Were there really too many cooks in Bryce Young’s kitchen this season? One Carolina Panthers player seems to think so.
Tight end Hayden Hurst caught up with reporters on Monday to put a cap on the 2023 season. When asked about the rough campaign for his rookie quarterback, the sixth-year pass catcher suggested that Young had a surplus of voices in his ear.
“I think when you have a young kid like that . . . again, you come from Alabama and there’s one voice of reason,” he said. “Unfortunately in the NFL, I think there’s a lot of people that wanna maybe put their stamp on it, or ‘I was the one that kinda got him there.’
“So, it’ll be good for Bryce to have consistency this offseason. One voice, tell him what to do and guide him in the right direction.”
A report by CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones from earlier in the year noted that the Panthers’ coaching staff was overloading the 22-year-old passer with information. Not too long after, three of those coaches—head coach Frank Reich, assistant head coach/running backs Duce Staley and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown—were dismissed.
Young was then asked about Hurst’s comments moments later.
“Everyone wants to help,” he replied. “Everyone’s involved, everyone’s invested. And I don’t feel like it was too much. I feel like we all wanna get coached, we all wanna consult others.
“I’ve definitely been able to talk with Hayden. Hayden’s been great to work with. He’s been great on the field and off the field. I’ve learned a lot from him. I know where he’s comin’ from. But I think that’s part of it.”
2023’s No. 1 overall pick averaged 179.8 passing yards per contest with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions over 16 starts.
In a bit of better news—Hurst, who missed the final seven games of the season, revealed he cleared concussion protocol on Sunday.
