Bryce Young Takes Accidental Shot at Former Coaching Staff

2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young faces an important season. His rookie year was a mess as Carolina finished 2-15 and turned the reins over to Dave Canales. With an improved supporting cast and exciting young talent, the pressure is on Young to take a big step forward.

The Panthers admittedly suffered through a healthy dose of dysfunction in 2023. Frank Reich was fired after a 1-10 start and Young never had the opportunity to properly develop.

Things seem to be going well in the offseason, and Young may have said the quiet part out loud about last year's coaching staff.

Bryce Young Takes Accidental Shot at Former Coaching Staff

As David Newton of ESPN writes, "Young, the top pick of the 2023 draft, loves Canales' technique and having only one primary voice in his ear. He said the latter in particular has been "super important" after a disastrous rookie season in which he went between then-coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Thomas Brown as playcallers."

He continues that the two voices had differing philosophies, making it even harder for Young to adjust to the professional game. "Young needed a positive change after a rookie season in which he ranked 29th out of 30 qualified quarterbacks in Total QBR (33.4), 33rd in completion percentage (59.8%) and 28th in touchdown passes (11)," explains Newton.

Young is excited about the coaching changes, as he should be. Speaking about Canales and the staff, he said, "Whether it's fundamental or scheme, you can tell there's a lot of thought, when we talk about things, how we talk about things."

In any case, there are reasons to be optimistic about Young and the Panthers as a whole. They're currently +730 to make the playoffs at FanDuel Sportsbook, so it may take a couple of years. However, it looks like Young is one step closer to realizing his potential, which is a welcomed step in the right direction.

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