CHARLOTTE – Bryce Young's debut came with a couple of hard knocks and growing pains.
But it was the preseason, and it was his introduction to the NFL.
Through three drives, Young went 4-of-6 for 21 yards. No touchdowns, no interceptions, one sack for 9 yards.
Young faced the challenge from the Jets' strong defensive unit – a top-five unit last season — and all its pressure. On his first drive, Young popped up immediately from two hits that swung by from his left side, just past starting left tackle Ikem Ekwonu.
Young got the pass off both times in his first series; the first was an 8-yard pass to Adam Thielen for a first down, followed by a Solomon Thomas hit. The next pass sailed over DJ Chark Jr.'s fingers on third down, and he was greeted by a Jermaine Johnson tackle soon after.
He played with many of his expected first-team weapons, though Miles Sanders didn't play while he continued to recover from a groin "tweak" sustained toward the end of camp.
Anticipated to distribute the ball to multiple pass-catchers, Young connected with four of the five players he targeted. That group included Thielen, Chark, Chuba Hubbard, and Hayden Hurst. An incompletion on his second drive appeared to be a miscommunication with Laviska Shenault Jr. on third down.
Young made his first connection with a tight end on his third series, tossing the ball 5 yards to Hurst.
Young played behind the expected starters along the offensive line with the exception of right guard, where the Panthers played three options across Young's three drives – Cade Mays, Justin McCray, and Michael Jordan.
Matt Corral came in to replace him after his three drives, suggesting that backup Andy Dalton isn't playing today.
View photos from warmups at the Panthers' first preseason game against the Jets.
