No one enjoys acknowledging they're wrong.
Carolina Panthers defensive lineman Derrick Brown believes that's one impediment to the masses admitting the reality of quarterback Bryce Young's ascent after three NFL seasons.
"He's our guy," Brown said on the podcast. "We ride with (No.) 9 all the way through. That's one of those things that people don't want to admit how good he's becoming because they're going to have to go back and admit how wrong they were. As we all know, people don't like doing that."
Young endured the rockiest of starts to his career after joining Carolina as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft.
Rock bottom came following a Week 2 loss in his second season, when head coach Dave Canales benched the young signal-caller for Andy Dalton following an 0-2 start.
To that point in his career, Young was 2-16, having completed 59.3% of his throws for 3,122 yards, 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He appeared out of sorts for most of his rookie year and in his first two contests under Canales, brought in as a QB whisperer, while the veteran Dalton restored a notable competency to the Panthers offense over the next five games.
However, Dalton suffered a sprained thumb in a car crash ahead of the team's Week 8, allowing Young to re-enter the lineup. Young never looked back.
He picked up his play over the course of the 2024 campaign and especially provided cause for optimism by going 2-1 with 612 passing yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions in Carolina's final three games. He carried that into last season, easily his best in the NFL, throwing for 3,011 yards, 23 touchdowns and 11 picks while guiding the Panthers to their first NFC South title since 2015 and cementing himself as their QB of the future.
Carolina has since picked up his fifth-year option, and general manager Dan Morgan said the team intends to sign Young to a long-term contract "at the right time."
Brown noted the professionalism with which Young approached his benching -- and any criticism since -- sporting a steely mindset that has allowed him to rise to the status he holds in the organization today.
"He took the benching and, man, he just came into work every single day and killed it," Brown said. "He didn't care. He went right back to doing what he does. To him, it was about playing football. I'm going to be honest, I know everybody's got an opinion about him, but I would never want to be a quarterback in the NFL. It might be the worst job to have. It's the highest-paying, but it is the worst job to have in the NFL. I salute Bryce every single day, just dealing with all the outside noise and then still being able to come in there and be efficient in the work."
Rather than needing to prove himself in 2026 as was required of him last season, Young enters the upcoming campaign in position to build off a year that potentially reset his career trajectory, changing the long-suffering Panthers' path right along with it.
He and Carolina are set to defend their division title.
Along the way, they'll play three prime-time games -- their most since 2016 -- providing the Panthers with more viewers to perhaps eat their words regarding the once-maligned QB.
