Panthers Bryce Young's maturity continues to show; garners praise from team leaders

Bryce Young's preeminent asset — to teammates quoted in a recent Sports Illustrated feature —  is his maturity. Throughout the NFL preseason, teammates have raved about Young's ability to lead and how he carries himself in and out of the locker room. One of those team veterans is Justin Houston, who was recently signed by the […]

Add as preferred source on Google
Aug 12, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) during pre game warm ups against the New York Jets at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Feature image via Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports.

Bryce Young's preeminent asset — to teammates quoted in a recent Sports Illustrated feature —  is his maturity. 

Throughout the NFL preseason, teammates have raved about Young's ability to lead and how he carries himself in and out of the locker room. One of those team veterans is Justin Houston, who was recently signed by the Carolina Panthers and has seen what it takes to succeed at the pro level. 

“Everybody sees how mature he is,” said Houston, who just got to Carolina. “A lot of guys that I see, when you’re a quarterback, it takes a year where they get embarrassed to understand this isn’t college. You got to go put that work in. With him, you see that already. He understands. He’s the first guy in the building and the last one to leave. That’s hard to find as a guy that’s just got in the league and hasn’t played a true snap yet. He understands at a high level what it’s going to take.”

Young has had an underwhelming preseason, completing seven of 12 passing attempts with no touchdowns. 

But the Panthers don't appear to be worried.

Panthers head coach Frank Reich said he plans to play Young during Week 3 against the Detroit Lions. 

Reich said he wants to make sure Young is ready heading into Week 1 of the NFL regular season. 

And preparedness was also an element found in Young that was celebrated by teammates in Sports Illustrated's feature on the former Alabama quarterback. 

“It’s his ability to kind of feel for the game,” Adam Thielen said. “A lot of times, it takes time to get that feel. For him, it seemed to come pretty natural.

"It’s the timing mixed with feel and comfort, and being able to make the defense do what you want them to do, but still do it in timing. A lot of times, guys, they want to do that, so they do all those things, then they’re late because they’re trying to do too much. There’s a lot more feel to it. … You start seeing things with him, you’re like, O.K., that’s different in a good way.”

The Panthers believe in Young and that won't waiver any time soon. His teammates clearly like him. Reich knows that he is his guy. And the offense is attempting to find its groove sooner rather than later. 

Feature image via Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports.