The Carolina Panthers have a new head coach in Dave Canales, and he is optimistic about QB Bryce Young going into this season.
Dave Canales Optimistic About Bryce Young
In an interview with Kay Adams on Up & Adams, Canales expressed positivity toward Young and recalled his demeanor during his college days.
“He’s got a lot of experience, a lot of big stage wins, the Heisman, a lot of pressure that he’s had to deal with — I’m gonna lean on that experience,” Canales said. “I’m gonna lean on his poise.
“One of the first things I mentioned about Bryce is when you watch him play in college football, and you saw him in those big games on TV — whether it was early in the season or whether it was later in the season against really good opponents — when you looked behind his facemask, his eyes were the same. His countenance was the same. He’s just cold-blooded.”
One look at the Panthers’ 2023 record determines that something needs to change for Carolina this upcoming season, namely with the last-place offense led by Young. But, Canales is still confident in their guy.
“Those things were what really encouraged me to say this is gonna be the top guy coming out,” Canales said. “He’s the guy. He is him.”
When the new head coach was asked on Tuesday at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine what his plan was to “fix” Young in 2024, Canales said he didn’t feel the sophomore signal-caller’s play was necessarily broken.
“No plan to fix Bryce Young,” Canales said of the 2023 No. 1 overall pick. “I think for me, it’s about building an offense that we can be proud of, something that is tough, something that is smart, that takes care of the football.
“We’ve got to create more explosives, and then of course, we have to minimize damage with exotic pressures and things like that. So I think just elevating the whole group and really asking Bryce to just do his part.”
Young had his fair share of struggles during the Panthers 2-15 2023 campaign, finishing with a 59.8% completion rate, 2,877 passing yards, and just 11 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. He also took the second-most sacks in the league (62) behind a struggling offensive line.
The Alabama product had some promising moments, including a win over the Houston Texans in Week 8 and a near-comeback against the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Eve when he throw for 312 yards, two TDs, and zero interceptions.
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Canales said he needs to figure out the balance of reinforcing the good things he knows Young can do while also resolving the problems.
“I really respect Bryce and the road that has taken him to here, and I want to be able to present something to him that’s tangible, that’s specific and says, ‘Hey, here’s some things that we can really dive into and improve on, and here’s things that you’re doing great,'” Canales said. “So we’ll have a great plan when he comes back to us in a couple weeks.”
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