CHARLOTTE, NC — New Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales loves the way quarterback Bryce Young has embraced an offense that has helped Baker Mayfield, Russell Wilson and Geno Smith have career seasons.
“He’s doing fantastic,” Canales said Monday after the first full day of voluntary workouts. “So for us the formations are pretty basic, so we can teach the concept we want of each route, the depth and the footwork we want.
“As I hope he does, he really masters that part.”
Young, the top pick in the 2023 Draft, loves Canales’ technique and having one main voice in his ear. He said the latter in particular has been “super important” after a disastrous rookie season in which he was sandwiched between then-coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Thomas Brown as play-callers.
That was difficult because, according to multiple sources close to the situation, the coaches had different philosophies.
“It’s really the consistency he has,” Young said of Canales. “He has a very calming presence. He is someone you can converse with, talk to. Good, bad or indifferent, you can tell there is an emphasis on teaching. Sometimes, of course, we are passionate. With the coaches there is a lot of shouting, a lot of emotion.
“His style is very (positive). He wants to make sure he communicates. It’s not just ‘Oh, that was a bad shot’ or ‘You missed.’ It’s constructive. If you miss something or do something wrong, it gives you something tangible to to say, ‘Hey, let’s get our foundation in order.’ It’s something you can think about and apply. It’s been really good for me.”
Young needed a positive change after a rookie season in which he ranked 29th among 30 qualified quarterbacks in total QBR (33.4), 33rd in completion percentage (59.8%), and 28th in touchdown passes (11 ).
“They do a great job of having a clear reason for things,” Young said. “Whether fundamental or schematic, you can see that there is a lot of thought, when we talk about things, how we talk about things.”
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Canales in particular was impressed by the accuracy of Young, who in his eyes looks more like the quarterback who completed 65.7% of his passes in his final two seasons at Alabama than he did last season.
“Deep balls, short balls, intermediate balls, he’s a really accurate passer,” Canales said. “One of the things I really love is that I can focus on his footwork, his base and the mechanics of where his eyes are when I know the ball is hitting the receivers.”
Canales hopes the result is similar to what he had with Mayfield in Tampa Bay last season and with Wilson and Smith in Seattle.
Mayfield had 4,044 passing yards and a career-high 28 touchdown passes with Canales as his offensive coordinator. Wilson had 4,212 passing yards and a career-high 40 touchdowns in 2020 with Canales as passing game coordinator. Smith had 4,282 passing yards and a career-high 30 touchdowns in 2022 with Canales as his quarterbacks coach.
Young said having new players and “new juice” for the offense will also help him bounce back from last season.
The Panthers traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers for wide receiver Diontae Johnson, traded for the 32nd pick in the NFL Draft to select South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette, selected Texas tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders with the first fourth-round pick, and spent $150 million in free agency on guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis.
They also moved up in the second round to draft Texas running back Jonathon Brooks, who is expected to be medically cleared from ACL surgery before the start of training camp.
“I’m very excited to have new pieces,” Young said. “Now, it’s up to us to work, develop the chemistry, get the reps on the field and make it translate.”
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