There’s at least one NFL legend who can say that he probably wasn’t surprised by Bryce Young’s breakout campaign.
Pro Football Hall of Fame passer Peyton Manning talked a bit about the Carolina Panthers quarterback on Saturday, during the Pro Bowl practice session at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. And Manning, who threw his support behind Young at last year’s all-star festivities, credited the relationship between the fellow No. 1 overall pick and his head coach, Dave Canales.
“I think the fact that Bryce has finally gotten to a system that’s with Dave, and there’s some continuity to it, you saw him playing well,” Manning said, via Kassidy Hill of Panthers.com.
“It frustrates me, as a quarterback that played in the same system for his first 14 years in Indianapolis, how much better that is for the quarterback. But when you tell a young quarterback, ‘I want you to learn German in your first year, Latin the next, and French in your third,’ that’s not easy.”
Young, in what was an underwhelming rookie season, worked under two different play-callers—head coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Thomas Brown. Reich, however, was fired after just 11 games while Brown was not retained after the 2023 season.
Carolina then hired Canales, who previously helped kickstart the resurgences of veterans Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield. He’d seemingly do the same for Young—as the 23-year-old completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 2,104 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions while leading the Panthers to a 4-6 in the return from his early-season benching.
Manning continued.
“So, I’m proud of Bryce for hanging in there,” he stated. “Like I said, my message to all organizations that are drafting young quarterbacks is to create some continuity around them. Hopefully, that includes having the same system for several years.”