The quarterback Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers has reportedly struggled as a rookie this season, maybe due to dysfunction among the offensive coaching staff.
David Newton of ESPN reports that “unrest” and “an environment of tension and disagreement” regarding the offensive scheme’s design were mentioned by sources close to the Panthers organization.
Newton continued by saying that while head coach Frank Reich preferred a spread system such to the one Young operated in college at Alabama, other members of the coaching staff preferred to adopt a run-heavy strategy.
Reich was sacked this season with a 1-10 record, just 11 games into his time as the Panthers’ head coach. Additionally fired were running backs coach Duce Staley and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, suggesting they may
The Panthers lost 1-5 in Chris Tabor’s first season as interim head coach and finished with the poorest record in the NFL (2-15).
Young did appear to adjust to the new coaching staff to some extent. since in his final six games, he only threw two interceptions. Against the Green Bay Packers in Week 15, he recorded his only 300-yard passing performance of the year.
Nevertheless, in the previous six games, Young had only two touchdown passes; overall, for the season, he completed 59.7% of his throws for 2,877 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
Young played too cautiously the rest of the season, according to an unidentified Panthers coach, after tossing two interceptions in a Week 1 loss to the Atlanta Falcons: “It does that to most quarterbacks.” After making a few misfires, you decide to take things more slowly until you regain some of your mojo. Simply put, not enough magick was produced to overcome the bad things.”
Since the Chicago Bears acquired the No. 1 overall pick this year after trading their 2024 first-round selection to them in order to move up and select Young last year, the Panthers find themselves in a challenging situation heading into the offseason.
The fact that the Houston Texans drafted quarterback C.J. Stroud with the second overall pick last year and that he already lead Houston to an AFC South title and a postseason victory makes that much more agonizing for Panthers supporters.
To move past their failure with Stroud, the Panthers must work with Young, and the best way to accomplish so is by appointing the most qualified offensive coordinator and head coach.
Although Carolina has a few alternatives, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson would be the ideal pick given the career comeback quarterback Jared Goff helped to arrange.
