Bryce Young has uneven passing day at Carolina Panthers training camp

Matt Alquiza | Aug 11, 2024

Jul 30, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) throws during training camp at Carolina Panthers Practice Fields. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

After a couple rest and recovery days following the Carolina Panthers preseason loss in New England, the pads came back on Sunday morning. Practice started slowly as players got re-acclimated to their gear and the warm temperatures, but things quickly heated up as the team moved into 11-on-11 action.

Head coach Dave Canales had the team running game-like scenarios, treating portions of today's practice like an intra-squad scrimmage. Like most full-team repetitions have gone this summer, the defense started out dominant.

On the first-team's first run-through, the offense failed to move the ball. A three and out that featured two pass break ups by Jaycee Horn was punctuated by a volleyball-like spike of a Bryce Young attempt by defensive lineman Derrick Brown. The Pro Bowl tackle found his way into the quarterback's lap with ease, an all too familiar sight for those that watched the Panthers in 2023.

The second drive was much improved for the offensive unit. The pass protection was leaky, but Young's creativity saved the day on multiple occasions. A slick move to his left to evade a rushing Derrick Brown (there goes that man again) opened up a window for Young to hit Jonathan Mingo on an out route to move the chains. On the next snap, an unblocked rusher was left in Young's wake as he rolled right to hit Diontae Johnson for a big gain on a crossing route. The sophomore quarterback has been encouraged to let his out-of-structure creativity show, and it did on those back-to-back plays.

The 2023 number one overall pick is at his best when he's able to improvise. Veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen said today that Young was potentially "too on-time" last year, meaning that he was married to his progressions and unwilling to create out of structure. In year two, Young has been let loose. His swashbuckling, gunslinger-esque style of quarterbacking outside of the pocket has been the crux of Carolina's most successful plays in training camp.

On occasion, they also come back to bite the offense.

Soon after Young's improvisation spurned the Carolina offense to two chunk gains, it got him into trouble. Young slid to his right and uncorked a pass moving towards the line of scrimmage. Safety Xavier Woods broke downhill on the ball and picked off Young, the starting quarterback's third thrown interception of camp. Thankfully for Young, his head coach wasn't too deterred by the interception.

"If we're not getting interceptions we're not trying. We need to take those shots down the field so we can hone it in, so that we can become really crisp when we take those shots down there."

As he's become familiar with doing, Young rebounded from his failures. On the second snap of goal line drills Young (again) moved out of the pocket to his right, and found a wide-open Ja'Tavion Sanders for a touchdown. An impressive comeback from his earlier interception.

Like most days so far this summer, there was some good and there was some bad from Young. Long after practice ended the quarterback stayed on the field with his top two targets Adam Thielen and Diontae Johnson, talking shop and taking stock of the work they've put in so far. The onus is on the three of them to revive a long-dormant offense. Today was another step forward in that process, albeit with a couple of steps back mixed in.

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