Panthers rookie could further unlock Bryce Young’s best trait and elevate Carolina’s passing offense into a legitimate threat
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is quietly one of the league’s top deep ball passers and that’s something that can be further unlocked with the addition of rookie wide receiver Chris Brazzell II.
The Carolina Panthers took massive leaps during the 2025 season, even if the team finished the regular season with an 8-9 record. Carolina still clinched an NFC South title and put up a strong fight against the Los Angeles Rams.
Earlier in the season, the Panthers had another strong outing against the Rams and a strong road win over the Green Bay Packers that proved this team is capable of going toe-to-toe against top NFC contenders.
What the Panthers need to see now in 2026 is a solid leap from quarterback Bryce Young to prove he’s capable of being a top quarterback worthy of a big extension. Further unlocking one of his best traits could be the key to everything for this team in 2026.
Bryce Young’s deep passing success is the key for the Panthers to evolve going into the 2026 season
Quietly during the 2025 season, Young finished as one of the top deep passing quarterbacks in the league, which is surprising given the issues the offense had in that area during the first-half of the season.
Young had a 7-1 TD-INT ratio on passes of 20+ air yards with a 48.6 completion percentage that ranked sixth among QBs with 15+ attempts. His 20.0 touchdown percentage on such throws lead all quarterbacks in that group while his 122.3 passer rating ranked fourth.
It was impressive stuff and the main target proved to be rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who had eight receptions and two touchdowns on 20+ air yard passes. The problem is that the Panthers rarely took shots down the field.
Young’s 35 attempts on passes of 20+ air yards ranked 22nd among all quarterbacks. That’s something that should be adjusted with Brad Idzik taking over play-calling duties.
Having a true deep passing game within the offense is critical. Hitting big shots not only increases the likelihood of ending drives in points, it also keeps defenses honest and frees up lanes in the run game, which is the real threat of this offense. And one rookie can help further unlock that aspect of Carolina’s offense next season.
Chris Brazzell II can help take Bryce Young’s deep passing game to a whole new level
Rookie wide receiver Chris Brazzell II is going to be the real game-changer that really opens up this offense and turns Carolina’s passing attack into a legit threat. Brazzell has an incredible blend of size (6-4, 198 pounds) and speed (4.37 40-yard-dash) to be a dangerous player on the outside opposite McMillan. But, that’s not all.
“It’s the ability to take those traits, but then also to play the ball in the air,” head coach Dave Canales said. “One of the things that Chris showed is his ability to play the deep ball, land on his feet, and finish the play. That’s something that’s very rare, where a lot of times you’ll see a guy high point a ball, lay out for it, and they end up on the ground. He’s just got a special balance with how he finishes, which translates to that speed and that size.”
Brazzell can turn into the deep ball threat for this offense, while also having McMillan and Jalen Coker as deep options as well. More than anything, Brazzell’s presence will stretch the defense vertically to help out the other receivers.
“We’ve seen how we’ve been able to use Xavier, TMac, Jalen, with all the intermediate stuff and have gone down the field a little bit and taken some opportunities, but I think about the space created when they know this is a real burner, and what that does to safety is what that does to corners and just creating space for the whole group,” Canales added.
There’s a reason I predicted Brazzell will lead this team in receiving touchdowns as a rookie. He’s going to be a major addition to this passing attack as a third-level threat and the Panthers are pairing him with one of the league’s best deep ball passers.