30 players who will avoid bust status with a breakout campaign in 2024

30. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers

We’re ending this list with someone in a rare position. A first-overall pick usually has all of the leash to make mistakes and grow. That’s not the case for Bryce Young. He’s played just one season, but he looked so bad that Panthers fans and football analysts are ready to give up on him. Heck, Andy Dalton looked better in that offense. 

The Panthers understand that they need to give Young every chance to succeed. They basically spent two first-overall picks on him. So they added wide receivers Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette. Adding their impact to Jonathan Mingo and Adam Thielen actually gives this team a good group. The Panthers also spent a ton on the offensive line, giving massive contracts to Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis. This should help with keeping Young upright.

The Panthers allowed Young to get sacked 62 times last season. Some of that was Young’s inexperience and inability to break away from defenders, but a lot of it was a bad offensive line. Having better talent up front should help Young gain confidence. 

It’s going to be a huge year for Young and the Panthers. This is an ownership that is not patient, and they have another new head coach in seat. They can’t cry about what could have been (CJ Stroud or Anthony Richardson). They just need to move forward with Young and hope that, despite his small stature, he can play as big as the best QBs in the league.