Bryce Young's rookie season left a lot to be desired in Carolina.
The Panthers quarterback didn't exactly live up to the sky-high expectations for a No. 1 overall pick, leading an offense that finished last in yards (265.3) and points (13.9) per game while producing a 73.7 passer rating.
Young's struggles were perhaps furthered by the shuffling of offensive play-callers and the eventual midseason firing of Frank Reich and several other offensive coaches on the staff. However, veteran Panthers wideout Adam Thielen believes that adversity Young faced will one day be looked back on as a redeeming experience.
"I told Bryce after the season was over, I said ‘I know this was a difficult season for you and many others,' but I think it’s the best thing that could happen to him," Thielen said during an upcoming appearance on Monday's edition of NFL Network's The Insiders. "I truly believe he’s going to look back 10 years or 15 years from now and he’s going to say, ‘I’m so glad that happened my rookie year, the adversity that I had to face.’
"The things that were out of his control that happened, I really think made him a stronger leader, stronger person, stronger man. I’m really excited to see him take what happened last year and really build off of it. Take some of the positives and learn from the negatives as a team as well. I’m really excited to see his career unfold and I’m glad and very excited to be a part of the first few years to see what happens.”
Thielen was a reliable presence throughout the QB's debut season, producing 103 receptions for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns. Young finished 2023 having completed 59.8% of his passes for 2,877 yards with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, numbers new head coach Dave Canales will be looking to drastically improve in 2024.
Aiding that effort, Carolina upgraded its receiving corps this offseason, acquiring Diontae Johnson via trade and drafting Xavier Legette with the No. 32 overall pick. Thielen is excited to see how Johnson and Legette enhance the Panthers offense, but has also already seen growth from youngsters Jonathan Mingo and Terrace Marshall Jr. during the club's offseason program.
“Yeah, it’s been a really exciting offseason to see those guys go to work," Thielen said when asked of Carolina's additions. "Some of the young guys get so much better -- (Jonathan) Mingo, Terrace Marshall (Jr.). There are so many talented guys that weren’t really able to be themselves last year or years in the past. So, it’s been really cool to see them grow as players. Then Diontae, he’s just a special football player. The way that he moves and changes direction and can really track the football, you could tell it was an instant boost to that group and our team. So, I’m very excited about that. It’s great to have a talented rookie coming in that has a different skill set from the rest of us. He's a big, strong, physical, fast guy that could do a lot of things. When you are able to have a few guys that could do a lot of different things, it creates a very easy, organic way to have success on offense.”
Canales was instrumental in Baker Mayfield's impressive comeback season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023 but takes on a much more substantial project in Young. The rookie coach also inherits a Panthers club that has neither produced a winning season nor reached the playoffs since 2017.
For Thielen, the 2024 season will prove even more enticing with a very familiar face joining the division in Atlanta's Kirk Cousins, who was the 11-year wideout's distributor for nine years in Minnesota.
“Yeah, I don’t love the fact that I'm competing against him twice a year because he’s such a great football player," Thielen said. "He does a great job of studying and understanding the defense and giving the team the best chance to win football games. That part I’m not looking forward to, but I am looking forward to seeing him twice a year. It will only be a few-hour drive to catch up in the offseason and get some golf together. So, it is really cool and I’m excited for him to have a fresh start. He did so many great things for the Vikings organization. I wish he could have been there a lot longer and myself as well, but that’s not how this game works. I’m just excited for him to go out there and have a fresh start and play at a high level.”