The Read Optional:Was Bryce Young's leap for real?

[lumbeecheraw75]

Another reddit find, really good  and in depth read.

https://www.readoptional.com/p/was-bryce-youngs-leap-for-real

Some choice quotes (taken directly from reddit, but much more in the article itself)

* "The base plays were variations of wide-zone and duo, with the promise of boots and play-action shots to follow, just as Canales described at the Combine. But the run game couldn’t get rolling. It was too rudimentary, and the new interior didn’t generate enough push. In those opening two weeks, the Panthers *lost* a wince-inducing -0.74 EPA/play on early down runs, an almost impossibly bad return. Forget any play-action shots, either. Young was left to pick apart defenses with two options down the field\[...\] It was the worst-case scenario: a coach hell-bent on a power-run game, limiting the number of eligibles available in the passing game, and putting Young, a quarterback-as-point-guard by traits, in a stand-in-and-deliver role more suited to Sam Darnold or Jared Goff. It was an awful plan, and the Panthers were roundly shellacked."

* "When I did the podcast rounds previewing the Panthers’ offense before last season, I sounded like someone who had just returned from his first LSD trip. I was talking about the Panthers reimagining football, about Canales building something fresh in the pro football landscape from disparate ideas. But Young is such an outlier by the historic standards of top quarterbacks that he demands such a revolution\[..\] A new, space-age offense is what \[was\] required. If not the designs themselves, then pushing the basic mechanics of a modern passing game out to its outermost limit. Chiefly: getting into empty as early and often as possible. Allow Young to see the contours of the defense. Force them to reveal their hand if they’re sending extra heat. And give him all five eligible to play with, and more space to move and manipulate the pocket as he sees fit. Don’t put the training wheels on; let him create his own schematic reality."

* "One key change: Canales embraced empty. He kept a bunch of his heavier sets to try to spark his run-game, which *was* more effective as the season progressed. But Canales let Young go cook in his more natural habitat in the passing attack. Young finished fourth in the league in empty sets last season despite starting only 12 games\[...\] The trust is what leaps out from the tape. Canales, ever the confidence builder, *trusted* Young to dictate his own rhythm from empty — using it to set the tempo of the offense, with Young getting the ball out sharp and quickly on early downs, as well as a launching pad to explosive plays down the field."

* "Those shifts — in the scheme and his mentality — unlocked the player we saw in the second half of the season. From Week Eight onwards, Young ranked 17^(th) in the RBSDM composite, sitting above Jayden Daniels and right behind Geno Smith and Matthew Stafford. His CPOE leapt to 15^(th), ranking above Brock Purdy, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love, and Daniels. And all while his average intended air yards hung steady, right on nine yards, one of the highest in the league. He became more accurate, decisive, and potent. Only Lamar Jackson finished with a higher blend of CPOE *and* average intended air yards."

Edited August 15, 2025 by lumbeecheraw75

[CPcavedweller]

From where he started, it was a leap. In terms of NFL QB play, it was hardly average. We got so used to the team being so utterly and completely terrible that any improvement seemed massive. 

He next step is average. It isn't Top 10. It's Top 16. If we tank again this year, he is probably gone. 

At which point I say we trade for someone on a favorable contract with high upside. 

But that's just me. 

[Castavar]

2 minutes ago, CPcavedweller said:

From where he started, it was a leap. In terms of NFL QB play, it was hardly average. We got so used to the team being so utterly and completely terrible that any improvement seemed massive. 

He next step is average. It isn't Top 10. It's Top 16. If we tank again this year, he is probably gone. 

At which point I say we trade for someone on a favorable contract with high upside. 

But that's just me. 

Naw fug that, his next step IS top 10 or he should be gone. He's the #1 overall pick and we traded a ransom for him. There's no more excuses anymore. We built him a top 10 o-line and used high draft picks on WRs in back to back years for him. 

[XClown1986]

I have been a Bryce supporter since Day 1. I wanted him over CJ Stroud, admittedly. And even I think that Bryce has to show out this year. I'm sure he knows it too. It's year 3, they have acquired a lot of help for him and molded the offense to his strengths. Now he has to deliver. 

[Tbe]

49 minutes ago, Castavar said:

Naw fug that, his next step IS top 10 or he should be gone. He's the #1 overall pick and we traded a ransom for him. There's no more excuses anymore. We built him a top 10 o-line and used high draft picks on WRs in back to back years for him. 

Is it really a top 10 OL? I haven’t seen anyone rank it that high.

They have not been good in the run game.

[Tr3ach]

1 hour ago, CPcavedweller said:

From where he started, it was a leap. In terms of NFL QB play, it was hardly average. We got so used to the team being so utterly and completely terrible that any improvement seemed massive. 

