career around the way he did with Baker Mayfield last season as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ offensive coordinator and the way he helped Geno Smith and Russell Wilson have career seasons as an assistant with the Seattle Seahawks.
“The fourth-down scramble throw to Diontae was a thing of beauty that’s been showing up all camp and showed up in the game,” said Canales, who has been donned a “quarterback whisperer” for his past work with QBs who were at a crossroad.
“It’s something that our guys can learn to count on.”
The Panthers hope new coach Dave Canales will help turn QB Bryce Young loose in 2024 after a historically bad rookie campaign. AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes
Young was 2-14 as the Panthers’ starter in 2023, and he isn’t the first quarterback selected with the top pick to look bad as a rookie. The 29 other quarterbacks selected No. 1 overall since 1967 had a combined record of 94-206-2.
Of those 30 QBs, only the Indianapolis Colts‘ Andrew Luck (2012) won more than half of his games or had a winning record (11-5).
But while Carolina general manager Dan Morgan has shied away from speaking about expectations for a team that’s had six straight losing seasons and had an NFL-worst 2-15 record in 2023, there are expectations for Young based on history.
Twenty-seven of those taken No. 1 before him went a combined 179-195-1 in their second season, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Eleven had a winning percentage higher than .500 (minimum of 10 starts).
“His work ethic, his demeanor, his confidence that he’s playing with right now, it’s fun to watch,” Morgan said of Young. “I think he’s feeling it.”
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Eli Manning (2004) was 1-6 as a rookie. He went 11-5 in his second season and later won two Super Bowl MVPs with the New York Giants. He said maintaining confidence is key.
“It’s not always easy,” Manning said. “But are you tough mentally, tough physically, are you the same after a win as a loss? It’s all those things.”
Defensive pass game coordinator Jonathan Cooley, who was with Carolina last season, has seen that confidence growing in Young.
“His accuracy is incredible,” Cooley said. “The consistency and being able to deliver, I’ve definitely noticed. He just seems like a much more confident player and has a lot more ownership going into Year 2.”
Johnson wasn’t surprised by Young’s poise on that fourth-and-3 play because he’d seen it all camp. But he was surprised the first time he saw how well Young moved outside of the pocket.
“I didn’t know he could stick his foot in the ground and create separation once he breaks the pocket,” Johnson said. “I’m glad he has got that in his bag.”
So is Canales, who saw that trait in Young when he was still at Alabama.
“The one thing I know is for shorter quarterbacks, a lot of times you’re moving for vision so that’s a natural part of it,” he said. “It’s also the hopefulness that there’s a big play in there somewhere.”
Recent QBs drafted No. 1 who improved in Year 2
| Season Player | W-L* | Comp % | YDS | TD-INT | TQBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Y1 (2021) Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence | 3-14 | 60% | 3,641 | 12-17 | 39.1 |
| Y2 (2022) Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence | 9-8 | 66% | 4,113 | 25-8 | 56.1 |
| Y1 (2020) Bengals’ Joe Burrow | 2-7-1 | 65% | 2,688 | 13-5 | 48.5 |
| Y2 (2021) Bengals’ Joe Burrow | 10-6 | 70% | 4,611 | 34-14 | 60.2 |
| Y1 (2019) Cardinals’ Kyler Murray | 5-10-1 | 64% | 3,722 | 20-12 | 57.7 |
| Y2 (2020) Cardinals’ Kyler Murray | 8-8 | 67% | 3,971 | 26-12 | 61.9 |
| Y1 (2016) Rams’ Jared Goff | 0-7 | 55% | 1,089 | 5-7 | 18.3 |
| Y2 (2017) Rams’ Jared Goff | 11-4 | 62% | 3,804 | 28-7 | 56.3 |
| *As starter |
A key to Canales’ wizardry with quarterbacks is playing to their strengths, as he is doing with Young’s mobility and ability to make off-schedule throws.
Another part is listening.
“Dave does a phenomenal job of listening to who the guy is, to what he’s trying to tell us … ” offensive coordinator Brad Idzik said.
“It has been fun for me just listening to what Bryce is trying to tell us. He’s showing us a lot of cool things that we have to work with.”
Listening to Young has been eye-opening.
“The more you listen to what he’s trying to tell you as a player, the more you’re going to see us try to highlight those things he does well,” Idzik said.
Said Canales: “I don’t want to start a play with bad vibes. I want when I call the plays, you’re like, ‘I like that one. I love this one.”’
That coaching style allowed Mayfield to play freely in 2023, without worry of making mistakes, and he responded with a career-best 4,044 yards and 28 touchdown passes. Tight end Tommy Tremble saw that in Young on that fourth-and-3 play.
“He’s a guy that can make any throws that you see on these little TikTok, Instagram reels,” he said. “He didn’t win the [2021] Heisman for no reason. So letting him just play free and do what he does best, that’s where this offense helps him.”
The Panthers added several key pieces to help Young in 2024, including receivers Johnson and first-rounder Xavier Legette, second-round running back Jonathan Brooks and guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis.
But, ultimately, Canales might have been the biggest addition.
“He’s coached all the positions, so he provides a bridge from one room to the other and understanding of, ‘Hey, here’s what receivers are feeling on this. Here’s what a tight end might feel on this,”’ Idzik said.
“Now he’s spreading into the defensive room; here’s what they’re coaching on that side of the ball.”
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At the root of Canales’ system is an illusion of complexity, which is something Young loves.
“It’s about being simple in concept and complex in delivery,” Idzik said. “We like to find out what our core is, what our guys do well. … Then from there, how many different ways can we present that to the defense through another rep of footwork?”
Canales and Young will need time to fine tune the process once the season begins, but so far so good.
“I believe in what we’re doing this year,” Young said.
The beauty of the fourth-and-3 play was Young acted on instincts that amplified his skills.
“It’s him being comfortable with knowing where the bones are buried, but then also knowing how good he is at extending plays — and don’t be afraid to extend those plays and trust the receivers,” Idzik said.
That’s why that one play was significant in showing Young’s potential.
“He rolled out of the pocket and made an insane throw,” Tremble said. “They gave him that trust to be like, ‘Hey, you go out and you can do this, no second thoughts.’ He proved them right.”
