Dave Canales somehow still not convinced Bryce Young can be a franchise NFL QB

Carolina's rookie head coach seems to have gained confidence in Young, but not enough to name him QB1.

Tim Weaver | Nov 24, 2024

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 03: Head coach Dave Canales and Bryce Young #9 of the Carolina Panthers embrace after a win over the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium on November 03, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. / (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

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Carolina Panthers

Bryce Young just had his best game as a pro for the Carolina Panthers. While they weren't able to finish the job against the Kansas City Chiefs, they should be feeling nothing but confident about their future, especially if it's in Young's hands.

Apparently rookie head coach Dave Canales doesn't agree. While he wasted no time naming Young his starter for next week's game against Tampa, Canales still thinks that Young proving he can be a franchise quarterback at this level is still in the distant future. There's no simpler way to say this, but Canales is wrong.

For the fourth straight game Young showed improvement in his game - and this one represented a massive leap forward in his development. Young looked more confident than he has at any point in his NFL career and made 6-7 holy-shit type throws, some of them with pressure coming down on him and having to do it off his back foot.

Young wound up with a line of 21/35 for 263 yards, one touchdown and a 92.9 passer rating. This while facing one of the league's best defensive units and having David Moore function as his number one target. Young was also decisive when it came time to leave the pocket and run, totaling 20 yards on three scrambles.

If anybody still needs to prove themselves it's Canales, who should have gone for it on 4th & 5 on a critical drive late in the game but instead elected to kick a field goal - despite his defense having already proven it could not stop Patrick Mahomes. The fact that he's focused on "missed opportunities" instead of his young team taking the reigning champs to the limit shows his focus is too far on the negative side.

Young still has work to do, to be sure - especially in the red zone. However, this game definitively proved that he can not only function as a franchise starting QB in the NFL, he might yet develop into something special.

Canales should name Young the starter for the rest of the season and then go stand in a dark corner for the rest of the evening in shame.