Bryce Young returns from his longest offseason "on a mission"

Jul 23, 2024 at 05:12 PM

Kassidy Hill

Bryce Young leads receivers through conditioning drills

CHARLOTTE --When Bryce Young walked through the gate at 9:12 am Tuesday morning, it was with little fanfare. He had already been in the building the day before, so by the time veteran report day rolled around, it was just another day for the second-year passer. He gave a nod and a smile to the camera, commented on the cloudless sky and then headed inside.

When Bryce Young walked through the hallway outside meetings rooms at 9:31 am Tuesday morning, it was to shouts and welcomes, as receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette and half of the offensive line unit celebrated at seeing their quarterback again for the first time in weeks.

Young's second year in the league means he returns for his sophomore camp with the battle scars earned from a rookie season. He's garnered the respect of his teammates, not for how often he was hit, but how many times he got up. Then he returned this offseason, embraced a new coaching staff and guided those around him through an entirely new offense.

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It all adds up to a Bryce that feels much more assured in what he's taking on starting Wednesday.

"You just have a little bit, I guess more of what to expect," Young said Tuesday of beginning his second training camp. "Obviously last year, I'd never been to a training camp, didn't know what to expect.

"So, it was definitely, just a sense of trying to figure out what's going on? Where am I supposed to be? Now, it'll be different this year, different setting, different staff, but just knowing a little bit more what to expect will be good."

The ability to simply take time off this offseason was new for Young. The college offseason doesn't allow for much free time, and his rookie season was a whirlwind that left him out of sorts. Having time to unplug gave Young the chance to catch a breath for the first time in years.

"It's by far the longest time that I've had off," Young admitted. "So, it was interesting navigating that. Talked about it with a lot of other players, with coaches, people who have been with a lot of NFL guys just to map out everything, just because it's something I wasn't used to. But I'm glad with how the off-season went. Feel like I had good structure, good plan, just trying to end up in the best spot at this time, which is how I feel."

That structure included gathering teammates, along with Andy Dalton, in California for workouts. The group took in an Angels game and simply spent time together.

Whether it's the California workouts, the year of experience or simply the massive weight Dave Canales has worked to take of Young's shoulders, he arrived on Tuesday noticeably lighter and brighter. A large part of that, the quarterback explained, is an understanding that the pressure will always be there. Just fold it into the approach.

"I think that for me, there's always an urgency, there's always a sense of wanting to be the best I can be, the best we can be every day," Young said.

"That's definitely something I don't want to lose. I don't feel like for me, I guess, I don't look at it as pressure from outside things. I think really for us it's making sure we can be the best we can be every day and accomplish our goals throughout the year and that's a big picture thing.

"And it's not something that's really going to change, we can't get that done tomorrow. We're not going to get it done next week. It's going to be throughout the year. So, because of that I try to keep my focus on just the small stuff, what I can do right now. So, I think that's kind of the mindset and because of that, you don't really feel the overhanging pressure that can come from the outside."

General manager Dan Morgan has watched Young this entire offseason. Now, as his quarterback arrives for his second training camp, the Panthers legend sees a man prepared to take on the challenge that lies ahead.

Said Morgan: "I think Bryce is one of the hardest working men in that locker room. I know he's on a mission. I know he's committed to be great. I know he's committed to this franchise and making this franchise great. We're going to do everything in our power to surround him with the best players, the best protection…so we've got to do our part as well. But I know Bryce is hungry, he's focused and we're super excited about him."