Carolina Panthers great Luke Kuechly believes we learned a lot about Bryce Young’s “makeup” and growth in his second season compared to his first.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft showed tremendous progress in his second season, taking fewer sacks — 62 compared to 29 — and showing a lot more poise and comfort.
The growth clearly showed as Young went 4-8 as a starter, an improvement over the previous season in which he went 2-14. He also upped his passing touchdown total to 15 after throwing for just 11 during the previous season while playing four less games. That’s not even mentioning his six rushing touchdowns compared to having zero during the previous season.
”You learned a lot about Bryce’s makeup,” Kuechly told Sports Lens in an exclusive interview on behalf of his partnership with PXG. “What kind of guy he was, how he handled adversity, Last year he got hit a lot. Always got back up, never complained. He missed a game early in the season for an ankle injury, but he got hit 62 times as a rookie.
“He got sacked, got up, walked off the field, came right back, never complained,” Kuechly continues to say of Young. “You fast forward to this year, he had a tough start to the year. Pulled him after a couple games. He could have sat on the bench, sulked, checked out, but he didn’t. He stayed locked in.”
After being benched for a few games at the start of the season for veteran Andy Dalton, Young regained the job — and never let up — showing more of the skill that he displayed at Alabama that led to him being the No. 1 overall pick.
Young had been benched after Week 2 before reclaiming the starting job entering Week 8 due to a fender bender that Dalton was involved in.
“Bryce comes in and it’s like he didn’t miss a beat,” says Kuechly. “I give a lot of credit to Dave Canales for pulling him out, giving him a chance to sit. Then Bryce, just his mental makeup, his mental toughness allows him to kind of pursue through that difficult time.
“As the season went on, I think Bryce kind of got back to who he was at Alabama,” Kuechly continues to say. “I’m gonna go play football. I’m gonna go let it rip. He’s smart. He’s tough. He used his feet to his advantage.”
Kuechly: Young Showing Traits That Made Him No. 1 Overall Pick
As mentioned by Kuechly, Young showed off more of his rushing ability, posting six touchdowns, the third-highest total by a quarterback this season, tied with Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels and Anthony Richardson, two quarterbacks known more for their athleticism than Young.
”He’s able to get out and run a little bit, extend plays and do what we always thought we had in Bryce: the touch and the anticipation and the ability to kind of scoot and get out and make a play on the move,” says Kuechly. “We saw a lot of that as the season progressed and then going into this offseason — same coach, same offensive coordinator, same GM, very common goal — it’s the understanding of where we need to go. I think that’s only gonna help us move forward.”
The all-around stability and structure of the team and organization led to Young having a more prolific season. Kuechly points out how the offensive line was better, which led to an improving rushing attack.
The Panthers ranked 18th in rushing yards, eighth in touchdowns and 10th in yards per attempt after ranking 20th in yards, 30th in touchdowns and 23rd in yards per attempt during the previous season.
Kuechly mentions the offseason additions of the two guards, Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt, as playing a major role in the improvement of Young and the Panthers’ offensive unit as a whole. Hunt was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time during his debut season in Carolina.
”I think they were a huge part of what Bryce did,” says Kuechly. “Obviously, they didn’t get talked about as much as they probably should have, but they made Bryce’s job a lot easier.
We were able to run the ball more effectively this year. As a result of all of that, Bryce was able trend in the right direction.”
Kuechly: Health, Strong Draft Can Help Panthers Reach Next Level
When asked what the Panthers need to do to get to that next level, Kuechly says it’s a matter of being healthy. As mentioned during the conversation with Kuechly, the NFC South isn’t a great division, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers squeaking out the division title with a 9-8 record. They also did the same during the previous season with the same record.
Considering the Panthers showed improvement under Young in his second season, a division title isn’t exactly out of reach entering the 2025 season.
”I think we need to be healthy,” says Kuechly. “That’s an easy thing to say. Derrick Brown was out all of last year. Adam Thielen missed a bunch of time. Austin Corbett, our starting center, missed some time, along with linebacker Shaq Thompson. We were just banged up everywhere.”
Carolina is slated to pick at No. 8 in the 2025 NFL Draft, which means the Panthers can find an “impact player” that can help them get to that next level, as Kuechly points out.
”You have to find an impact player that helps you out,” says Kuechly. “Do we go defense? There’s some good edge rushers, there’s a couple of inside guys that are really good. Do we try to find Bryce more playmakers? I think sitting there at eight, we’re going to have some really good opportunities. I’m looking forward to seeing what we do.”
When asked who the Panthers should pick at No. 8, the seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker says he would go defense because he’s a “defensive” guy.
”I’m a defensive guy, love pass rushers and I love big inside defensive linemen,” says Kuechly. “There’s a guy in Michigan, Mason Graham, he’s a stud. Abdul Carter, the two guys at Georgia, they’re all over the place. We just gotta go pick the right one.”
