Just one Carolina Panthers quarterback has ever led the NFL in passing yards. The franchise has never had a quarterback lead in TD passes. With the exception of Cam Newton, journeymen like Jake Delhomme and Kerry Collins was as good as it got.
Bryce Young is trying to change that narrative.
The 22 year-old leads the NFL in passing yardage with 939, and passing yards per game (313). His seven touchdown passes through Week 3 is also just two off the leader. This would be a great a time as any to introduce the 2023 No. 1 overall pick to those casual NFL fans who have forgotten that the 5-foot-10 playmaker out of Alabama has been the starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers for four seasons now.
The NFL is finally acknowledging Young, who many had written off as a bust. The fans surely recognize it and Young is finally part of the conversation.
Russell Wilson Believes In Bryce Young: Undersized Pride
In an NFL on CBS post on Instagram featuring Bryce Young, NFL analyst Russell Wilson expressed confidence in Young’s talent and progression as a signal caller, while crediting head coach Dave Canales for his development of the former No. 1 overall pick.
“If these Panthers do what they are doing, they can win the NFC South,” Wilson said in the video promo. “I think Bryce Young has done a tremendous job and here’s why I believe it. I believe in his talent, but I believe in the weapons he’s got, but most importantly I believe in him because he’s got Dave Canales.”
The confidence that the Panthers had in drafting the 5-foot-9 Young to play quarterback was inspired by Russell Wilson. Wilson was once considered undersized at 5-foot-11 to play the position. He defied the odds as a third-round pick of the Seattle Seahwks and with the confidence of his head coach Pete Carroll and a belief in his abilities, started as rookie won a Super Bowl and had a Hall of Fame career.
So Wilson knows what he’s seeing.
“He believes in Shorty cuz he short,” one fan commented on Instagram.
“Yall been hating for years 😹,” said another fan, criticizing CBS for the lack of coverage given to the Panthers in the past.
Many did doubt Young. His first three pro seasons were filled with criticism, an embarrassing benching, growth and development. Now we are here. Not sure how much Young’s team has improved or how competent his front office is, but at 1-2 this season, the team is tied for first place in the NFC South. Every game is a grind. So Carolina’s fate for this season is up in the air. But the quarterback position is officially in capable hands.
“I will be taking my moral victories wherever I can get them, I can’t believe we played like that today and Bryce still had almost 300 yards passing,” one fan said on X.
“I want wins I wanna win this division he has improved but keep taking steps. Him putting up these yards with this oline is crazy tho,” another user gushed.
“When my QB is pressured like he was today and still puts up almost 300 yards, that is definitely positive,” one Panthers fan celebrated.
Bryce Young: The Benefits Of Quarterback Development
With Young’s continued success, he becomes the poster child for true quarterback development. An example of how patience, tough love and organizational support from the owners to the team can help a player reach his potential.
The gaudy numbers you see now are the culmination of a slow and steady process of improvement for Young. In his first season with Carolina, Young played 16 games and finished with a 2-14 record. He passed for just 2,877 yards and struggled with 11 TDs and 10 interceptions and a QBR of 34.1.
His second season didn’t bear much better fruits as far as his passing statistics are concerned, but there were improvements as he threw 15 TDs with 9 picks in 2023. Young’s passer rating also improved from 73.7 as a rookie to 82.2. He endured a brief benching and won two more games than he did the previous season, going 4-8 in 12 starts.
The 2025 season was Young’s crossroads season, and he definitely chose the right direction. The Panthers started adding better talent and Young started blossoming. He passed for more than 3,000 yards for the first time and he threw for a career-high 23 touchdowns. His 11 interceptions are already being addressed this season as Young has the same TD-to-INT ratio (7-2) as Patrick Mahomes.
The Panthers finished last season, 8–9 and won the NFC South division, ending a seven-year playoff drought that dated back to the 2017 season. Young’s elevation also coincides with the hiring of head coach Dave Canales and offensive coordinator Brad Idzik in 2024. This season, Idzik took over offensive play-calling duties and it has paid huge dividends as far Young’s effectiveness is concerned.
Doubts were abundant throughout the media and NFL community early in Young’s career. Height criticisms grew loud and social media comments indicated that he had been written off.
But like Geno Smith once said, “They wrote me off, I ain’t write back though!”
The Panthers have to do a better job of surrounding him with uber talented offensive players, but he has shown the ability to give any defense problems through the air. He’s a Devante Adams or Jahmyr Gibbs short of exploding into the upper echelon of signal callers.
For now, the Panthers will continue to depend heavily on Young at the quarterback position. He’s proving himself to be everything that scouts praised when evaluating his draft value four seasons ago. Intelligent decision-making, accurate passing and he’s tough as nails for a guy with his physical composition.
Young Can Make Carolina Panthers Passing History
The Carolina Panthers have had a few All-Pro level quarterbacks, but none have led the NFL in passing TDs. Steve Beuerlein came the closest in 1999, throwing for a franchise-record 4,436 yards but Kurt Warner had more TD passes. Cam Newton won NFL MVP in 2015 with 3,837 passing yards and 35 passing touchdowns, finishing high in touchdown passes, but never leading the league.
The Bryce Young Era is here in Carolina and he’s just getting started.
