Carolina Panthers fans got their first real glimmer of hope at the quarterback position this week for the first time in about five years. That’s when former franchise quarterback Cam Newton suffered a foot injury in a preseason game against the New England Patriots, which effectively signaled the end of both his run leading the team and their designs on being a contender in the NFC.
Since then the Panthers have won just 24 games in the regular season, with their best showing being a 7-10 mark in 2022 when being led by Baker Mayfield, who’s now with the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mayfield’s resurgence was largely thanks to the influence of their former offensive coordinator Dave Canales, who’s now head coach of these Panthers. Canales has also been credited with helping Seattle Seahawks QB Geno Smith turn his career around.
Though much work remains, it appears that Canales is trying to construct a similar comeback for Carolina’s developing quarterback, Bryce Young. Young threw the ball as well as we’ve seen in Thursday’s joint practice against a potent New York Jets defence, igniting some hope that this squad might finally be ending its postseason streak soon—or at least they can see it coming.
Robert Saleh, the head coach of the Jets, was impressed with what he witnessed and believes that Young will do well in the NFL. This is what he said following practice on Thursday.
Pass protection will be crucial, as Saleh said. This offseason, the Panthers made a significant financial investment to upgrade their offensive line. If that money turns out to be well-spent, Young will have an opportunity to begin developing into a legitimate pro quarterback. We might have more five-win seasons if that’s the case.
