The Carolina Panthers are feeling optimistic about Bryce Young’s progress as they head into the regular season. This positive feeling comes after a strong training camp and a good preseason game against the Buffalo Bills by the second-year quarterback.
As the No. 1 overall pick in 2023, Young was 6 of 8 for 70 yards and ended his only drive — an 85-yard touchdown drive — with an 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jordan Matthews on Saturday.
While it was against Buffalo’s backup players, since coach Sean McDermott rested his starters, it still reassured Panthers coach Dave Canales that Young is heading in the right direction. This comes after a tough rookie season where Young went 2-14 as a starter and was near the bottom in most passing statistics.
“Just the focus and growth of Bryce in terms of his owning the concepts and the timing and rhythm of it,” Canales said about Young’s performance against the Bills.
The Panthers have been emphasizing the importance of good footwork to their quarterbacks, and Canales noticed that Young applied this in the game.
“All of the tedious drills … it’s footwork, footwork footwork,” Canales said. “It’s kind of that eye-rolling session, like ‘we are really doing this again?’ Yeah, we are. It’s that memory that pays off in games.
His feet were ready in the ground, he threw a touchdown pass to Jordan Matthews because he trusted his feet and was ready to throw at the right time on the concepts.”
This game was Young’s first preseason action after he missed games against the New England Patriots and New York Jets.
Canales was especially impressed with Young’s play on a fourth-and-3 from the Buffalo 46-yard line. Young scrambled out of the pocket, extended the play, and connected with Diontae Johnson for a 17-yard gain.
“That was a thing of beauty,” Canales said. “It has been showing up all camp, and showed up in the game. So it’s something our (receivers) can learn to count on — work for him, and he will find you.”
Canales was also pleased with third-string quarterback Jack Plummer, who completed 21 of 29 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns against the Bills. Canales mentioned that Plummer made the decision on whether to keep a third quarterback on the roster harder.
The Panthers plan to make most of their cuts on Tuesday, according to Canales.
He said the toughest decisions will be at wide receiver, which he called the “strongest group we have on this team.”
Johnson, who was traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers in the offseason, and Adam Thielen are expected to be the starters. However, the team also values first-round draft pick Xavier Legette from South Carolina and former second-round picks Jonathan Mingo and Terrace Marshall, who had strong camps.
Wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette, who had a good season last year and has performed well as a returner, is dealing with a foot injury that might affect his status. He is set to see a medical specialist this week.
Canales mentioned that there is a chance the Panthers might keep seven wide receivers on the 53-man roster.
“That group showed up this camp, and they all to a man did something that got our attention,” Canales said. “We have to definitely look at the whole roster and say, how many can we afford to keep in that position?”
