Miles Sanders on Bryce Young: 'He's cocky in humble way'

Miles Sanders is lauding his new teammate Bryce Young, the former Heisman winner who is coming into the NFL as the top rookie selected in this year’s draft.

There’s no pressure in that at all, right? On top of that, Young will be the starting quarterback for the Panthers, although he’s yet to throw an NFL pass.

Miles Sanders doesn’t think that’ll be a problem with Bryce Young, who definitely is in control of the huddle.

“He’s cocky in a humble way.” Sanders said on the Mac and Bone podcast. “The humblest way. He knows who he is. I think we’re in good hands.”

That’s a good thing for the Panthers offense. Last year’s offensive team could best be described as inconsistent and at times, stagnant. Carolina ranked near the bottom in total offense, averaging 306 yards per game. They were above only three other teams in the league — Tennessee (296.8), Houston (283.5) and the Rams (280.5). It’s no coincidence that the four worst offensive teams in the league all suffered through quarterback issues.

The Panthers tried to solve theirs by choosing Young. The team used four different quarterbacks in 2022. But none still are with the team. Baker Mayfield now is with the Bucs and Sam Darnold signed with the 49ers. Meanwhile, PJ Walker is Justin Fields‘ backup with the Bears. The Panthers released Jacob Eason in May. New coach Frank Reich also signed veteran Andy Dalton. Matt Corral, a third-rounder from Mississippi in 2022, also is on the depth chart.

But the offensive promise isn’t all about the quarterback. Sure, Bryce Young is there, but so is Miles Sanders. The Panthers plucked him from the Eagles, last season’s Super Bowl runnerup. Sanders rushed for 1,269 yards last year, his best season in the NFL. His quarterback had been Jalen Hurts, who played at both Alabama and Oklahoma. So he’s familiar with the Bama brand of confidence.

Sanders brought up the Alabama connection when he made an appearance this week on the Rich Eisen Show.

“I don’t know what Nick Saban is doing over there with those Alabama guys, but (he’s) creating some very sharp guys,” Sanders said. “I’m looking at him and he’s very sharp with everything. He’s there early, he leaves late.

“When we’re there on the field and I’m talking to (Young), I tell him to just take it slow with the offense. I very well see that during plays and going against the defense. His decision-making is smart, he doesn’t force anything and his pocket presence is what really stands out to me. And the height doesn’t matter at all. … I like him, and we have a bright future ahead of us.”