Panthers HC Frank Reich told his players Monday that he's handing over play-calling duties to OC Thomas Brown, NFL Network reports. The move comes as Carolina heads into a Week 7 bye. That should help with the transition, which has been rumored to be on the way since before this season started. Brown was a trendy head-coaching candidate last offseason but is in his first year as an NFL OC. So it's tough to know what to expect here. Brown did spend his first three NFL coaching seasons on Sean McVay's offensive staff, though. And it's hard to imagine the Panthers getting much less efficient on offense. They sit third-worst so far at 4.4 yards per play and third-worst in net yards per pass attempt. We'll see whether the switch produces any noticeable boost to offensive efficiency and/or fantasy upside.
Panthers No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young has been widely lauded for his passing accuracy. But sneaky rushing upside could be key to his fantasy value. If you remove yardage lost on sacks -- which NCAA stats subtract from QB rushing -- Young averaged 6.1 yards per carry in 2021 and then 9.1 per rush last season. He totaled 284 yards and then 313 yards in scrambles in his two starting turns at Alabama, according to Pro Football Focus. Young followed that with a 4.58-second 40 time at his pro day. That would rank 90th-percentile among QB results at the Scouting Combine. Young will likely need to scramble at least a bit more in the NFL than he did at Alabama. He averaged just 2.56 attempts per game there over the past two years. Even the largely immobile crew of Colts QBs -- led by Matt Ryan -- on Frank Reich's last Colts team averaged 2.78 per game. The 280+ yards that Young delivered on scrambles the past two years would have ranked seventh among QBs in rushing yards in the NFL last season. That level of rushing production would boost his fantasy floor and ceiling. Read more about Young's fantasy outlook and see where he sits in our 2023 superflex rankings. The rookie could turn into a value pick in that format.
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