What Panthers great Greg Olsen said about Bryce Young's big turnaround

Greg Olsen loved what he saw from Bryce Young.

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

Bryce Young had one of the most memorable in-season turnarounds in NFL history. The Carolina Panthers benched Young after two weeks just over a year after they traded a plethora of picks and DJ Moore to get him. The writing was on the wall, but by season's end, Young looked like a future star. That just doesn't happen in the NFL, especially at the quarterback position.

Greg Olsen got to watch Young do this from afar. The former Panthers legend paid attention to what they were doing and even got to call one of Young's games. Despite that specific game being the lone black mark on his resume following the benching, Olsen loved what he saw overall.

Greg Olsen opens up on Bryce Young's turnaround

Greg Olsen admitted that he saw the only bad game from Bryce Young once he returned from the bench. Olsen called the four-turnover outing against the Dallas Cowboys, but that was one bad game out of 10 starts.

"He just looks different. We can talk about his feet in the pocket and his release and his ability to scramble and avoid taking sacks and creating second-reaction plays," Olsen said via Joe Person of The Athletic. "We can dive into all the play calls and the job that (Dave) Canales has done and the offensive line. There’s probably a million reasons. I think the No. 1 reason is he looked like he was back playing the style of ball he’s played his entire life."

Olsen went on, "It looked like Bryce from Alabama. You couldn’t sack him. He’s not Lamar Jackson, but nobody could get him on the ground. He’s creating second-level plays. He’s attacking the ball downfield. It’s not just swing screen, smoke screen, draw. There would be games last year where we wouldn’t see him throw the ball five yards downfield. He just looked more confident in himself, the scheme, the people around him."

The former Panthers tight end also said he was "happy" for Bryce Young because "he does it right." Olsen added, "He’s a kid that I want my boys to look up to. I want them to model themselves (after). He could have quit. He could’ve gone in the tank. He could’ve folded. The bounce back that he took was one of the best stories in football." Thanks to Young's work and the Panthers' faith, they seem to have a franchise QB in the making.

- Enjoy more free Panthers coverage with Carolina Panthers on SI - 

Panthers 7-round mock draft: Dan Morgan loads up on defense

Panthers predicted to land towering WR for Bryce Young in draft

Carolina Panthers could pursue trade for Minnesota Vikings WR

Former Carolina Panthers star cornerback lands head coaching job