Panthers QB Bryce Young appears to have bulked up since last season

A year of NFL experience isn’t the only thing Bryce Young may have added since last season.

Young and the Carolina Panthers hit the practice field in Charlotte on Monday for their first session of organized team activities. Following the outing, the social media squad posted a few pictures from the afternoon . . .

We're just getting started. pic.twitter.com/viZrNHFPto

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) May 20, 2024

The shot of Young—and his arms, in particular—would then catch the attention of quite a few folks over on Twitter/X. But why, you may ask?

Here’s a side-by-side of Young featuring a shot from the 2023 regular-season opener on the left and the one from Monday on the right:

[Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images (Left), Panthers (Right)]

“For me, I trust the strength and conditioning staff here,” he told reporters back on June 14, 2023. “We have an amazing strength staff that I’ve had the pleasure to work with and will continue to work with throughout the offseason. They do a great job here with not just me, but everybody on the team. So, they’re sending out plans, they’re sending out workouts and they have a plan for me just like they have a plan for everyone. I’m gonna follow their direction.”

By the looks of it, that plan may be working.

Almost a year to the day, 2023’s No. 1 overall pick was asked about putting on muscle as he entered the pros.