Bryce Young and Panthers End Season on High Note

If someone were to tell you before the 2024 Carolina Panthers season that the team would finish 5-12, you would likely shrug and say “That sounds about right,” assuming it was business as usual for a franchise that hasn’t even sniffed .500 for seven years. 

As anyone who watched the Panthers throughout the year knows, however, the Panthers have ended their season with many positive takeaways despite their record. The fanbase must be somewhat excited moving into the offseason — at least as excited as any 5-12 fanbase can possibly be. 

Following Sunday’s season-ending win against the Atlanta Falcons, 44-38 in overtime, there is still so much more to be done, and so many holes that need to be filled, but the most pressing questions have been answered as we look back on what was a topsy-turvy season. 

Dave Canales isn’t going anywhere 

For once, a Panthers season ends and we don’t have a coaching search to look forward to. 

Dave Canales was the pick of new GM Dan Morgan to take over the reins of this embattled franchise last offseason. A first-time head coach, Canales had success helping quarterbacks reach their potential in Seattle and Tampa, and after a rocky start with Carolina, his magic might be working here, too. 

This isn’t the Panthers team we have been watching for the past several years, and he has clearly changed the culture in the locker room. Not only did they win two of their last three games, putting up 36 and 44 points in those victories, but they’re fun to watch again. After all, how often in today’s or any day’s NFL do you see a Steph Curry-style touchdown celebration that involves turning your back to the ball before it’s even in the receiver’s hands? 

We asked Canales after the Panthers’ final home game, a 36-30 overtime victory against the Arizona Cardinals, about the importance of learning how to win. 

“There were some moments where we didn’t execute,” he acknowledged. “We’ve just got to keep playing ball as long as we have time on the clock, as long as they’re giving us opportunities. And this was just stacking another piece for the guys to learn how to finish.” 

Just as important as the victory, his players appear to be buying into Canales and his mantra of “playing to the finish.” 

Bryce Young, answering the first question posed to him about bouncing back and winning the Cardinals game, said, “This is big for us. We talked about the last part of the season being a great opportunity for us to finish, set the tone for the future, and lay the foundation of where we want to go. Our strive to finish is something that coach instills in us on a daily basis. I think it’s showing.” 

Everyone we spoke to after the game echoed the same sentiment. Hearing so many players repeat the phrase demonstrates the buy-in from the locker room, and that’s one of the most important keys to a winning team. 

Bryce Young might be just who Carolina thought he was 

There’s nothing more important to the success of a football team than a franchise quarterback. After the first two games of the season, Bryce Young was looking like a bust as his confidence waned, and all the conversation about him centered on whether the Panthers could get a fourth or fifth round draft pick for him. 

That would have been a disaster after what they gave up to get him. It’s interesting how fate intervened to give him another chance. If not for Andy Dalton’s car accident, I’m not sure Young would have gotten back on the field this season, and it’s unlikely that I would be as hopeful about the Panthers’ future as I am now. 

Young’s size has always been an issue, but his toughness cannot be questioned. On the Panthers first drive against Arizona, while in their own territory on a third-and-4, Young took the ball himself and, instead of sliding to protect himself, ran straight into an Arizona linebacker, picking up five yards for the first down. 

That move, though cringeworthy for coaches and fans alike, demonstrated guts. I’ve seen many a quarterback slide short rather than take the hit he did. And yet he bounced right back up with a smile on his face and led the Panthers to a touchdown. 

Young had three touchdown passes in the Arizona game and two the week after against Tampa, finishing with three more touchdown passes and two rushing scores against Atlanta in the season finale. Even in the shellacking the Panthers took against Tampa, Young looked good despite being rushed on 68.6% of his pass attempts. 

Young has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league since he returned — not by typical numbers but by the type of throws he’s made and the clutch situations he’s succeeded in. He’s no longer frenzied when the ball is snapped. 

He’s cool in the pocket, going through his reads and showing both touch and moxie, as he did in the flip to Jalen Coker in overtime against Atlanta, a play reminiscent of future Hall of Famer Patrick Mahomes and one that came within inches of giving Young six touchdowns on the day. 

When asked after the final game if Young would be the starter next year, Canales answered, “Bryce is our quarterback.” 

Bringing Young to Carolina was a trade that seemed impossible to win just months ago, but if Young turns out to be the franchise quarterback the Panthers were looking for, and it’s looking more like it each week, the deal was a success. 

Looking ahead for a defense that’s been offensive

With all the positives we have seen from the offense this season, the defense has remained on the other end of the spectrum. They couldn’t stop anyone, setting an NFL record by giving up 534 points, the most in league history. 

Season-ending injuries to key players like Derrick Brown and Shaq Thompson early in the year hurt badly, while others like Josey Jewell, D.J. Wonnum, and Trevin Wallace all missed significant time. Pro Bowl corner Jaycee Horn missed the last two games, as well. 

Since Ejiro Evero came on as defensive coordinator, the Panthers have had the league’s worst rushing defense. Canales has said Evero will be back, but if there are changes to be made to the staff, this is where it should start. 

The Panthers need multiple bodies added to that side of the ball, including someone who can rush the quarterback along with beefing up the linebacker room, especially after losing Frankie Luvu in free agency.

Carolina defenders consistently missed tackles and allowed excess yardage this year, appearing at times not to know how to wrap up a ball carrier. That may be a symptom of the NFL, where stripping the ball seems to be the emphasis more than tackling, but they didn’t do that either. They’re going to need to hit that area hard in the draft and the free agent market. 

And despite my enthusiasm for the offense, there’s still work that needs to be done on that side of the ball. Adam Thielen is the one receiver I completely trust, and as the season progressed, Coker, who went undrafted and was signed by the Panthers, has gained my trust as well of Bryce Young and Dave Canales. 

Coker ended the season with 25 receptions for 416 yards and an average of 16.6 per catch, which is an impressive number and signifies him as a downfield threat. 

My biggest disappointment has been first-round pick Xavier Legette. He has the tools, but in the Tampa game, he had a couple of opportunities to make plays on long passes from Young that were on the mark, but he didn’t make the adjustments it seemed he should have been able to make. 

Let’s just say Young wouldn’t be turning around to celebrate before the catch if Legette were on the other end of that throw against Atlanta. Hopefully he takes a jump in his second year, but Legette’s first season was far from impressive. 

If Carolina could somehow add a No. 1 receiver and continue to fortify the offensive line while cultivating Chuba Hubbard’s continuing ascent, things should be looking up on the offensive side of the ball. 

One aspect of this season that anyone covering the team surely couldn’t ignore was the absence of owner David Tepper. There were no firings, rants, or drinks thrown. He didn’t make a spectacle of himself or embarrass the organization, and along with Canales’ coaching and Bryce Young’s improvement, that was one of the bright spots this season. 

For the first time since I started covering the Panthers, I am going into the offseason with hope that this organization is finally heading in the right direction. It should be a time of optimism for Carolina fans that the Panthers, like their coach preaches, will finish what they started.