Earlier this week the Carolina Panthers re-signed backup quarterback Andy Dalton to a two-year, $8 million deal. The move solidifies their backfield for the next couple of seasons, but more importantly it represents a commitment to Bryce Young as their franchise starter for the foreseeable future. If they weren’t sold on Young, they would have targeted a younger quarterback who’d have a chance to compete with Young for the starting job.
Committing to Young is the right move, because his development in the second half of the 2024 NFL season is the best news this franchise has gotten in a long, long time. According to Pro Football Network it was also the best thing Carolina did last year.
PFN on Bryce Young development
“Is Bryce Young the man for the rebuild? Through the first 1.5 years of his career, there was more doubt than hope, but he was able to change the narrative with a strong close to the 2024 season. For reference, a similar QB+ gap separated Justin Herbert from Aaron Rodgers in 2024. This is a game of narrow margins and the Panthers have to be encouraged by how their 23-year-old QB finished his second professional season.”
Young’s game grew in a lot of different ways compared to his rookie season, especially in how he responded to pressure. As a result, Young’s sack number dropped from 62 to 29.
However, pass protection is a two-way street, and while sacks may be a QB stat, pressures are on the offensive line – and that’s another area where the Panthers took a huge step forward in 2024. Investing big money in guards isn’t supposed to work out in the modern NFL, but Dan Morgan proved that there are exceptions to the rule.
Together, Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt turned what was one of the worst interior offensive lines in the league to one of the best, which played a big role in allowing Young to be more comfortable in the pocket and grow his game without having to worry about getting hit.
With Chuba Hubbard and Bryce Young in the backfield and a top-10 offensive line in front of them, Carolina has a strong foundation to build its offense around. With a few upgrades at wide receiver and tight end, there’s a chance this could be a very productive offense in 2025.