CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers are spending more than $150 million to strengthen their offensive line, adding wide receivers Diontae Johnson and I made a trade.
It remains to be seen whether that will help Young, who went 2-14 as a rookie starter in 2023, take the much-needed step forward.
But the second-year quarterback seemed pretty excited about the organizational changes this offseason after his first practice under new head coach Dave Canales on Tuesday.
“It's really great to have some new faces here,” Young said after the first day of minicamp. “They all have a hungry spirit, they're great players. … There's a lot of new ideas, new energy and new talent. The mission now is to bring it all together and make sure we're all on the same page.” Just get on the page.’ And focus on turning this into a winning football team. ”
The Panthers invested heavily in Young last year, and him showing progress is absolutely essential to their future.
Carolina sent four draft picks and wide receiver DJ Moore to the Chicago Bears last year to move up to No. 1 in last year's draft in order to acquire Young, who won the 2021 Heisman Trophy at Alabama. sent. This ultimately cost Carolina, which had the No. 1 overall pick in this week's NFL Draft after the Panthers finished with the league's worst record of 2-15.
Carolina does not have a first-round pick as of Thursday night.
Young's struggles in Carolina were compounded by the success of C.J. Stroud, who was drafted one spot behind Young by the Houston Texans.
Young averaged just 180 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions per game.
It didn't help that he spent most of the season under pressure, getting sacked 62 times, the second-most in the league. Young declined to say whether the constant pressure was affecting his confidence, choosing to speak only about the future.
But new general manager Dan Morgan certainly feels the need to strengthen the middle of the offensive line, signing guard Robert Hunt from the Dolphins to a five-year, $100 million contract and signing Damian Lewis from the Seahawks. signed a four-year, $53 million contract. .
“I don't have an inside-out mentality,” Canales said. “Football starts up front. I've always believed that about football. It starts with the offensive line and the defensive line. That was the first move we made in free agency, acquiring key pieces.”
Morgan also wanted more playmakers in the passing game by trading for Johnson. He will be paired with reliable veteran wideout Adam Thielen and last year's second-round pick Jonathan Mingo.
Johnson caught just 51 passes for 717 yards and five touchdowns for the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. However, he showed potential as a big star in 2021 with 107 receptions, 1,161 yards, and eight touchdowns.
Johnson said he is a player who can get open anywhere on the field. He said Tuesday that coach Canales told him he would be the first option for most of Young's reads, a strong indication that the Panthers view him as a No. 1 receiver.
“I'm here to make him better as a quarterback and help him grow,” Johnson said.
Young has spent the past few months studying Canales' playbook and working on the fundamentals, especially his footwork.
Canales wants Young to get the ball out of his hands within 2.7 seconds, and that will require decisiveness in his deployment. Young finished 24th in the league last season with an average release time of 2.9 seconds, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
He also wants to make sure Young doesn't put too much pressure on himself and relies more on his teammates.
“If we can all get on the same page about this language, this is another violation, another new terminology, but I think it all starts from there,” Canales said. Told. “If you can communicate and everyone speaks the same language, you can build something very quickly.”
