Much of that success can be attributed to Canales and running back Bryce Young, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft after the franchise traded up to get him.
Young’s struggles as a rookie and at the dawn of the 2024 season raise serious doubts about whether Carolina has hit the ground running in its pursuit of the club’s first good franchise QB since Cam Newton.
The 24-year-old is changing that narrative as the Panthers battle for the team’s first NFC South title since 2015 when Carolina went to Super Bowl 50.
Young has completed 63.4% of his passes for a career-best 18 touchdowns to go along with 2,337 yards.
He’s proven to be a mess more than once, including in Week 13 when the Panthers beat the NFC’s top-ranked Los Angeles Rams, 31-28. It was the Panthers’ sixth win of the season to date.
The owner has seen nine quarterbacks, including Young, start since becoming owner and is his fourth full-time coach in Canales. Looks like he finally found the right combination.
With two huge matchups remaining against the Buccaneers that will likely decide the division, the final stretch of the 2025 campaign could determine how promising this season is for the franchise.
So far, however, there has been plenty of reason for optimism from Tepper.
“It’s not that shabby,” Tepper said of the season through 13 games.