Opinions on Bryce Young have been mixed pretty much since the moment he had his name announced as the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Some, including a lot of people in draft circles in the draft media ecosystem, lauded Young for his processing speed and decision makers. Others were adamant that his physical limitations would be too much to overcome. The latter seemed to be winning out for the first couple years of his career. He followed a discouraging rookie year with an early season
benching in year two. However, he bounced back from the objectively bad start to his career to firmly entrench himself in a place no one wants their quarterback to be—purgatory.
The tail end of Young’s second season and the majority of his third season was a Rorschach test of quarterback evaluation. Conversations about his play were basically an exercise in confirmation bias. Those in his corner saw a quarterback being shackled by conservative play calling and suboptimal weaponry. Those in the opposite corner saw a hesitant shot caller that did not have the physical tools to overcome his inconsistent decision making. Seldom is there a quarterback who is so commonly viewed as a surefire franchise guy while also being commonly seen as the team’s weak link.
And then the first four weeks of this season happened. This is not the Bryce Young we had gotten for the first three years of his career. He’s been letting it rip all season. He currently leads the NFL in passing yards, is tied for third in passing touchdowns, and is fifth in QBR. He’s objectively been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL for four weeks. Now the discussion part.
Do you trust that Bryce Young can sustain this level of play?
My answer: Yes, but with some minor reservations. I had been a Bryce Young detractor for most of his last two seasons, and it’s hard for me to shake the concerns I had for the last few years. That said, other than the Browns game, he’s looked so composed and confident despite the offensive line not giving him the cleanest situations to work out of. I think it’s more likely than not that he continues on some sort of upward trajectory, even if it isn’t the MVP-caliber play he’s put forth through four games. I won’t be shocked if he regresses back to his old self, but I’m not expecting it to happen.
He’ll get tested as the season goes on. The Panthers schedule gets progressively more difficult for the offense as we get to the later parts of the season. If he can sustain anything close to this level of play through the end of the season, I think the Panthers should be comfortable planning on a long term contract for Young.
