Bryce Young’s Biggest Supporter? Panthers Teammate Says Critics Owe Him an Apology

Panthers defensive tackle Derrick Brown is confident that quarterback Bryce Young has made significant improvement after a rocky couple of years.

Bryce Young’s Biggest Supporter? Panthers Teammate Says Critics Owe Him an Apology

Bryce Young (Image via IMAGO)

In Short
  • Bryce Young led the Carolina Panthers to a playoff appearance after a challenging start to his NFL career.
  • Teammate Derrick Brown praised Young's progress and urged critics to acknowledge his improvement.
  • Analysts express concern over the lack of offensive weapons available to support Young in the upcoming season.

After enduring a couple of rocky years to start his NFL career, Bryce Young bounced back and led the Carolina Panthers to a playoff appearance. In his fourth year, Young will be playing for his first big contract extension.

That will only happen if he delivers another playoff season or better, goes on a deep postseason run. Young’s teammate, Derrick Brown, believes that the 24-year-old has made steady progress and possesses the necessary tools required for a franchise quarterback.

He’s [Bryce Young] our guy. We ride with [number] 9 all the way through. That’s one of those things that people don’t want to admit how good he’s becoming because they’re going to have to go back and admit how wrong they were. As we all know, people don’t like doing that.

Brown said on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast
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Bryce Young took his benching as motivation to get better

The Panthers drafted Young first overall after trading their ninth overall pick, wide receiver DJ Moore, and several other picks to the Chicago Bears. He played every game barring one during his rookie campaign, posting a 2-14 record.

Bryce Young’s Biggest Supporter? Panthers Teammate Says Critics Owe Him an Apology
Bryce Young (Image via IMAGO)

Ahead of the 2024 season, the Panthers signed Dave Canales as the new head coach. Canales made a bold move by benching Young after a 0-2 start for veteran Andy Dalton. However, he was soon recalled to the starting lineup when Dalton picked up a bad injury. Young doubled his win tally in year two, ending the year with a 4-8 record.

Brown claimed that the benching put a chip on Young’s shoulder.

[Bryce] took the benching [hard], man, he just came into work every single day and killed it… He went right back to doing what he does. To him, it was about playing football.

Brown said

Reports began to surface that several NFL teams had reached out to the Panthers inquiring about a possible trade. However, Young stayed in Carolina. It turned out to be the right decision.

Young showed glimpses of his elite quarterback skills, which were the reason behind winning the Heisman Trophy in college. In 2025, Young posted an 8-8 record. He completed 304 of 478 pass attempts for 3011 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.

Young played his best game in a Panthers jersey in the week 13 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. Young completed 15 of 20 passes for 206 yards and threw 3 touchdowns. Even Rams head coach Sean McVay admitted it was a humbling experience for his team.

The Panthers lost the final two games, but still won the NFC South and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2017. In the wildcard round, they once again faced the Rams. LA won the bout, but the Panthers pushed them to their limit. Young threw for 264 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The Panthers lost 31-34.

Analyst claims the Panthers haven’t given Bryce Young enough weapons to work with

Young’s best receiver last year was rookie Tetairoa McMillan, who caught 70 passes for 1014 yards and scored 7 touchdowns. Former first-round pick Xavier Legette had similar numbers to undrafted wideout Jalen Coker. Both posted a little over 300 yards and three touchdowns each.

Running back Chuba Hubbard shared the backfield with Rico Dowdle. With Dowdle now part of the Steelers, Hubbard will be tasked to carry most of the load.

FOX Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano writes that the Panthers did not add more firepower to help Young in the offense.

It’s the rest of the weapons that should cause concern. WR Xavier Legette, a former first-round pick, was mostly a non-factor last season. The Panthers are counting on Chuba Hubbard to again be their No. 1 back after he had to play a secondary role to the since-departed Rico Dowdle.

Vacchiano wrote

Young needs all the help he can get, considering 2026 will determine whether the Panthers lock him down to a long contract or not.

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