It may be time to check Bryce Young’s birth certificate.
Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown spoke with reporters following Tuesday’s practice—his first bit of media availability since the team’s 27-0 loss to the New York Jets. When asked if he was impressed by his rookie quarterback’s performance, Brown came with some familiar praise.
“1000 percent,” he replied. “And I would say it’s pretty hard to say just based on the level of esteem we had, just kinda watchin’ him kinda comin’ out from an evaluation standpoint. But I would say every day, I mean, there’s two to three highlight plays—whether it be pocket movement, throwin’ off balance, whether it be disguisin’ what our defense is doin’ from a pass protection standpoint. He gets into the right looks to everything to how he handles just overall, like I said before, just the pressure like down-and-down—which is rare for a guy his age.
“He’s still a young dude, for sure. But he acts like he’s probably 45 years old at times, maybe older than me. But the way he operates, it’s fun to be around.”
General manager Scott Fitterer expressed a very similar sentiment back in April. Even before selecting him atop the 2023 NFL draft, Fitterer said talking to Young was like talking to a “40-year-old man.”
Unsurprisingly, Young handled Saturday’s debut like a seasoned vet. Despite the constant pressure from a stacked Jets defense, we saw a cool and collected performance out of the 22-year-old . . . or at least we think he’s 22 years old.
