One veteran tight end gets honest about what Bryce Young desperately needs in 2024
It is easy to put all the blame for a disappointing 2023 season on Bryce Young's slender shoulders. But it wouldn't be fair. Jordan Matthews, a veteran tight end for the Carolina Panthers, knows that. On Monday, he offered insight into what Young needs to find footing in a year that will define his career in […]
It is easy to put all the blame for a disappointing 2023 season on Bryce Young's slender shoulders. But it wouldn't be fair.
Jordan Matthews, a veteran tight end for the Carolina Panthers, knows that. On Monday, he offered insight into what Young needs to find footing in a year that will define his career in Charlotte.
"I’ve seen enough good stuff from Bryce to let me know that what he needs is we got to cover him," Matthews said, via the Panthers' official website. "From the receivers to the o-line, to the running backs, protection, pass game, in the media, we’ve got to cover that young man. He’s got a lot on his shoulders, but golly, he’s a winner. You don’t just wake up one day and win a Heisman. I talk about it all the time, you see somebody at the top of a mountain, but they didn’t get dropped off there. They climbed it.”
Denigrating Young's ability is always the easy thing to do. It requires no context and zero nuance. But those criticisms don't always match up to real-life circumstances.
Objectively, was Young's rookie season disappointing: Yes.
Did the Panthers make it easy for Young to succeed: No.
That is why head coach Dave Canales and general manager Dan Morgan have spent the offseason attempting to retool the offensive and offensive line around Young's skillset.
In several ways, the Panthers are hoping to know whether Young is going to be the franchise guy moving forward after the 2024 season, giving credence to what Matthews explained.
Young has the weight of the world on his shoulders and the success of the franchise on his game. For the veterans on the team, the best course of action is to offer support. That is the only way Carolina will get the most out of its former No. 1 overall pick.
“Bryce has always been talented," Matthews said. "He’s always been able to make the throws, he’s a great leader. Dave [Canales] in one of his first meetings talked about, he used the word covering and I’ve never heard a coach use that word before, but he talked about even the staff he assembled from Scott [Cooper] and Brad [Idzik], he’s got a lot on his plate so he feels like he’s got a lot of people that can cover him."
Matthews has that right.
