The early MVP race has three or four top candidates—San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III and Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
To some, Carolina Panthers
quarterback Bryce Young is not in that conversation, at least not yet. However, through four games, he's definitely on pace for one heck of a campaign.One honor we can probably consider for him is the NFL's Most Improved Player Award, where he should be the overwhelming favorite at this point. And Mike Jones at The Athletic may agree, as he credits the former No. 1 overall pick as the player who has made the biggest leap here in 2026.
Jones writes:
After a rocky first two seasons, Bryce
Young displayed promise down the stretch of last season and helped Carolina end its playoff drought. He ranked No. 21 in passing (3,011 yards) and No. 27 in passer rating (87.8), but comfort in coach Dave Canales’ offense has translated into strong results this season.
Even after a big step forward in 2025, Young has dramatically improved in practically every stat that matters for a quarterback. Going into Week 5, he's first in passing yards, first in first downs, second in passes of 20 yards or more, sixth in CPOE, fifth in QBR and ninth in EPA/play.
Despite the narrative that Young has only faced bad defenses so far, the evidence says otherwise. The Chicago Bears have the third-best passing defense in the league while the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions rank third and fourth in pass rush win rate, respectively.
We'll learn more about Young as the season develops. But right now, he's reading the field and performing like a 10-year veteran who's seen everything this league can throw at him.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers QB Bryce Young has taken NFL's 'biggest leap' in 2026
