CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Bryce Young was standing on the sideline in the closing moments of Carolina’s 47-10 season-opening loss at New Orleans when teammate Miles Sanders came over to stand next him, dabbed him up and tapped the second-year quarterback on the helmet.
A disappointed Young managed a quick smile.
“I’ve been in this league a little bit and this is not my first time with a young quarterback,” said Sanders, who played with Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia. “He’s the first pick overall and everything he does is under a microscope, not just here but around the league. He’s a competitor and I know his confidence can go down a little bit, so I was trying to tell him, ‘I’ve got your back, man.’”
The Panthers are doing their best to keep Young’s confidence high after he followed up a disappointing rookie season with a dreadful performance against the Saints.
Young was 13 of 30 for 161 yards with two interceptions and failed to throw a touchdown pass for the third straight game dating back to last season. Things quickly spiraled out of control after the Saints jumped out to a 17-0 lead before Young completed his first pass.
Coaches and teammates repeatedly said they saw significant progress in Young during the offseason, which made his season debut under first-year head coach and offensive playcaller Dave Canales all the more concerning.
“For me, looking in the mirror first, we all have that mindset of we want to be better,” Young said. “You look at plays which could be executed better. You got to learn from it.”
The organization has supported Young since his arrival.
And, frankly, the reality is the Panthers are pot committed on the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner from Alabama, moving up eight spots to get him and trading away four draft picks and wide receiver D.J. Moore in the process.
One of those picks wound up being the No. 1 overall selection in this year’s draft, which the Chicago Bears used on quarterback Caleb Williams.
Plenty have questioned Carolina’s decision to take Young over C.J. Stroud, the No. 2 overall pick who has found early success with the Houston Texans.
But Canales has no plans to sit Young.
“The best experience you can have is to be on the field and to just live it,” Canales said. “He has 16 games last year and another one Sunday under his belt, so we will keep building on those experiences to lean on. There is no way to replace that.”
There will always be pressure on Young.
After Young was drafted 18 months ago, Panthers owner David Tepper walked into the team’s interview room at Bank of America Stadium and told reporters he was counting on Young to win multiple Super Bowls.
Right now, the Panthers would just be happy to win a few games, beginning Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Young is 2-15 as an NFL starter and has more interceptions (12) than touchdown passes (11). Carolina is tied with the New York Jets for the worst record in the league since 2018 at 31-69 and hasn’t been to the postseason since 2017.
Veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen hasn’t given up on Young.
He pointed to Young being voted team captain this season as an example of the faith teammates have in him. He also said he has no doubt Young and the Panthers will turn things around at some point.
“He doesn’t take losing lightly,” Thielen said. “He’s hard on himself and that is what it takes to be a great player in this league. I think he does a great job of showing up the next day, doing what he needs to do to get better and focusing on being that leader.”
Young remains upbeat despite his struggles. And he said that isn’t going to change.
“Personally I draw my faith from God and I trust in Him through everything and I know everything happens for a reason and everything is going to happen how He wants it to,” Young said. “I draw my faith from Him.”
He also said he has faith in his teammates, knowing they have his back.
“I am grateful to be in this environment,” Young said, “to be able to lean on my brothers in this building.”
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