Dave Canales: I could see a shift in Bryce Young during season

Panthers head coach Dave Canales was at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama this week and he probably didn't spend much time looking at quarterbacks.

There was a point early in the 2024 season when it looked like the Panthers might be in the market for one. They benched 2023 first overall pick Bryce Young after two games and his performance in those contests along with a rough rookie season created a lot of doubt about his future in Carolina or anywhere else.

Young was forced back into action after Andy Dalton was injured and he went on to start the final 10 games of the season because his play showed sharp improvement over what he managed in his previous outings. During an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Panthers head coach Dave Canales said he "could see this shift" in Young in his first game back in the lineup and credited it to the work Young did while he was on the bench.

"I just gotta give all the credit to Bryce," Canales said. "Handling it the way that he did with maturity, attacking it, and really positioning himself for that next opportunity not knowing when that opportunity would come. Stepping back in and doing the work, taking the challenge and really finding the joy in playing again."

The Panthers finished 5-12 despite Young's turnaround and they've now had seven straight losing seasons, but the good feelings generated down the stretch create some hope that better days are coming for the NFC South club.