Bryce Young may finally be taking a big step forward in his fourth NFL season. Young led the Carolina Panthers to a decisive 34-3 victory over the Atlanta Falcons with 287 passing yards and three touchdowns on Sunday. The 25-year-old has a 113.3 quarterback rating in two games after accounting for four scores in a 59-37 season-opening loss to the Chicago Bears.
One of the franchise's few long-term quarterbacks, Jake Delhomme, discussed Young's progression Monday on Yahoo Sports Daily. "We want to rush these quarterbacks into being great right away," Delhomme said. "It takes time." Delhomme noted that the Panthers traded a significant haul to move up to the top pick and draft Young in 2023.
They benched Young early in his second season after winning two games in his rookie campaign, but the former Alabama star led them to the playoffs last season. "When we took Bryce a few years back, we were not a good football team," Delhomme said. "We had to give up a No. 1 receiver, DJ Moore, to be able to get there.
It was just one thing after another. Bryce had three playcallers his first year and this team, there wasn't enough around him. I think it took a little while for him to learn the game, and that's OK.
I think that's a normal progression for a quarterback. It takes time sometimes." Delhomme felt Young improved late in the 2025 season, and he's carried that momentum into the 2026 campaign. The former NFC champion believes Young can keep getting better following two strong September outings.
"Love what he's been doing," Delhomme said. "The last six games of the year, to me, I said, 'OK, it's someone getting comfortable.' Going into this season, this training camp, I thought he was really good. Didn't play much in the preseason, but played pretty good against the Bears.
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