Bryce Young hasn’t given much reason to be held in high regard going into the 2024 campaign. So, he’s not.
Pro Football Focus analyst Trevor Sikkema recently ranked the NFL’s starting quarterbacks as we head into the upcoming season. He has Young all the way down at No. 25, a spot earned by both him and his Carolina Panthers.
Sikkema writes:
Young’s rookie season was, well, about as bad as it gets. His 52.6 passing grade ranked 41st among qualifying quarterbacks, and his 27.6 passing grade under pressure was the worst in the league.
The Panthers’ situation was equally as bad as it gets, so it’s hard to put all of that on Young. He was brilliant at Alabama, but there clearly wasn’t any confidence for him in 2023 in Carolina to replicate it. His overall athletic deficiencies (size and strength) were glaring last season. More confidence and better decision-making can get Young on the right track. 2024 will be an important evaluation season for the former No. 1 pick.
That situation should be much better this year given the team’s additions of wideouts Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette, running back Jonathon Brooks, tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders and guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis. Young will also be helped by first-year head coach Dave Canales, who told reporters on Monday that the 22-year-old is doing a “fantastic” job of picking up the new offense.
“Deep ball, short, intermediate—he’s a really accurate passer,” Canales said when asked of Young’s throwing ability. “I think one of the things that I love is, I can really focus in on his footwork and his base and the mechanics of where his eyes are at when I know the ball is hitting the receivers. So for the last couple of weeks, [he’s] been throwing on air. I don’t have to worry about where the ball’s going. He’s very accurate.
“They’re pros, right? So people have this expectation that quarterbacks are accurate,” he added. “But I know that some guys are more accurate than others. So I think it’s the ability of Bryce to be able to throw to different body types, different speeds, different quickness at the top of routes. So I’m really impressed with that part of it.”
Well, at least there’s almost nowhere to go but up.
