Carolina Panthers tight end explains the one thing Bryce Young needs most

Bryce Young has a strong support system in place, both on and off the field.

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Being a rookie quarterback is not an easy job in the NFL. It's even more challenging when the offensive play-calling duties are tossed back and forth, the offensive line fails you week after week, the receivers struggle to gain separation, and your coach gets fired mid-season.

That's what Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young had to endure in his first year in the league. It wasn't ideal by any means, but perhaps it will make him a better quarterback in the long run having gone through all of that adversity.

But just because there's a new coaching staff in place, better protection up front, and more dynamic playmakers to get the ball to doesn't mean all the problems will be washed away. It's going to be a process and if Young can manage to remain positive throughout all of the ups and downs, he'll turn out to be just fine.

Veteran tight end Jordan Matthews has been around long enough to understand what Young is going through as a young quarterback and talked about the number one thing he needs in order to successfully make this transition to becoming a franchise guy.

“Bryce has always been talented. He’s always been able to make the throws, he’s a great leader. Dave (Canales) in one of his first meetings talked about, he used the word covering and I’ve never heard a coach use that word before, but he talked about even the staff he assembled from Scott (Cooper) and Brad (Idzik), he’s got a lot on his plate so he feels like he’s got a lot of people that can cover him. What that means is those people instill confidence in you, but they also keep all the other stuff out. I’ve seen enough good stuff from Bryce to let me know that what he needs is we got to cover him. From the receivers, to the o-line, to the running backs, protection, pass game, in the media, we’ve got to cover that young man. He’s got a lot on his shoulder, but golly, he’s a winner. You don’t just wake up one day and win a Heisman. I talk about it all the time, you see somebody at the top of a mountain, they didn’t get dropped off there. They climbed it.”

Not that guys didn't stick up for Bryce last year, but there was a clear lack of leadership on the offensive side of the ball. Obviously, a lot was going on with the play-calling and Frank Reich being fired, but when Young got knocked down or took a late hit you didn't see much of a reaction from some of the guys up front. You don't get the sense that it will be the case with this bunch. As Matthews stated, it's going to take everyone, not just the o-line. For a young quarterback to gain confidence, he needs the support of his teammates and this group clearly has his back.

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