With Bryce Young settled at QB, Panthers can focus on rebuilding NFL's worst defense

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers aren't heading to the postseason, but they believe they’ve finally found a franchise quarterback.

And that’s big, particularly with general manager Dan Morgan needing to focus his attention on fixing a defense that had a historically bad season.

Bryce Young finished his second season in promising fashion with 21 touchdowns — 15 passing and six rushing — in his final 10 starts, including five in Sunday’s 44-38 overtime win over an Atlanta Falcons squad that was competing for a playoff spot.

It capped a remarkable turnaround for Young, who was benched two games into the season by first-year coach Dave Canales, a decision that led many to conclude the Panthers had squandered the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft when they traded up eight spots to get the former Heisman Trophy winner from Alabama.

To his credit, Young proved his doubters wrong, regained Canales' trust and gave a frustrated Panthers fan base some optimism that the team's seven-year playoff drought might soon come to an end.

“Absolutely, Bryce is going to be our starter moving forward,” Canales said when asked if Young has shown enough to be considered the team's franchise quarterback. “He earned that job. He won it. He took it and ran with it.”

That hasn't surprised Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble one bit.

He praised Young for fighting through adversity and keeping a positive mindset while continuing to work hard to improve.

“I have hyped him up from the day he got here because we have been seeing that the entire time,” Tremble said. “Now the whole world got to see it, especially being the last game of the year. He ended it on a high note and really let people talk about his quarterback play. He's elite.”

Young said he is “super grateful” for his second opportunity — one that only came about after veteran Andy Dalton sprained his thumb in a car accident on Oct. 22 and had to relinquish the starting job.

When asked if he feels vindicated, Young said, “I don't know if vindication is the word, but I always try to control what I can control. I just to be the best version of myself every day and I will continue to chase that. ... I want to embrace the good and the bad, and that is something that was a theme for this entire year.”

Evero stays on as defensive coordinator

Canales said Ejiro Evero will return as defensive coordinator despite the Panthers breaking a 43-year-old NFL single-season record by allowing 534 points. The 1981 Baltimore Colts gave up 533 during a 2-14 season.

The Panthers played one more game than those Colts and allowed 31.4 points per game, the sixth-worst average in league history.

“I've played against his defenses and I know what this defense will look like,” Canales said. “And I'm committed to that and Ejiro is committed to that. So it's about developing the players we brought in and evaluating our schemes and being honest about that, and then seeing who is out there to (improve) our roster.”

Canales would not say if the entire defensive staff would return.

“I love EJ and I love his scheme,” Morgan said. “But I have to do my part as well, me and my staff, of putting really good players on the field and adding good pieces. ... We will continue to be aggressive. We will be smart, but we will be aggressive.”

Brown on the mend

Evero was put in a tough situation after the Panthers traded top pass rusher Brian Burns and cornerback Donte Jackson, allowed linebacker Frankie Luvu to get away in free agency and then lost two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Derrick Brown and linebacker Shaq Thompson to injuries in the first two weeks of the season.

The Panthers signed edge rusher D.J. Wonnum in the offseason, but he spent the first half of the season on injured reserve.

The good news for the Panthers is Brown said he should be back from a torn meniscus in his knee by the start of offseason team activities. Thompson's future in Carolina is more uncertain after he played in just six games over the past two seasons due to injuries. Considered the team's emotional leader on defense, Thompson has spent the last decade with Carolina.

Horn's future

The Panthers' biggest priority in free agency will be re-signing their lone Pro Bowl player, cornerback Jaycee Horn.

Horn has only played in 37 of a potential 68 games during his injury-plagued, four-year career, but son of former NFL wide receiver Joe Horn has been a shutdown cornerback when he's been on the field. The Panthers are expected to pick up the fifth-year option on Horn and then look to give him a long-term contract.

Addressing the specialists

The Panthers have had a reliable core of specialists over the past three seasons that has included kicker Eddy Pineiro, punter Johnny Hekker and long snapper J.J. Janson. But Carolina enters the offseason with all three being unrestricted free agents.

Pineiro, at 88.1%, is the third-most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history and could command decent money on the free-agent market despite not being known for having a particularly strong leg.

Draft position

The Panthers (5-12) finished with their sixth straight 10-loss season and will draft No. 8 overall.

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Steve Reed, The Associated Press