Bryce Young 2024 Breakout?
The Carolina Panthers paid a fortune to trade up and draft quarterback Bryce Young in the 2023 NFL draft. Many say it is one of the worst trades the NFL has seen in quite some time, especially since how much Young struggled in his rookie campaign. It is still too soon to say how he will fare in the pros, but it is obvious he is in a better situation than he was a year ago. Young is still the same quarterback who won the Heisman at Alabama in 2021, and he now has an offensive-minded head coach and quality skill players added to his arsenal. It is unfair to expect a jump to elite production, but a second-year breakout is reasonable.
Dave Canales
The Panthers hired Dave Canales as the head coach on January 25, 2024. Before that, he spent 13 seasons coaching all across the offensive side for the Seattle Seahawks until he joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season as their offensive coordinator.
Dave Canales has had significant success in the last couple of years as a coach. He is a so-called “QB guru”, helping quarterbacks reach their fullest potential. He was one of the key factors in both Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield's career years.
Geno Smith was drafted by the Jets in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft to be their guy for the foreseeable future. He started for a few seasons, then became the backup, then hopped around a few teams until he landed with the Seahawks. Once Russell Wilson left for Denver in 2022, the starting quarterback position was wide open. Smith won the job and looked like a completely different player on the field, for the better.
Geno Smith posted career highs in completion percentage (69.8%), yards (4,282), touchdowns (30), and yards per attempt (7.5). He led the league in completion percentage and was among the top ten in yards, touchdowns, and yards per attempt (per PFF). This revival eventually earned Smith his first Pro Bowl appearance and won him “Comeback Player of the Year.” One can argue that it was Dave Canales who helped refine his tools to have a bounce-back year in 2022.
Dave Canales left Seattle in 2022 to become the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator. He had another talented, yet underperforming veteran to mentor: Baker Mayfield. Mayfield was supposed to be great, being the number one overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft. Like Geno Smith, Mayfield had an up-and-down career playing for numerous teams until landing with the Buccaneers last season.
Yet again, Dave Canales’ golden touch was displayed for the entire league to see. Mayfield had career highs in completion percentage (64.3%), passing yards (4,045), and touchdowns (28). Among quarterbacks with at least 356 dropbacks, Mayfield was 16th in completion percentage, ninth in passing yards, and seventh in passing touchdowns. (per PFF) The Panthers are hoping Canales can work his magic with Bryce Young and start winning football games.
Improved Offense:
Dionte Johnson
This season will be the first time Bryce Young has a true number-one wideout as a pro. The Panthers traded for Dionte Johnson this past spring and it is not being talked about enough. Johnson is a solid receiver who has been productive throughout his career and instantly improves the Panthers’ wide receiver room. He is an excellent route runner and separator and should become Bryce Young's security blanket very quickly.
His last two seasons have been disappointing, but when he has adequate quarterback play, Dionte Johnson can be a difference-maker. In 2021, he had 107 receptions, 1,161 yards, and eight touchdowns with an aging Ben Roethlisberger. Dionte Johnson may not be the sexiest free agent add, but he is still a valuable and productive receiver who will play a big part in the growth of Bryce Young.
Xavier Legette
Xavier Legette is a bit of a project, but this project could be something special if everything works out. Legette does not have much experience as a wide receiver, playing quarterback in high school. He had 338 yards in his first four seasons at South Carolina until he broke out as a fifth-year senior with 71 receptions, 1,255 yards, and seven touchdowns. He is a big and explosive player at 6’3”, 227 lbs, and averaged 17.7 yards per reception last season. In addition, he is the perfect complement to Dionte Johnson and will add much-needed juice to an offense lacking any excitement.
Jonathon Brooks
Bryce Young would have greatly benefitted from an efficient run game last season. The Panther's running backs were pretty bad last year, with no one topping 1,000 yards or averaging more than four yards per carry. Chuba Hubbard was the best running back of the bunch, but he is better suited as a change of pace back. The Panthers needed fresh legs in the running back room to make life easier for Bryce Young. They indeed made life easier with the drafting of Jonathon Brooks in the second round of the 2023 draft.
Jonathon Brooks was arguably the best running back out of his class, and for good reason. He is coming off a season with 1,135 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 6.1 yards per carry. He has the size and pass-catching ability to be a three-down back and projects to be just that. While he is currently on the PUP list (he tore his ACL late last season), he should help alleviate pressure off of Young once he gains command of the backfield.
Conclusion
The Panthers have had a sneaky impressive offseason. They got an offensive-minded coach, a number-one wideout, a field stretcher, and a workhorse running back. These major acquisitions will be pivotal in whether or not Bryce Young will have a breakout season in 2024. Young cannot do everything himself and needs the right coaching and players to bring the best out of him.
The Panthers are headed in the right direction with how they have attacked this offseason and are doing their best to ensure their franchise quarterback is dressed for success. The Panthers are still projected to be one of the worst teams in the league, yet Bryce Young should greatly improve and look more like the player he was at Alabama.
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