Carolina Panthers changed offense 3 times in first NFL offseason for Bryce Young

Matt Alquiza | Aug 17, 2024

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young during pregame warm ups against the New York Jets at Bank of America Stadium. / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Bryce Young’s rookie season was doomed from the start. In order to trade for the former Heisman Trophy winner, the Carolina Panthers flipped their number one wide receiver (DJ Moore) and a horde of assets, leaving the offensive cupboard pretty bare. 

Young spent most of his maiden NFL campaign running for his life behind a patchwork offensive line with blanketed receivers that failed to separate from their defenders. The on-field surroundings for the Panthers' rookie lacked talent, but recent reports detail that Young's off-field surroundings were equally as bad.

According to David Newton of ESPN, the Panthers' offensive structure changed three times in Young's rookie off-season. It's a tall task for a rookie to learn an NFL offense in enough time to feel comfortable enough to perform at a high level on Sundays, but doing it three times over is nearly impossible.

Newton interviewed a source "close" to Bryce Young, that said this. "We changed the offense three times in the offseason...that's not gonna be beneficial for anybody, let alone a rookie quarterback. The philosophical alignment wasn't always there.'' Woof.

Much was made about Frank Reich and his "all-star" coaching staff. His hired coordinators and position coaches came from a myriad of schematical backgrounds that Reich hoped to coalesce into a tight, holistic package. The proposed blend of philosophies turned into a fractured mess that left the quarterback and his teammates out to dry.

The number one overall pick threw for 2877 yards at a 58% clip, finding pay dirt 11 times through the air. Ball security was a huge problem in Young's rookie season. The undersized quarterback threw 10 interceptions, and fumbled the ball 11 times in 16 starts. Young showed flashes of brilliance, but they were blotted out by 62 sacks and the overall incompetence we discussed earlier.

Young's rookie season was bad. There's no way around it. But can you blame him? Going forward, the franchise is fully committed to building around their young quarterback, his rookie season notwithstanding. 2023 is in the rear-view mirror, and Dave Canales and Dan Morgan have spent the entirety of the offseason adding talent around Young. New bodyguards in Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis ideally will shore up the offensive line, while new targets in Diontate Johnson and Xavier Legette will open up new avenues in the passing game.

The season is close, and we're merely weeks away from finding out if Young's rookie season will be a blip in his long-term outlook or if it's predictive of what's to come.

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