Bryce Young hasn’t been a steady presence for the Panthers through three NFL seasons, and that part of his résumé isn’t changing anytime soon. He’s had strong outings and rough ones against quality defenses, and he’s been just as uneven when the opponent hasn’t been much to fear.
But when the pressure climbs and the game tightens, Young keeps showing the same thing: he can deliver.
That’s the trait that’s starting to earn him notice beyond Carolina. Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon ranked Young as the 10th-most clutch quarterback in the league, a meaningful jump for a player who usually lands in the 20s on quarterback lists. Gagnon put him ahead of honorable mentions and pointed to a very specific reason for the placement: “This may seem odd considering his broad struggles three years in, but Young has actually led an NFL-high 12 game-winning drives since coming into the league in 2023.”
The late-game work is the part most people already know. Young has authored plenty of fourth-quarter winning drives, and those moments have become a defining part of how the Panthers evaluate him. But Gagnon’s case went deeper than just the final possession.
“His 99.8 third-down passer rating in the second half of one-score games since 2024 indicates a significant clutch factor with the 25-year-old,” Gagnon added.
That’s where the conversation gets more interesting. Young isn’t only showing up on the last drive of the night; he’s been effective when the game is still hanging in the balance and every snap matters.
The bigger question is what that looks like with more help. Gagnon said, “Imagine where he could go with more support in key moments in the future.”
That idea lands because the Panthers’ offense hasn’t exactly been built to make life easy. Young has had two first-round receivers, a QB-friendly offensive coaching staff, a second-round running back, and help up front, at least in theory.
In practice, it hasn’t come together. The offensive line is now in shambles, and Carolina has gotten nothing from Xavier Legette or Jonathon Brooks.
So Young has had to carry a lot of the burden himself, and in the biggest moments, he has. The Panthers also aren’t positioned to give him much more assistance going forward. They spent big on defense, and if he does get extended, the team won’t be in a spot to chase free-agent weapons for the offense.
Even with that reality hanging over everything, the clutch production is hard to ignore. Young keeps finding a way when the game is on the line, and that kind of trait matters - for him, and for the Panthers’ future.
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Panthers Final Cuts Raised A Bigger Question About Two Position Battles
The Panthers got to their 53-man roster by the NFL deadline on Aug. 30, but the most interesting part of the process was not just who left. Jaseem Reed, after a strong preseason, was among the notable cuts along with veteran David Moore and third-round pick Trevin Wallace, a reminder that even encouraging August performances do not always translate into a spot once the numbers get tight. Carolina is planning to carry six wide receivers into the regular season, which at least gives the group a defined shape heading into the opener.
Still, the final list left behind a bigger question about where the real decisions were made. The Panthers have a little more than two weeks before they open against the Chicago Bears on Sept. 13, and the roster trim suggests the wide receiver group and the battle around Wallace's position were both under a microscope right up to the finish. For a team trying to settle its depth chart before Week 1, those choices may matter as much as the players who survived them. [Read more 🡒]