Despite losing the first two games last season, new HC Dave Canales made one thing clear– “Bryce (Young) is our quarterback.” But just 22 hours in, the 23-year-old first overall pick was benched in favor of veteran Andy Dalton because for Canales, “My number one responsibility is to help the Panthers win, and so this move I believe puts us in the best chance to do that.” The Carolina Panthers were a mess, having been outscored 73-13 across losses to the Saints and Chargers. Their offense looked static with Young completely unraveling – Zero TDs, three interceptions, 6 sacks and a career-low 84 yards in Week 2. The pressure was unrelenting.
Him finishing the 2024 campaign as Carolina’s undisputed QB1 would’ve sounded like wishful thinking. But despite whispers of “His time in Carolina has ended,” it didn’t take long for the QB out of Alabama to make his point– He was… is… the future QB1 of the Panthers and is here to stay.
Bryce Young had returned as QB1 in week 8 after Andy Dalton suffered a thumb injury off the field. And least to say, the break was the best thing to happen to him. To close out the season, Young notched his name in the franchise history as the only QB to have 3 pass and 2 rush TDs in a single game. And his cold celebration when he zipped a ball into the end zone against Atlanta in Week 18, then casually turned his back on the play, signaling his third touchdown of the game before it even hit Tommy Tremble’s hands? It wasn’t showmanship. It was regained confidence in a deliberate rebuild. Not of Young’s mechanics, but of his psyche in a season that could’ve buried a young quarterback but instead helped define him. And heading into the 2025 season, GM Dan Morgan remains firmly in Young’s corner.
On the Rich Eisen Show, Eisen recalled the last season and said, “Clearly, when it happened, everybody thought, well, that’s the end of the road for him in Carolina, and we could not have been clearly more wrong… What do you think he learned from that sabbatical?”
Speaking about that benching and Canales’ decision, GM Dan Morgan said, “I think coach Canales did a great job of just like, making a hard decision. It was a hard decision to, you know, bench Bryce after the second game of the year. And for him to do that and being a first time head coach, not a lot of guys would do that in that type of situation. So, for him to feel that that was going to be the best thing for Bryce and I thought it was a great move by him and what was best for the organization.
“And Bryce, he took it running, and he was out there, it gave him a chance to sit back, watch Andy Dalton out there in the huddle, run the huddle. and just take a step back and just take a deep breath, relax a little bit and just kinda gather his thoughts. We knew he was going to come back at some point and we knew he was going to play good. Bryce is a competitor.
“He’s one of the hardest workers that I’ve ever been around. I knew that this wasn’t going to keep him down for long. He’s resilient. He loves the game. He’s just passionate about everything that he does. So, to see him come back and end the season that the way he did, it was awesome to see. And it was actually really just a proud moment for myself and you know just the organization to know that we have our franchise quarterback.”
Right after he was benched, the QB admitted, “It wasn’t what I expected. Obviously, it’s not easy to hear something like that. I’ve got a lot of respect for Coach Canales and for this team,” he said. “This is the situation right now, and my job is to do everything I can to support the team in whatever role I’m in.”
The 23-year-old did not sulk through the decision. His “respect” shone through. And his hard work? That didn’t go unnoticed. Even Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris commended the young QB for his work in Panthers’ 44-38 overtime road win. “Watching Bryce run into the end zone, I think he made a couple people miss.” For Morgan, that vote of confidence from back in 2024 has not wavered one bit.
Instead, it has only grown stronger over time. Bryce Young remains the franchise QB as far as the Panthers are concerned. And with their franchise QB, Morgan has also set a firm benchmark for the team heading into the 2025 season.
Dan Morgan’s goal for the 2025 season
With their first preseason game just two months away, the Panthers have been doubling down on the OTAs now more than ever. The mission? It’s the same as the other 31 franchises. As Dan Morgan sees it, “You know, we want to win the NFC South. We want to get a home playoff game. And, you know, we want to compete for championships. We want to build a consistent winner around here that the fans can be proud of.”
He firmly stated they “got to get back to winning, and again, we got to put the work in and I know we will and it’s starting right now and in OTAs. We just finished OTAs and then on the minicamp next week and we’ll just keep building from there.”
And speaking of the OTAs, Bryce Young, for one, appears to have put on a bit of muscle. It’s a look that has instilled optimism and hope in the fans. However, it’s not just about the physique or appearance. As NFL insider Cameron Wolfe recently noted, a combo is developing in Carolina that’s a significant cause for optimism.
The Combo? Bryce Young and the Panthers’ newly drafted rookie, Tetairoa McMillan. As Wolfe put it, “They have the right talent, and there’s a lot of confidence in Bryce Young out there. Coach Canales said today, ‘If we see the Bryce Young I saw today on the field, we’re in good shape.’… Now with Tet McMillan, Xavier Legette, they think they have something brewing in Carolina.”
For now, it seems things are looking very upbeat in Carolina. The fans will only have to wait till August to see Bryce Young in action again.
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