Panthers mailbag: Is there a realistic avenue for improving Bryce Young’s confidence?

Need more Panthers news? Get exclusive insights into the Carolina Panthers this upcoming season with our free Access Panthers newsletter. Every week on Monday and Saturday. Sign-up here.

The Carolina Panthers have gotten off to a horrible start in 2024.

While some national pundits are jumping out of the gate to say “I told you so,” few truly had the foresight to predict it’d be this bad after two weeks. The Panthers have been outscored by 60 combined points in their first two games, and second-year QB Bryce Young has been benched by first-year head coach Dave Canales.

Naturally, fans are angry and confused. So, the weekly mailbag is back to answer their inquiries.

Here are some standout questions from social media:

Saving Bryce Young’s upside

Dustin asks: What can the Panthers do to boost Bryce Young’s confidence? Short passes haven’t seemed to do the trick.

Mike Kaye: Young was benched in favor of veteran QB Andy Dalton on Monday. Dustin asked this question prior to the benching, but it’s worth noting that Canales and Dalton both said that they felt Young could bounce back from this step backward.

First, let’s get into why he was benched to understand how he can improve.

As Dustin noted, the short passing game did Young few favors this past weekend. Ultimately, Canales watched the tape and saw enough to move him down the QB pecking order.

But during Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, the play-calling seemed to imply that Young wasn’t cutting it in the eyes of the staff. Young rarely threw the ball over 10 yards and he finished with just 84 passing yards on 18 completions (4.7 yards per completion). Those numbers wouldn’t empower anyone to feel like they belong on the NFL stage.

Through two games, Young — last year’s first overall pick — looked like a Day 3 selection out of Washington State. And while Luke Falk — the top-of-head comparison — had a short career as an NFL backup, he never sniffed franchise QB status, nor did he get the opportunity to be a Day 1 starter in the NFL.

Young looked skittish in the pocket after having an excellent drive in the preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills’ backups. And it feels like his highlight-reel performance against the New York Jets in a joint practice took place ages ago.

It’s hard to think that Young is suddenly going to snap back into Heisman-winner form any time soon.

Young hasn’t thrown a regular-season touchdown pass since December. He’s produced four interceptions in his past four regular-season games. He is averaging 4.4 yards per throw and 7.9 yards per completion over the past two weeks, and his older teammates are already frustrated with the offense’s struggles, even if their angst isn’t completely directed at the quarterback.

So, with Young now taking on a clipboard, it would help to empower him through communication, mental reps and practice reps. Perhaps a few weeks on the scout team will help him refine his passing prowess. He’s going to be asked to replicate opposing QBs, and maybe getting a bit of outside flavor could do him wonders.

It’s tough to come back from a Week 3 benching. He’s not getting a thumbs up any time soon. But how he handles this necessary setback will go a long way in determining his NFL future. If he handles the benching with grace and gumption, he could bounce back down the road. If he sulks and stirs, Young’s NFL career will crater.

Sometimes, taking a breather can be good for a competitor. Other times, it can be the kiss of death.

Run the darn ball

@iamkbob asks: What will they have to do to be able to run the ball to eat up the clock and when will the defense stop being so underwhelming?

Well, for one, they’ll need to take a lead in order to run down the clock. Over the past two weeks, the Panthers have struggled to win the time of possession battle, and that’s largely been due to their scoring struggles. They were outscored, 47-10 and 26-3, in back-to-back games.

When you’re being blown out, you’re more concerned with conserving time than losing it.

I actually think the running game can be quite effective if the Panthers decide to go run heavy with their offense with Dalton leading the charge.

The offensive line has done a really nice job, especially this past weekend, with opening up holes for the running game. The Panthers averaged 5 yards per carry against the Chargers, despite trailing by double digits for the majority of the game. Running back Chuba Hubbard, in particular, averaged 6.4 yards per tote on 10 carries.

If the Panthers can be more balanced on offense, the line will benefit from that. From there, the running backs will also break out for big runs, like Hubbard’s 23-yard jaunt on Sunday.

On the opposite side, the defense really needs to find itself. Guys are attacking the wrong gaps, missing tackles and just seem genuinely overwhelmed by opposing rushing attacks. However, the past two opponents — the Saints and Chargers — have both shown that running ball is the strength of their offenses, so the numbers might be a bit skewed early on. Ultimately, defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero needs to craft a game plan that his players execute from a technique standpoint. Guys need to do their jobs, communicate and attack. They’ve been bulldozed so far this season.

So, in short, it’s hard to answer Part B of that question.

Playoffs?

Cam asks: Assuming baseline competence all around, how many years before the Panthers are in playoff contention?

This team’s retooling has been jack-hammered by some pretty horrific quarterback play over the past two games. While I think it was initially realistic to consider this a three-year project, Young’s regression has been troublesome and rightfully added question marks to the entire process.

Quick turnarounds are possible in the NFL. If the Panthers eventually move on from Young and bring in a veteran QB and spend some money next offseason with a top-three pick, they’d have a chance to surge a bit. That said, those are huge ifs and it’s only Week 3 of the 2024 NFL season.

I think 2026 is the realistic landing point. It’s really bad right now, but the same could have been said about the Houston Texans in 2022, and they’re lighting it up two years into their rebuild. The Chargers had a bleak outlook beyond the QB spot and Joey Bosa under former coach Brandon Staley, and they are already 2-0 under Jim Harbaugh. The New Orleans Saints have put up 40 points in back-to-back games after looking middling the past two seasons.

Heck, the Minnesota Vikings went 7-10 last year, and now they are 2-0 with Sam Darnold under center.

The NFL ebbs and flows, and while the Panthers have looked like a sinking ship for years, the tide has a way of course correcting when (and if) competence is turning the wheel.