He next step is average. It isn't Top 10. It's Top 16. If we tank again this year, he is probably gone. 

At which point I say we trade for someone on a favorable contract with high upside. 

But that's just me. 

It was above average.  Statistically you could say it was average, but when it comes to qbr under pressure, big time throws, big time throws under pressure, etc he was top 5.  They werent really calling games to try to get him to put up huge passing numbers last season.  Im not saying he was great the second half of last season, but he was definitely well above average.

[Hoenheim]

We will definitely find out this year, assuming he stays healthy. I don't want him to be benched or replaced by Dalton in any game. I want a full 17 game sample size of how well he does in his 3rd year in the league and 2nd year in Canales' system. 

It's either put up or shut up time. I think he either has to play consistently very good, or he can be average if we're winning. If he's bad enough for us to pick high enough up in the draft to replace him in a loaded 2026 QB draft,  then he'd be replaced imo.

The exact criteria for his success is a little harder to define. Something like 3000+ passing 20+ TDs  12 or less INTs, statistically would be nice.  Or if he has underwhelming stats/performance,  getting to or winning a playoff game could keep him rolling otw to a cap busting contract as well . The Panthers have been so starved for winning seasons or playoffs over the last 7 years, I don't think they'll change any major parts if we finally get back to winning.

I'm personally not sold on Bryce until we either have a winning/playoff season, or he consistently plays very well for an entire  NFL season. He hasn't done that yet.

 

Edited August 15, 2025 by Hoenheim

[Bear Hands]

From camp reports by the Athletic, Robert Mays said it looks like we're expanding the run calls this year.  So it sounds like Canales had a bit of a slow roll with his system. 

He was doing the same at Tampa but then their OL got depleted midseason in 2023 and he had to stay a bit vanilla in the run game.  They know they can't stay vanilla much longer.  

[PantherChris]

2 hours ago, Tbe said:

Is it really a top 10 OL? I haven’t seen anyone rank it that high.

They have not been good in the run game.

Ummm except for PFF 

 

Deff top ten 

 

 

[frankw]

2 hours ago, Tbe said:

Is it really a top 10 OL? I haven’t seen anyone rank it that high.

They have not been good in the run game.

We are 4th in the league in OL spending. Either way we are doing more for the overall group than we have in many years.

Edited August 15, 2025 by frankw

[kungfoodude]

4 hours ago, CPcavedweller said:

From where he started, it was a leap. In terms of NFL QB play, it was hardly average. We got so used to the team being so utterly and completely terrible that any improvement seemed massive. 

He next step is average. It isn't Top 10. It's Top 16. If we tank again this year, he is probably gone. 

At which point I say we trade for someone on a favorable contract with high upside. 

But that's just me. 

Pivoting from Bryce after a disaster year(which is the only way that happens) is very unlikely to entail any sort of trade option. I mean, what "favorable contract with high upside" would there even be?

[Navy_football]

Yeah... some are going too far. With mostly young and unproven receivers/TEs. Bryce should show that he's more consistent this season, but next season is when we should expect a huge step. Mostly dependent on his supporting cast. 2027 is when the decision should be made. Need to have realistic expectations. It's too hard to find a franchise QB to let a possible one go because of feelings. 

[Icege]

Always fun to see articles linked and immediately be able to tell who from the replies even bothered reading it.

The mention about going to more empty sets and why now makes Canales' tendency to go five wide after a 1st down run that went for a first down. I'd get frustrated seeing the run game work only to move away from it, but now that I know it was part of trying to rebuild his confidence and catering scheme to the players (I know folks aren't used to this, but Canales and Evero have both shown early on that they won't force their scheme if the players accel in other ways).

Moving away from heavier sets and giving Bryce more options takes advantage of his much praised processing ability. Giving Jonathon Mingo an extra 1.5sec in his route wasn't exactly going to get him any more open.

Now, after the recent SI video, it sounds like coach and QB have found a happy medium to the point of Bryce leading meetings to teach concepts (and let his teammates know his preferences and tendencies based on what he sees). There's still going to be growing pains, especially on the recently patched together defense, but there's finally some competence it seems in the locker room.

[PadresPanthersFan]

11 hours ago, Navy_football said:

Yeah... some are going too far. With mostly young and unproven receivers/TEs. Bryce should show that he's more consistent this season, but next season is when we should expect a huge step. Mostly dependent on his supporting cast. 2027 is when the decision should be made. Need to have realistic expectations. It's too hard to find a franchise QB to let a possible one go because of feelings. 

Tbf we just let 2 possible franchise qbs go ( darnold and baker) and passed over 1 in the draft ( stroud) bc of feelings. Feelings matter a lot for this team