CHARLOTTE, NC – Bryce Young took aim at the shotgun. The protection was solid.

One second, two seconds.

The second-year Carolina Panthers quarterback stood with both feet planted on the field and looked down. He turned slightly to the right toward running back Chuba Hubbard, who was covered, then went up the middle. Nothing.

“They did a good job of matching what we did,” Young said.

“It was actually an ineffective game,” added coach Dave Canales.

Three seconds, four.

Young, who had memorized the ability to get rid of the ball in 2.7 seconds all offseason, felt pressure on fourth-and-3. His instincts took over. He floated to his left to buy time and dodged a Buffalo Bills defender who fell at his feet.

Five seconds… six.

Young pulled his right arm back, twisted his 5-foot-10 frame as he continued to move to the left, and threw a cross-body pass to wide receiver Diontae Johnson near the left sideline, who advanced the ball 15 yards.

It was just one play against Buffalo’s backups in Young’s only season opener. But it was a glimpse into why Canales believes the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft is on track to rebound from a disastrous rookie season when the Panthers open the season Sunday at the New Orleans Saints (1 p.m. ET, Fox).

This is one of the many reasons why the first-year head coach is confident he can turn Young’s career around, just as he did with Baker Mayfield last season as offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and as he helped Geno Smith and Russell Wilson to successful seasons as an assistant with the Seattle Seahawks.

“The fourth-down throw to Diontae was beautiful and has been evident throughout camp and in the game,” said Canales, who is known as the “quarterback whisperer” because of his past work with quarterbacks who were at a turning point.

“Our boys can learn to rely on that.”

Young was 2-14 as the Panthers’ starter in 2023, and he’s not the first quarterback selected with the top pick who looked bad as a rookie. The 29 other quarterbacks selected No. 1 since 1967 had a combined record of 94-206-2.

Of these 30 quarterbacks, only Andrew Luck (2012) of the Indianapolis Colts won more than half of his games or had a positive record (11-5).

But while Carolina general manager Dan Morgan avoids talking about expectations for a team that has endured six consecutive losing seasons and has the NFL’s worst record at 2-15 in 2023, there are expectations for Young based on history.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, 27 of the players selected No. 1 before him had a combined record of 179-195-1 in their second season. Eleven had a winning percentage of over .500 (at least 10 starts).

“His work ethic, his demeanor, the confidence he’s playing with right now, he’s fun to watch,” Morgan said of Young. “I think he feels it.”

Eli Manning (2004) was 1-6 as a rookie. He went 11-5 in his second season and was later named Super Bowl MVP twice with the New York Giants. He said maintaining confidence was key.

“It’s not always easy,” Manning said. “But are you mentally and physically strong? Are you the same after a win as you are after a loss? All of those things are important.”

Jonathan Cooley, the defensive passing game coordinator who was at Carolina last season, has watched that confidence grow in Young.

“His accuracy is incredible,” Cooley said. “The consistency and ability to execute is definitely something I noticed. He just seems to be a much more confident player and is going into year two with a lot more ownership.”

Johnson wasn’t surprised by Young’s composure on that fourth-and-3 play, as he’d seen it all camp, but he was surprised when he first saw how well Young moved outside the pocket.

“I didn’t know he could put his foot in the ground and create distance once he broke out of the pocket,” Johnson said. “I’m glad he can do that.”

This also applies to Canales, who noticed this trait in Young when he was still in Alabama.

“One thing I know is that with smaller quarterbacks, you have to move a lot to keep track of things. So that’s a natural part of it,” he said. “You also hope that a big play is possible somewhere.”

A key to Canales’ wizardry with quarterbacks is playing to their strengths, as he does with Young’s mobility and ability to make off-the-plan throws.

Another part is listening.

“Dave does a phenomenal job of listening to who the guy is and what he wants to tell us…” offensive coordinator Brad Idzik said.

“I’ve had fun just listening to what Bryce is trying to tell us. He shows us a lot of cool things to work with.”

Listening to Young was a revelation.

“The more you listen to what he’s trying to tell you as a player, the more you’ll see us try to highlight the things he does well,” Idzik said.

Canales said: “I don’t want to start a game with a bad mood. I want you to say when I call the plays, ‘I like this. I love this.'”

That coaching style allowed Mayfield to play freely in 2023 without fear of making mistakes, and he responded with a career-high 4,044 yards and 28 touchdown passes. Tight end Tommy Tremble saw that from Young on this fourth-and-3 play.

“He’s a guy that can make all the throws that you see on those little TikTok and Instagram reels,” he said. “He won the (2021) Heisman for a reason. Just letting him play freely and do what he does best helps this offense.”

The Panthers have signed several key players to back up Young in 2024, including receivers Johnson and first-round pick Xavier Legette, second-round running back Jonathan Brooks and guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis.

But in the end, Canales may have been the biggest signing.

“He’s coached all the positions, so he bridges the gap from one room to the other and provides an understanding of, ‘Hey, this is what the receivers are feeling. This is what a tight end might be feeling,'” Idzik said.

“Now he’s expanding into the defensive zone; here’s what they’re training on that side of the ball.”

The basis of Canales’ system is the illusion of complexity, which Young loves very much.

“It’s about having a simple concept and a complex execution,” Idzik said. “We want to find out what our core is, what our guys are good at. … And then: How many different ways can we present that to the defense through another repetition of the footwork?”

Canales and Young will need time to fine-tune the process once the season begins, but so far it’s going well.

“I believe in what we are doing this year,” Young said.

The beauty of the play on fourth and third was that Young acted instinctively, which enhanced his skills even more.

“He knows exactly where his strengths lie, but he also knows how well he can extend plays. And he can’t be afraid to extend those plays and trust the receivers,” Idzik said.

That’s why this one game was so important to show Young’s potential.

“He rolled out of the pocket and made a hell of a shot,” Tremble said. “They put their trust in him and said, ‘Hey, go out there and you can do it without thinking.’ He proved them right.”