Advanced stat shows Panthers need to get Bryce Young a lot more help

Bryce Young is going to be tasked with doing it all himself again.

Jan 5, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) passes against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers signed David Moore yesterday, effectively signaling that they aren't really going to get any more pass-catchers. With four wide receivers and two tight ends already in-house, the Panthers will probably spend the draft capital they have on defense.

That is not ideal for Bryce Young. The Panthers quarterback looked really strong last season at times. Through the last 10 weeks, he was good, and at times throughout that stretch, he was borderline elite. He did that mostly on his own with very little help from his pass-catchers.

In fact, the Panthers wide receiver corps and tight end room was dead last in seperation rate. Young had the lowest seperation rate on attempted passes of any QB with 60.4%. The Panthers did not give him weapons that could actually get open, making his job much harder.

Separation Stats / Panthers on SI

The above image showcases how low Young is, but it's only part of the picture. First in the NFL was Jared Goff with a 77.2% separation rate, so that shows the glaring disparity between the best pass-catchers and the worst.

Unfortunately, the Panthers have that exact same group of pass-catchers in 2025. They've returned Moore, Xavier Legette, Adam Thielen, and Jalen Coker alongside Ja'Tavion Sanders and Tommy Tremble, i.e. more of the exact same. This stat shows that that would be a huge mistake. Do the Panthers see that? It doesn't seem like it.

They seem to be taking the Cam Newton approach. The front office saw Young carry this group of pass-catchers to some excellent performances, including a 44-point outburst in the finale and 36 a couple of weeks before. They've deemed that Young can succeed with this unit, so they're not interested in upgrading it, even though that would clearly be a mistake.

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