Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud are indelibly linked. 

There is no separating them. 

And recently, Stroud, who put together a record-breaking rookie season, defended Young, who struggled for long stretches and was statistically one of the worst quarterbacks in the league. 

“In his shoes, I feel like a lot of stuff didn’t go his way, that was out of his control,” Stroud said on The Pivot podcast. “You can’t make a play if somebody don’t block. You can’t make a play if somebody don’t catch a ball. And when you watch the tape, Bryce did a lot great things. He’s gonna be a great player. But it takes time.”

Stroud is still a believer in Young, and it is somewhat deserved. 

During Young's rookie season, he saw his head coach get fired. He also had former Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown receive the playcalling duties only to have former head coach Frank Reich take them back before being fired. 

It was also reported that several people within the organization were in Young's ear, making his rookie season exceptionally difficult. 

In short, the Panthers were dysfunctional during Young's rookie season. Thus, Stroud isn't blaming the struggles of Young solely on the No. 1 pick. Instead, the Houston Texans signal-caller is placing the blame at the feet of the organization. He's right. 

Young's success was always destined to fail. To draft him, the Panthers traded their best pass-catcher in wide receiver D.J. Moore. The offensive line also fell apart quicker than it was put together. 

Adam Thielen was often Young's best pass-catcher. And that was never going to cut it in the NFL. 

With a new head coach in Dave Canales and new faces on the offensive side of the ball, the Panthers are hoping to redeem whatever was lost with Young in the 2023 season. The jury is still out on whether that will happen, but David Tepper's belief in Canales' abilities proves that he is at least willing to try and get the most out of the quarterback coming out of Alabama. 

As for the Stroud-Young debates, Stroud doesn't believe the situations he and Young are in don't tell the full story. 

"Everybody’s path is different," Stroud said. "Maybe I had a good rookie year, and Bryce is gonna have a great second year. And hopefully, I do, too. But I know everything’s gonna be fine for him. And I told him, like, ‘You the one, bruh. You the one for a reason.'”

NFL first-ballot Hall of Famer shares key advice with Panthers QB Bryce Young

Quarterback Bryce Young’s first Carolina Panthers’ first preseason game against the New York Jets, the team is competing in a series of joint practices.

NFL legend shows he still has belief in Bryce Young despite his awful rookie season for the Panthers

When Bryce Young finished his rookie season with a 2-14 record, several jumped off his bandwagon.