Bryce Young entered the 2024 season with the goal of putting a tough rookie year with the Carolina Panthers behind him.
He didn’t have a good start.
Young’s first throw of the NFL season on Sunday was an interception. With the Panthers facing first-and-10 in their first game of the new season, Young looked forward on a play-action pass against the New Orleans Saints.
The pass was apparently intended for wide receiver Adam Thielen. Instead, Saints safety Will Harris dove under it near the halfway line and secured the ball for New Orleans.
New Orleans converted the turnover into a field goal and extended their lead to 10-0 after scoring a touchdown on the first drive.
Although Thielen was the intended target, he had no chance of getting the ball. Marshon Lattimore covered Thielen closely on a go route over the middle, and the ball sailed over his head. Harris was in deep zone coverage over the middle and took advantage of the missed throw.
The Panthers traded up to select Young with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, giving up their first-round pick this year, which the Chicago Bears used to select Caleb Williams. As a rookie, Young completed 59.8% of his passes with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He had 62 sacks and a league-leading 477 yards for loss. The Panthers went 2-14 in games in which he started.
The Panthers fired head coach Frank Reich in the middle of his first season and hired Dave Canales in the offseason, hoping to turn things around in Young’s second season. This is not the start to 2024 that the Panthers and their fans envisioned.
