NFL pundit picks positive one-word description of Panthers' franchise player

If you had to describe Bryce Young in one word...

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

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is on the come-up. Despite the excellent play down the stretch last season, it's impossible to ignore the entire breadth of his play, which has been largely a little bit disappointing. However, the NFL is a "what have you done for me lately" league, and Young has done a lot more of late.

As a result, Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon was tasked with describing every franchise player with one word. Firstly, he picked Young, which is not insignificant. This time last year, there were massive questions about if he could ever be a franchise guy, which he now is.

Secondly, Gagnon picked a perfect word: budding. He wrote, "By no means is the 23-year-old suddenly a sure thing, but Young redeemed himself in a major way and potentially saved his career with 16 combined passing/rushing touchdowns to three interceptions in Carolina’s last seven games."

Jan 5, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) celebrates after a victory over the Atlanta Falcons in overtime at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Young turned the page on a dismal start to his career, but the sample size is still small. He's well on his way to becoming a star in the league, but he's not there yet. It's maybe unfair to say the jury is still out on someone who played at such a high level at the end of the year with no help, but the jury is still every-so-slightly undecided. They're definitely leaning towards a guilty (of being a star) verdict, though.

Young and Dave Canales proved to be a great pairing, but they only have 12 total starts together, and 10 of them came after a benching. It's still very early in Young's career, so he has plenty of time to get there. And as Gagnon said, it certainly looks like he is going to.

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