Panthers' Dave Canales discusses confidence in QB Bryce Young

During a recent appearance on "The Season with Peter Schrager" podcast, Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales expanded on why he's confident quarterback Bryce Young can and will bounce back from a rough rookie season.

"I'm just excited about the talent," Canales said about Young, as shared by Kevin Patra of the NFL's website. "It's everything that we saw from over a year ago when we were doing the draft evaluation. It's all there. It's all still there. So it's like, wait, the guy's athletic. He can get the ball out quickly. He's a leader. He communicates well. Like, oh, he's got everything we need."

Geno Smith of the Seattle Seahawks earned Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year Award honors for the 2022 season when Canales served as quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator with that club.

More recently, Canales spent this past campaign as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator and helped quarterback Baker Mayfield become a CPOTY finalist.

During the podcast, Canales noted how the Panthers gave Young help this offseason by signing guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis in free agency, trading for wide receiver Diontae Johnson and acquiring running back Jonathon Brooks in the second round of the 2024 draft.

Canales directly mentioned his offense's success "all starts with the run game," which also features Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders and Rashaad Penny.

"I see a great combination of some experience, high football character, some talent in spots," Canales added about Carolina's roster heading into training camp. "Now, there's a reason that we were 2-15 (last season), and we have to continue to bring more talent into our roster so you fill out the depth of it. The great teams that I've been on in Seattle over the years, up and down, the great ones, you had depth. I think that's really where we are: Can we establish our starters? Can we develop depth? We've got a ways to go."

According to Pro Football Reference, Young finished the 2023 regular season ranked 30th in the league among qualified players with a 33.4 adjusted QBR and 31st with a 36.5 percent passing success rate.

Canales insisted the Panthers will not "put it all on" Young regarding the upcoming season, but the 22-year-old will have to show significant improvements this fall to ensure a regime that didn't make him the first overall pick of the 2023 draft will keep him atop the depth chart through next summer.