Panthers two-time Pro Bowler shares how Young has changed after rookie year

Carolina Panthers veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen insisted this past January that the rough rookie season quarterback Bryce Young endured would “benefit him in the long run.”

During a recent appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show,” Thielen touched upon the differences he noticed in Young during springtime workouts from a year ago.

“You can tell, Bryce’s demeanor in the building — he’s just more comfortable, right? And you don’t realize it when you start getting to be a veteran guy, just because you forget about those times,” Thielen said about Young’s second NFL offseason, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk.

Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble and cornerback Jaycee Horn previously noted how Young, the first overall pick of the 2023 draft, flashed “swag” and confidence this spring coming off a disappointing rookie campaign that included team owner David Tepper firing head coach Frank Reich in late November. 

Carolina eventually replaced Reich with former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales. The Panthers later bolstered their offensive line and gave Young needed weapons in former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson and rookie wideout Xavier Legette.

Young suggested before the club’s summer break he is strong enough “internally” to bounce back in a big way from all he experienced as a first-year pro. Thielen acknowledged that no team earns meaningful wins from April through August, but he also explained why he thinks the Panthers are “in a good place” ahead of training camp.

“It’s been a really cool offseason to see how he’s come back with, OK, I’ve got urgency, I’ve got confidence, I have comfortability in the system, in the facility, the locker room, and what that does for a player,” Thielen added about Young. “I’m excited about what that looks like going into training camp.”

Carolina spent much of the offseason making moves that ideally will benefit Young and fix issues that prevented him from finding success as a rookie. 

With that said, a regime that didn’t draft Young is now running the show in Carolina and realistically could consider looking for an upgrade at the position as soon as next offseason if he fails to perform like a true franchise quarterback through the bulk of his second pro campaign.