Panthers’ Hayden Hurst says ‘too many voices’ hindered Bryce Young, struggling offense

Panthers tight end Hayden Hurst was sidelined for the final seven games of a brutal 2023 season. And after taking a step back and assessing the campaign, while he recovered from a concussion that caused temporary memory loss, the veteran playmaker didn’t mince words about the cause of the offense’s shortcomings during the year.

“I think it was apparent, if you were in this locker room, you could tell — just a lot of voices,” Hurst said. “A lot of people trying to, I guess, right the ship. And I think it just got to the point where there were just too many voices.”

‘Too much input’

Hurst, who is on his fourth team in five years, watched as former head coach Frank Reich, former quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, senior assistant Jim Caldwell, offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, passing game coordinator Parks Frazier and others all worked to mold rookie quarterback Bryce Young during a turbulent first year in Carolina.

Reich and McCown were fired in Week 13 following a 1-10 start, as Young completed just 61.7% of his passes for 1,877 yards, nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. At the time, Young failed to surpass the 250-yard threshold in 10 starts under Reich’s guidance.

Hurst said the rookie was seemingly overwhelmed with mentors after relying on Alabama head coach Nick Saban as a guiding source throughout his college career. Young’s mentor overload, in turn, impacted the offense, according to Hurst.

“In my opinion, I think there were just too many opinions,” Hurst said. “Kind of looking for the right answer from everybody — too much input — which sucks for Bryce. He had a lot of people in his ear telling him one thing. Cause when you come from a place like Alabama, Saban is king — what he says, goes.

“When you’re a 21-year-old kid, you think that’s going to be consistent in the NFL. And unfortunately for him, I think, he was listening to too many people. So, it’ll be a good offseason for him to get back to his roots. The kid won a Heisman trophy, he’s pretty good. He’s the first overall pick, he’s pretty good.”

While Reich and McCown were let go in the middle of the season, GM Scott Fitterer — who drafted Young first overall in the NFL draft and signed Hurst to a three-year, $21.75 million deal in free agency — was fired by owner David Tepper on Monday following a 2-15 campaign.

With Reich and Fitterer gone, and the majority of the offensive staff likely to join them on the way out in short order, Hurst — who was cleared from the league’s concussion protocol — is looking forward to a fresh start.

“It’s a great opportunity to start fresh,” Hurst said. “New guys are going to come in here, new staff — it’s another prove-it year for everybody in this locker room. I was talking to my fiancée last night — for me and my mindset, it’s a great thing because I get to kind of get back to work, tear it all down and start off fresh this offseason.”

Recover and restart

Hurst dealt with a “very scary” concussion after the Week 10 loss to the Chicago Bears. While he spoke with the media after the game, he claims that he doesn’t remember what happened in the hours after taking a big hit at Soldier Field in November.

As he remained in the league’s protocol, Hurst had issues with memory loss, even as he relaxed at home. But Hurst says he feels “much better” following the completion of the season.

“For two weeks, it was kind of strange,” Hurst said. “I was forgetting things and my fiancée had to remind me of stuff, but the last couple — probably about 10 days — I’ve turned the corner.”

Hurst signed with the Panthers last March after playing for the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game in January. He then had offseason hernia surgery and didn’t start working out until the offseason program in May.

With the green light from the training staff, Hurst will have three extra months to train in Jacksonville this offseason, compared to last year. He is looking forward to taking advantage of that time as large-scale changes loom in Carolina.

Hurst — who had just 18 catches for 184 yards and a touchdown in nine games (eight starts) this season — is hoping to wipe away the bad taste of 2023 and get back to making plays in 2024.

“I think everyone kind of understands what’s going to happen this offseason,” Hurst said. “This place is probably going to get turned upside down. But, as players, all we can do is go home to our respective places, get healthy and work our asses off. Cause all this place needs is a mindset. Come in here, work hard, ‘Who gives a (expletive) about records? Who gives a (expletive) about money?’ We’ve just got to come in here and be competitive next year.

“And that starts with me. I’m going home to Jacksonville, I’m going to my gym in my backyard, and like I said, I’m tearing this thing down and I am starting over. Cause for me, personally, I thought I played pretty (poorly) this year. So there’s a lot of stuff I need to prove to myself and a lot of people.”