Panthers QB Bryce Young Discusses Revitalized Relationship With HC Dave Canales

When the Panthers hired HC Dave Canales about a year ago, his first and foremost goal was to get the team feeling optimistic about QB Bryce Young again.

Dave Canales

One year later, it feels like he’s accomplished that but the path taken to get there is one almost no one would have foreseen last January. Canales benched Young after just two games after the former No. 1 pick looked like he was in way over his head. It took an unexpected thumb injury to veteran QB Andy Dalton for Young to return to the lineup, and ultimately Young played well enough to not give the job back a second time. 

There was a lot of uncertainty about Young’s future in Carolina with Canales, however. There were reports that people from Young’s camp didn’t think Canales truly believed in Young as a talent. Canales also kept Young’s status as the starter week-to-week before finally committing to him for the rest of the year near the end of the season. 

However, Young says the relationship between him and Canales is in a good spot now as the two head into 2025 with Young locked in as the team’s starting quarterback

“I trust him,” Young said ESPN’s David Newton. “I’m super grateful for [the relationship] … what he means to the team, what he means to the room. Being able to pick his brain has been great and super influential for me, just being able to learn. I have a lot of respect for him personally, and just the consistency that he brings, being able to be himself no matter what.”

Canales isn’t ready to share a lot of details yet about why he benched Young, or what his thought process with Young was and how it may or may not have changed. It’s clear though that he’s excited about Young moving forward despite the adversity of this past year. 

“I love that story,” he said. “It is a cool story, and it is kind of the nature of what we’re doing. I’m excited for the progress and for where we are headed next.”

Young, 23, was a two-year starter at Alabama and won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore in 2021. The Panthers drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.

He signed a four-year, $37,955,074 contract that included a $24.6 million signing bonus. The deal includes a fifth-year option for the 2027 season. 

In 2024, Young appeared in 14 games for the Panthers, making 12 starts and completing 60.9 percent of his passes for 2,403 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also rushed for 249 yards and six touchdowns.

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