National Football League

Panthers TE Hayden Hurst: Bryce Young had 'too many voices' in ear

Published Jan. 10, 2024 2:35 p.m. ET

Bryce Young's rookie season left much to be desired on all fronts, as the Carolina Panthers went 2-15, the worst record in the NFL.

Tight end Hayden Hurst feels that the No. 1 overall pick's underwhelming first season was a result of the turnover on Carolina's coaching staff throughout the season.

"I think it was apparent, if you were in this locker room, you could tell — just a lot of voices," Hurst said about Young in an interview with the Charlotte Observer published on Tuesday. "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."

Head coach Frank Reich began the year as the Panthers' offensive playcaller. He then delegated those duties to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown in Week 7 before taking them back for Week 10. Reich was then fired after 11 games (1-10).

"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, [Nick] 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."

Carolina traded wide receiver D.J. Moore, the No. 9 and No. 61 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, its 2024 first-round draft pick and its 2025 second-rounder to the Chicago Bears for the No. 1 pick to select Young, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner and two-year starter at Alabama.

Across the 16 games that Young started this season (he missed one game due to an ankle injury), he totaled just 2,877 passing yards, 11 touchdown passes, 10 interceptions and a 73.7 passer rating, while completing 59.8% of his passes. He also rushed for 253 yards. To boot, the Panthers were shut out at home by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-0 to close out the season, with Young throwing for a season-low 94 yards.

Meanwhile, Hurst was limited to nine games due to a concussion. Across those nine games, he had just 18 receptions for 184 yards and one touchdown. The tight end spent the first two seasons of his career with the Baltimore Ravens, who selected him in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft, before being traded to the Atlanta Falcons in 2020.

Michael Vick breaks down the C.J. Stroud vs. Bryce Young debate

After two seasons in Atlanta, Hurst signed a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022. He then signed a three-year, $21.8 million deal with Carolina last offseason.

Earlier this week, the Panthers fired general manager Scott Fitterer so they're looking for a new GM as well as a new head coach. Stick with FOX Sports for the latest developments on NFL coaching and executive hires.

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