CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers are heading into the regular season feeling good about the progress of Bryce Young following a solid training camp and a strong preseason outing against the Buffalo Bills from the second-year quarterback.
The No. 1 overall pick in 2023 was 6 of 8 for 70 yards and capped his only possession — an 85-yard touchdown drive — with an 8-yard scoring toss to tight end Jordan Matthews on Saturday. Granted, it came against Buffalo’s backups with coach Sean McDermott resting his starters.
But it only served as more assurance for Panthers coach Dave Canales that Young is trending in the right direction after a disappointing rookie season in which he went 2-14 as a starter and ranked near the bottom of the league in most passing categories. “Just the focus and growth of Bryce in terms of his owning the concepts and the timing and rhythm of it,” Canales said of what stood out about Young’s effort against the Bills. The Panthers have been talking to their quarterbacks about the importance of having good footwork, and Canales said he saw that carry over to 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 ripped one to Jordan Matthews for a touchdown because he trusted his feet and he was ready to throw at the righ.