Carolina Panthers rule out Bryce Young for preseason opener
Bryce Young is looking to showcase why he was the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft throughout his sophomore season, following up a disappointing rookie campaign.
He’s learning a new system due to the hire of Dave Canales by the Panthers, and some theorized we’d see it in action for the first time in Carolina’s preseason opener, slated for Thursday against the New England Patriots. Evidently, that won’t be coming to fruition.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter relayed the quarterback’s status for Thursday’s game on social media, which was made official by the franchise on Tuesday: “Panthers said QB Bryce Young will not play in their preseason opener.”
Evidently, Young will have to wait to see the field against an opposing team. The former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback will have his next opportunity in Week 2 of the preseason, against the New York Jets on Saturday, Aug. 17. That game will be at home for the Panthers.
Regardless, Carolina will be more focused on Young’s play during the regular season than anything he does over the summer, but the quarterback will need to show he’s improved. Fans are impatient, and seeing the success CJ Stroud has enjoyed has only made matters worse for Young.
He’s shown to be capable at times, but his rookie season was nothing short of a mess. We’ll see what Bryce Young and the Panthers can cook up in 2024, when he finally returns to the field.
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Despite missing the first game of the preseason, Bryce Young is ready to master Dave Canales‘ offense for the Carolina Panthers, as the sophomore quarterback looks to change the narrative surrounding him.
Speaking with the media, Canales took some time to explain how his quarterback can get a firm grip on the offense, and become the leader Carolina drafted him to be.
“Really, it’s just functioning, right?” the Panthers head coach responded, regarding what mastering the offense will look like for his quarterback. “So, it’s the pre-snap mechanics, of getting us up to the line, getting us to the right plays in the run game, in the pass game. It’s about throwing it to that first open guy within the time that we want. And then, when the pocket breaks apart, extending and making those extra plays, you know. So he’s showing all those things, but I still think, just in terms of getting our group polished, we’re not there yet.
“We still have to — we still have strides to make as an offense as a whole. I want all of our groups, particularly the first group, to be able to function, so it just looks like a really fine-tuned machine. We’re not quite there right now, in that regard, but I love the understanding that we have right now with our concepts, I love the execution part of it. You know, I just think that there’s another step, in terms of getting up there quickly, being able to use our tools.”
Regardless, Canales believes Young can get to that level, and he’s been ascending throughout the summer. We’ll see if it’s all smoke, or if the quarterback is actually on the way towards proving his doubters wrong.