CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Panthers quarterback Bryce Young isn’t concerned if he doesn’t take a snap in the pre-season.
The No. 1 overall pick in 2023 is coming off a rookie season in which he went 2-14 as a starter and ranked near the bottom of the league in most passing categories. And he enters Year 2 having been forced to learn a different offense under new coach Dave Canales.
Despite all that, Canales elected to hold Young out of Carolina’s first two pre-season games.
“They manage the team and they know what they’re doing,” Young said of the coaching staff. “For me and for us (as a team), we trust whatever they want to do. Whatever their calls are, we are comfortable with that.”
Canales previously coached Geno Smith as an assistant with Seattle and Baker Mayfield as Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator, getting solid performances out of both quarterbacks before getting hired by Carolina.
The Panthers finished installing their offensive scheme about two weeks ago, and Young feels he understands what’s expected from him.
That’s why he said he’s OK if he doesn’t play in Saturday’s final exhibition game at the Buffalo Bills.
“I will be comfortable either way,” Young said. “I know they are not just waking up and rolling the dice. There is a reason for everything and they are very calculated in what they are doing. They have our best interest at heart. They have had success as a start throughout different places, so I will be comfortable whatever the call is.”
Canales said Tuesday it’s too early in the week to make a decision on whether he’ll play his starters against the Bills, but added that he is “open” to the idea.
Bills coach Sean McDermott won’t be playing his starters.
Canales said that won’t impact his decision. He said it will depend more on the health of the players around Young.
“We have to look at what does that (starting) group look like if we put everybody out there?” Canales said. “Are there enough of those guys (healthy) to say, ‘Man, this is valuable for us to get these reps?’ Once we start to get into the depth of different positions, it kind of forces our hand sometimes on can we play guys, or do we need to play them.”
Thus far, none of Carolina’s starters have played in preseason losses to the New England Patriots and New York Jets. The Panthers held out 33 players against the Patriots and 38 against the Jets, prioritizing injury concerns over developing chemistry.
NFL teams have taken different approaches to playing QBs in the preseason.
Patrick Mahomes has seen action for the Kansas City Chiefs and Josh Allen has been on the field for the Bills. On the other hand, Deshaun Watson has yet to make his debut for Cleveland.
Canales has been impressed with how Young has picked up the offence.
And he’s confident that the work Young has done in training camp and in last week’s joint practice with the New York Jets has aided in his development.
Canales said if Young plays this week, he will be looking to see him operate the offence efficiently.
“I want to see things run smoothly and I want to see the communication, the in-between-drives conversation, all of that stuff is so valuable,” Canales said.