The Carolina Panthers may have found their franchise quarterback.
That didn’t seem to be the case two years ago, and that definitely didn’t seem to be the case early last season.
However, Bryce Young returned after a brief stint on the bench, and he finally looked like the talented signal-caller they took with the No. 1 pick.
When asked about that, head coach Dave Canales opened up on how the former Alabama product was able to soak in the experience and make the most of being benched.
> “I struggled with that a lot because you see historically what can happen when you have a quarterback (who) comes in and you go through some challenges. Some guys don’t have the resilience to be able to battle through the emotional strain, as well as the football strain combined,” Canales [said](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6412111/2025/06/09/panthers-bryce-young-dave-canales-camp/). “I was nervous about that and I struggled with that. That decision was not taken lightly. That risk brought out the best in Bryce.”
Granted, perhaps Young was rushed back to the field because of Andy Dalton’s off-the-field incident, but whatever the reason, he looked like an entirely different player when he was back out there.
He finished the season with 2,403 passing yards and 15 touchdowns against nine interceptions while completing 60% of his passes.
Those numbers might not pop out, but he looked more confident and poised in the pocket, and he was more efficient and in control of the offense down the stretch.
The Panthers hired Canales because of his reputation as a quarterback whisperer, knowing that giving up on Young so early would spell disaster for an organization that traded the chance to draft Caleb Williams to get Young one year earlier.
The physical limitations will never go away, and that’s going to be a perennial concern with him.
Even so, we’ve already seen him take a step forward under Canales’ command, so that might be the case again in his third season.
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