Bryce Younger’s rookie season wasn’t one for the parable books. But it became one chubby of precious lessons. Namely, it would perhaps per chance additionally be devastatingly laborious to to be an NFL quarterback.
Younger — whom the Panthers selected No. 1 total within the 2023 NFL Draft after making a blockbuster substitute with the Chicago Bears — started 16 of Carolina’s 17 games as a rookie, winding up 59.8% of his passes for 2,877 yards and 11 touchdowns in opposition to 10 interceptions. His total QBR of 33.4 ranked thirtieth within the league among qualified quarterbacks, whereas his 5.5 yards per are trying became ineffective closing.
Virtually a year after he became drafted, Younger is now tasked with helping the Panthers give a boost to upon their league-worst 2-15 myth in 2023 whereas concurrently proving he’s the franchise’s quarterback of the long term. It would perhaps per chance seem like a mammoth expose, nevertheless Younger has as a minimal earned the self assurance of feeble huge receiver Adam Thielen.
Thielen told The Carrying Recordsdata in an outlandish interview from the Invited Massive identify Traditional, a PGA Tour Champions tournament featuring neatly-known particular person golfers, that he believes Younger is poised to turn issues around this upcoming season.
“I mediate (his rookie year)’s going to be the categorical thing that ever came about to him, taking a assign a query to succor at it,” he acknowledged. “Clearly whereas it is occurring, it is no longer enjoyable, nevertheless I’m mountainous enraged to be around him and imagine him going into Year 2 with loads extra self assurance in himself and being a natural chief in want to attending to power it. I mediate in most cases whenever you’ll seemingly be found in as a rookie and also you do now not bear any longer got lots of time to be around guys after the draft, you just bear of fetch compelled into this aim as the quarterback. I mediate he’s enraged to just create that and be natural about it.”
Thielen became Younger’s finest buddy on the discipline for quite loads of the 2023 season, leading the crew by a huge margin in targets (137), catches (103) and receiving yards (1,014). But being unable to constantly secure open receivers — or bear the time to secure them — had been two issues that hampered Younger’s self assurance steady by technique of his rookie year.
Carolina has already made steps sooner than next week’s NFL Draft to fetch sure issues play out in a different method in 2024. The Panthers made a splash in free agency by signing offensive guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis to big contracts. They also made a substitute with the Steelers for receiver Diontae Johnson to support bolster their receiver room.
Johnson conducted in 14 games for Pittsburgh in 2023, totaling 51 catches for 717 yards and five touchdowns. The top year of his occupation came succor in 2021, when he caught 107 passes for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns.
The 27-year ancient receiver has skills playing on the outdoors to boot to within the slot, giving Carolina some added dynamism among its movement-catchers.
“(Johnson’s) skill to play a ramification of assorted positions creates alternatives for all of us so as to transfer around and invent what we’re factual at,” Thielen acknowledged. “He does a ramification of issues if truth be told effectively and he can thunder a ramification of versatility and consistency to what we’re doing. Or no longer it is a blinding addition, and I’m enraged to fetch to know him as a particular person and as a player.”
While many count on the Panthers so as to add one or two extra receivers within the upcoming draft, the crew also expects extra from Jonathan Mingo in 2024.
Mingo ranked second on the crew in catches within the succor of Thielen with 43, nevertheless he had zero touchdowns and his receive payment of fifty.6% ranked 191st of 197 qualified receivers.
Esteem Younger, Thielen believes Mingo is poised for elevated issues in 2024. He also emphasized how impressed he has been with the man receiver’s maturity already.
“It obviously wasn’t doubtlessly the year that he per chance wanted to bear, nevertheless I mediate whenever you assign a query to on the physique of labor, he just did now not bear a ramification of alternatives closing year,” Thielen acknowledged. “You would perhaps additionally’t affect alternatives by your self. I’m enraged to place a query to him flourish as he continues on.”
As a crew, Carolina ranked closing within the league in total offense (4,510 yards) and passing yards per sport (161.2) in 2024. Tasked with turning the ship around in that regard is sleek head coach Dave Canales — who became hired this offseason after spending 2023 as Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator.
The Buccaneers had been ranked twentieth within the league in total offense, nevertheless many imagine Canales’ play-calling became accountable for helping the crew reach the divisional round of the NFC Playoffs, to boot to the renaissance of Baker Mayfield’s occupation.
While he hasn’t interacted with him too essential yet, Thielen acknowledged that from all the pieces he has heard, Canales is the gorgeous man to support Carolina enter a brand sleek generation.
“He brings that energy and that perspective that is extremely sure and shiny and any individual who you just must be around,” he acknowledged. “And to boot you have confidence it, because it is no longer just focus on. Or no longer it is day-in, day-out, by technique of the factual, by technique of the rotten. I haven’t been by technique of any excessive scenarios with him yet, nevertheless that’s what I’ve heard from americans who bear conducted for him. I’m enraged to be around him extra and trot to battle with him.”
Thielen earned 32 points within the main round of the Invited Massive identify Traditional and sat in seventh space entering Saturday. The tournament is the exhaust of a Stableford scoring machine that awards points essentially essentially essentially based on a particular person’s sequence of strokes on a particular gap.
You would perhaps additionally thought the Invited Massive identify Traditional on Golf Channel origin at 9 p.m. ET on Friday evening. Coverage continues Saturday and Sunday at 5 p.m. on Golf Channel and Peacock.