Bryce Young's leadership abilities are still in question.
Young was seen as a true leader at the University of Alabama, but that didn't instantly transfer to the NFL. Young's rookie season was a mess. But that hasn't deterred Luke Kuechly, a Panthers legendary linebacker, from giving Young the benefit of the doubt – something he desperately needs as training camp inches closer.
Kuechly, on Monday's episode of Up & Adams, claimed Young merely had to continue to be his authentic self. The now-retired linebacker also explained that leadership has to be rooted in authenticity. However, in Young, he doesn't see a quarterback attempting to be a player he is not.
"Bryce has to continue to be himself," Kuechly said. "I think that the vocal ability of Bryce just comes with time.
"I always kinda go back to: What were these guys like in college? If you ask Will Anderson, ‘What was Bryce like in college?’ I don’t think there would’ve been any question if he was the leader of that team. There would’ve been no question if he was a guy that they felt like was vocal, a guy that they felt like was energy."
What does Dave Canales think?
Leadership is a topic Young can't avoid. Panthers head coach Dave Canales recently admitted that Young isn't as vocal as most quarterbacks are as the leader of the offense.
"Bryce is very much comfortable with being a leader," Canales told CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones, "but he also understands that there's a level of respect gained by working and performing to the highest of your standards. He was not satisfied with his performance last year. He knows he's got work to do. So he's not going to try to take this vocal role because that's not what he does.
"But he will call the offense up after different practices and just capture moments where we look good, where we are moving. Or if there was a day where it was clunky and we're not lining up properly, he has no problem saying, 'Guys, our standard is higher than this.' And it's a very clear message. I think he's very tactful in finding those little situations, and I can tell he's really comfortable with that role, really."
A smaller vocal role isn't for everyone. Earlier in the offseason, Jadeveon Clowney, a veteran edge rusher, explained he wanted to see Young bring his energy up while admitting it may take some time for him to get there.
"I know he is just trying to feel it out," Clowney said. "Everybody expects bigger things from you since you're the quarterback. That's the only thing he don't know right now. We try to pull him up there because he's the quarterback. The quarterback, to me, is one of the biggest pieces in the National Football League. Everyone buys into the quarterback, the play of the quarterback. We need Bryce [to bring] energy. It's all about his energy. If he believes it or not, we want to see you believe it and feel it."
What are your thoughts on these comments about Bryce Young from Clowney? pic.twitter.com/uMjyY6c0Cf
— Michael Rimmer (@avl_mike) June 11, 2024
Young isn't close to a finished product. There are areas he must improve on for Carolina to be a competitive team. One of those is leadership, but Kuechly remains confident that aspect of his game will come to him in time.
“I think Bryce is very intelligent," he said. "He watches a lot before he makes his move. I think he’s very thought-out, I think he does things on purpose. And yeah, he was quiet. But I think, moving forward, he’s gonna be fine.”
