Dec 22, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) on the field in overtime at Bank of America Stadium. Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
By Sam Neumann on

Maybe we should’ve held off on writing those think pieces about Bryce Young being done in Carolina.

His NFL career was prematurely declared a cautionary tale as those in sports media piled on as if the ink had dried on Young’s NFL obituary.

Just a handful of games into his second season in the league, the Panthers seemingly hit the panic button, benching the former No. 1 overall pick and fueling the idea that they picked the wrong quarterback.

Carolina’s track record with quarterbacks since Cam Newton’s departure has been a revolving door of mediocrity, so it’s not like the skepticism and hot takes were unfounded. Pair that with David Tepper’s ownership and the Panthers clearly haven’t done much to inspire faith in their decision-making.

All the Panthers have done in recent years is inspire much apathy.

Tepper’s name carries the same weight as Voldemort in the Queen City.

And to be fair, the skepticism was — and still is — warranted.

But maybe — just maybe — the Panthers deserve some credit for their patience. And just a few games into Young’s resurgence, it’s becoming clear that those early criticisms may have been shortsighted.

The recent performances that spurred the writing of this column showcase the tools that made him the top pick in the first place. The Panthers, despite their glaring flaws, are starting to look functional. And Young? He’s starting to look like the answer.

This isn’t to absolve the Panthers of their past sins. The organization hasn’t exactly earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to quarterback development — a league-wide problem that one of their own, Greg Olsen, recently highlighted. Olsen pointed out how college and high school systems fail to prepare quarterbacks for the NFL, leaving those like Young in a precarious position where they figure it all out on the fly while the league prematurely decides if they’ll sink or swim.

If the league’s impatience with quarterbacks tells us anything, just look at Sam Darnold, Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield. All three were prematurely labeled busts, only to find varying degrees of success later on. And yes, there’s no shortage of irony that two of those names played for the Panthers in recent years, as if we needed to reinforce the organizational issues of developing the position.

But this might be a story with a different ending.

Still, the speed with which the sports media wrote Young off isn’t lost on us. His benching wasn’t just criticized; it was treated as definitive proof that he wasn’t cut out to be an NFL QB. And yet, as the Panthers claw their way to competence, it’s becoming harder to deny that Young belongs.

Those in sports media who were so quick to bury him — and the organization — aren’t exactly rushing to reevaluate. Maybe it’s because their initial takes are starting to age like milk.

The initial pile-on against Young and the Panthers wasn’t just loud; it was relentless.

Stephen A. Smith didn’t hesitate to invoke the ghost of JaMarcus Russell. Mel Kiper Jr. took aim at the entire Panthers organization, questioning its ability to foster any quarterback’s success. David Samson declared that David Tepper made Samson’s much-maligned Marlins ownership group look competent by comparison.

Chad Johnson joined the chorus, branding the Panthers a “dumpster fire” for benching Young, while the entire Sunday NFL Countdown crew flat-out said that no paycheck could convince them to suit up for Carolina.

Even Nick Saban, Young’s former college head coach at Alabama, didn’t hold back, saying the Panthers lacked the talent to properly support their rookie quarterback.

And yet here we are. Carolina is finding ways to win with a cast that would hardly strike fear into opposing defenses on paper. Long written off as past his prime, Adam Thielen has become Young’s go-to guy. David Moore, Tommy Tremble, Jalen Coker and Chuba Hubbard aren’t exactly household names, but they’re proving serviceable in a system that’s starting to click.

We understand how the game works. In the current sports media landscape, outrage travels faster than nuance, and revisiting early misfires doesn’t generate nearly as much buzz or clicks.

But in Carolina, where patience is scarce, Young is quietly rewriting his story.

Even if it doesn’t fit any narratives…

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann