For Panthers rookie QB Bryce Young, ‘lofty expectations’ and a birthday as camp begins

Rookie quarterback Bryce Young has shown up to this training camp for the Carolina Panthers with nothing less than the weight of the franchise on his shoulders. And not since a rookie QB named Cam Newton pulled up to Spartanburg in 2011 has the curiosity factor been so high about a single player in camp.

Young turned 22 years old Tuesday, but he’s 22 going on 42. From what we could see, it sounded like he mostly celebrated his birthday by studying film, going to meetings and possibly helping little old ladies across the street. His 12-minute news conference in Spartanburg at Wofford College was an exercise in forgettable politeness, although a tiny bit of bravado peeked out once.

“Having lofty expectations isn’t something new,” Young said at one point. The former Heisman Trophy winner didn’t mention that it’s a disappointment at Alabama any season his former college team doesn’t win the national championship, but he didn’t have to. Almost everyone knows Young’s background at this juncture — the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft gets that kind of scrutiny.

Young is going to handle all that just fine, though. He is so pleasant to everyone that it slightly obscures the fact that in one interview after another he says little of note. Young has obviously taken a lot of notes from the Russell Wilson school of leadership, because he’s charming without ever being offensive. Now if he only has a career like Wilson’s, everything will finally be OK in the land of black and blue.

Asked a question right off the bat as he walked to a podium Tuesday, Young paused, then said: “Well, first off, thank you guys for coming out. Good morning, everyone! I know it’s humid out here.”

After that, there was a lot of talk from Young about “gradual progression” and “taking things day by day.” About “being process-oriented and “super grateful.” About “following the plan.”

In other words, Young is never going to say what Panthers owner David Tepper said the night he was drafted No. 1 in April — a dramatic move the Panthers were able to accomplish by trading up from No. 9 to No. 1 with Chicago to take a shot at a football savior.

That night in April, Tepper was asked by play-by-play announcer Anish Shroff in front of a crowd of Panthers fans what the drafting of Young meant to the team.

Tepper shrugged and said: “You really want me to say it?”

The owner then turned to the crowd and said: “Super Bowls!”

That’s how high the bar is set for Young, who has his first camp practice with the full team Wednesday. He may say nothing, but that’s just fine, as long as he’s everything. His teammates sound optimistic so far, as they get used to Young, too. He got compared to Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts in the space of about 15 minutes Tuesday morning, so there’s that.

“Very intelligent and very composed for a 21-year-old kid,” Panthers tight end Hayden Hurst said Tuesday (he obviously wasn’t yet aware of Young’s 22nd birthday). “He commands the huddle.

“And like I said, when you have the confidence and the intelligence at the quarterback position it’s kind of infectious…. I’m going to think he’s not going to be the rah-rah, screamer type of kid. He’s going to go about his business a certain way, kind of like last year when I was with Joe (Burrow, whom Hurst teamed with in Cincinnati). He’s not in your face. He’s not screaming. He’s in there watching film every day.”

Said Miles Sanders, the Panthers’ new starting running back: “The boy is sharp, man…. Nick Saban is doing a great job up there at Alabama. I played with another Alabama QB in Philly (Jalen Hurts). All I can say is them boys are sharp, and I’m excited to see what he can do this year.”

Almost anything would be better than the past five years.

The Panthers have gone 29-53 the past five seasons, with no playoff appearances, since Tepper bought the team before the 2018 season began. Much of that has been due to play at QB that has ranged from mediocre at best to excruciating at worst, as in alphabetical order Kyle Allen, Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Darnold, Will Grier, Taylor Heinicke, Baker Mayfield, Cam Newton (compromised version), and P.J. Walker have taken turns at the game’s most important position.

Young’s arrival is supposed to put an end to that. The big questions are his height (5-foot-10), and whether his build (he’ll likely play at around 195 pounds) will allow his body to hold up for 17 regular-season starts against defenses intent on pounding the quarterback at every opportunity. Young is already acting like a veteran NFL starting QB. Now he just has to turn into one.