Panthers QB Bryce Young seeks 'mastery of offense' under new play caller

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Bryce Young was a little surprised when head coach Dave Canales called to inform him that offensive coordinator Brad Idzik would be taking over play-calling duties after the Carolina Panthers took a big step in 2025 and won the NFC South.

He knew how much Canales loved calling plays.

But after speaking with Canales, the Panthers quarterback is embracing the change, saying that he’s thrilled about what Idzik — whom he described as having a “great offensive mind” — brings to the table.

Idzik plans to experiment with a variety of different plays during the team’s upcoming OTAs in an effort to best utilize each player’s skill set.

“I appreciate his willingness to put us in the best situation,” Young said. “It’s not this blanket ‘we’re gonna do X, Y, Z’ or ‘we’re gonna do this X amount of times every game’ or ‘we’re gonna run this concept X amount of times.’ We want to try a bunch of different things during OTAs. He wants to challenge us with some new things.

Young added, “So, we (as players) want to show him what we’re good at, and then as we find that out, it’s him being able to find different ways for us to get to that in the game. So I’m excited for that process.”

The fourth-year quarterback said players need to do their part by developing a “mastery of the offense.”

That means a deep dive into the playbook, thoroughly understanding all of its unique variations and concepts.

The hope is that will result in a more seemless approach, helping Young get in and out of the huddle faster and avoid delay of game penalties and unnecessary timeouts — an frustrating issue that has plagued the Panthers offense at times over the past two seasons.

“We want coaches to put more on our shoulders on the field because they trust us,” Young said.

Young made huge strides in Year 3.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft had career highs in yards passing (3,011), touchdown passes (23) and quarterback rating (87.8). Despite the offense sputtering down the stretch in part because of injuries to the offensive line, the Panthers hung on to win the division before falling to the Los Angeles Rams 34-31 in the wild-card round on Matthew Stafford's late touchdown pass.

Knowing that 2025 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker will return as the team’s starting wide receiver tandem should be “huge” because it brings some stability, Young said.

“It’s so much easier in the offseason when you have a plan, when you have a view, when you’re able to be player-specific in the things that we scheme and game plan for and want to work on in the offseason,” Young said. “When we have those conversations, they don’t have to be hypotheticals, which is definitely a luxury to have.”

McMillan, who grew up in California and competed against Young in high school, said he knew Young was a winner when he arrived in Charlotte last year as the No. 8 overall draft pick.

So he wasn’t surprised when Young led six game-winning drives last season, giving him 12 for his career — more than any QB in the league since 2023.

“When the money’s on the line the thing that surprised me was just how calm and collected he was in those moments,” McMillan said.

Coming off the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2017, Young is brimming with confidence and eager for the season to arrive.

But he said the Panthers “can’t take our foot off the gas” as they look to repeat as division champs, make a deeper run in the playoffs and continue trending in the right direction.

He’s confident Canales won’t allow that to happen.

“I have all the faith in the world in Coach,” Young said. “If he feels like (handing off play-calling duties) is what’s best for the team, then I know it’s what’s best for the team. I trust him and his decision.”

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