Panthers’ Bryce Young limited to 21 yards in preseason debut
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Bryce Young’s preseason debut didn’t go exactly as planned.
The No. 1 pick in the NFL draft was 4 of 6 passing for 21 yards on Saturday as the Carolina Panthers lost 27-0 to the New York Jets.
Young played three series and the Panthers picked up just one first down with the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner under center against a Jets defense that rested its starters. New York’s offense was also able to put up points despite resting quarterback Aaron Rodgers again.
Young didn’t get much help from his offensive line as he was hit on three of his seven drop backs, including a blindside shot to the center of his back from 293-pound defensive tackle Solomon Thomas on his first pass attempt.
“It was a lack of execution starting with myself,” Young said. “I definitely could have done better and us as a unit all have to take accountability. … We have to own this and get better.”
Young’s lack of size was the biggest concern when he entered the league, but the 5-foot-10, 204-pound quarterback bounced back to his feet after taking the hard hit from Thomas.
“I said to him, ‘Well, that was a pretty big welcome-to-the-NFL hit. How did that one feel?’” Panthers coach Frank Reich said. “He said he was fine and barely felt it.”
Added Panthers offensive tackle Ickey Ekwonu: “He shouldn’t be getting hit at all. At the end of the day, that is on us (as an offensive line). We weren’t good enough today.”
Reich didn’t seem overly concerned by Carolina’s lack of offensive production — the Panthers had just 165 yards — saying the team was “very generic” on offense because he doesn’t want to show the league too much of his playbook.
The Jets (1-1) had no problem deciphering Carolina’s offense, registering five sacks in the largest preseason shutout victory in team history.
“I thought our D-line got after them early, and really for all four quarters made it hard for them to operate,” Jets coach Robert Saleh said. “We represented who we are, our style of play and that was a challenge from this week to last week.”
Rodgers’ debut with the Jets will have to wait for another day as Saleh held out the four-time league MVP for the second straight preseason game. The 39-year-old Rodgers hasn’t played in a preseason game since 2018 with Green Bay.
Zach Wilson got the start and played the entire first half, leading the Jets to scores on three of his six first-half possessions. He finished 14 of 20 for 123 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown pass to backup tight end Kenny Yeboah. Wilson seemed to get more comfortable in the pocket as the game went on, completing mostly short passes underneath the coverage.
