Bryce Young already painting picture of a positive future under Panthers coaching collaboration

By Timisha Collins

When the Carolina Panthers officially drafted former University of Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, it was a conclusion most people had expected after the team traded up for the No. 1 pick with

whatever remaining draft capital they had not already spent trading for various other quarterbacks over the past three seasons.

There’s reason to suspect this experiment will work out for the rebuilding Panthers, though. New head coach Frank Reich, although recently fired from the Indianapolis Colts, was hired by the team in January, and is still considered a top-level head coach, who’s assembled a dynamic staff that should get the most out of an re-tooled roster. That all starts with Young. The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner has a promising future at the position and is ready to be shaped into a star. He's already picking up the offense sooner than later accordingly to Reich. "It's really good for Bryce to see how Andy's really handling things ...obviously Bryce has it up extremely fast," Reich said after a recent post OTA session press conference.

The Carolina Panthers believe Bryce Young is their quarterback of the future, and the current goal is to get him ready. To do that, they've enlisted Andy Dalton to prepare Young and prepare himself to back him up. Dalton is an NFL veteran and can impart a lot of wisdom to Young during the season.Young was allowed to take first-team reps during the team's first OTA session. The veteran Dalton, shared those reps. Having Dalton as Young's backup would be ideal but it remains a competition.

The rank won't be handed to Young. Dalton was asked his opinion about whether Young has already proven that size is not a factor during the team's first on on-field meetings. “Size hasn’t mattered to him. He’s still been able to make the throws you need to make,” Dalton said, via David Newton of ESPN.com.

The Panthers are being very careful with Young. Reich and the coaching staff don't want to put too much on him too fast. They want to give him a chance to learn and feel comfortable. The Panthers, who have had five straight losing seasons with (at least) five different quarterbacks, and Reich, who has also coached five different quarterbacks in five years, know how vital a strong, young quarterback can be if he's coached and managed properly. They do not want to screw this up. Nobody should blame the Panthers for not wanting to be surprised anymore. With Young, they know exactly what they are getting.

And holding on to what you know for sure is elite is better than hoping what you find will become as much. Fitterer and the Panthers know this now. They have learned the lesson. Hence, the beginning of an era with Young as a franchise quarterback.

No matter how things turn out in the future, it's undoubtedly a good time to be a Panthers fan. Young is a keen observer before the snap. He uses that calm presence to survey the defense for tells, and he uses fake cadences to get defenders to tip their hands. The tireless pre-snap work Young already does will undoubtedly help him at the next level. We’ve seen how crucial that can be for quarterbacks both in the past, like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, and in today’s game, like Burrow and Dak Prescott. Young is in that mold.

The Panthers resume OTA June 1 at their practice facility at Bank of America Stadium.