Bryce Young is a controversial quarterback. The Carolina Panthers QB doesn't do anything wrong off the field, and his personality has made him well-liked across the entire NFL. But in terms of performance, he's controversial. Is he good or not?There's a split among NFL fans on that point, but the story isn't fully written yet. There's still reason for optimism and cause for concern alike. One NFL analyst perfectly detailed how both of those things can be true. The dichotomy of Panthers QB Bryce Young Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) reacts in the fourth quarter in an NFC Wild Card | Bob Donnan-Imagn ImagesIan Hartitz broke it down pretty accurately, especially for a non-Panthers fan or media member. It's easy for those who don't specifically cover Young or the Panthers to be off-base on this sort of thing, especially with Young's middling numbers.Bryce Young ...Glass-half-full: Has improved quite a bit during his three-year career. At his best, he combines Prestige-level magician ability when the play breaks down and has some borderline erotic advanced metrics throwing downfield. Still only 24 in an offense that hasn't…— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) May 26, 2026But Hartitz has a great take. One reason for optimism is that Young has gotten better and better every single year. Sure, he started out really bad, so there was nowhere to go but up, but Young has gone up two seasons in a row despite being benched in one of them. Another, perhaps more exciting, reason is that Young has a nearly unrivaled deep ball. He doesn't have the arm strength of others, but his deep ball is as accurate and catchable as anyone. The advanced metrics, such as PFF deep passing grade and big-time deep throws, adore Young. Third reason: Young is often a wizard when the play breaks down. We've seen him bail out the offense time and time again by making magic when there's no magic to be made. Hartitz has seen it, too. He avoids sacks really well and creates out of structure like few others. A fourth and final reason for hope about Young is that he's still just 24, and the Panthers have never truly surrounded him with help. They've tried, but a WR corps of Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, Xavier Legette, Jimmy Horn, Chris Brazzell, and David Moore isn't exactly all-world. Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) rushes the ball against Los Angeles Rams linebacker Nate Landman | Bob Donnan-Imagn ImagesCombine that with an offensive line that was mediocre in year one, a running game that's been overhyped and inconsistent all three seasons and it's easy to shift some of the blame off of Young, who probably hasn't even hit his athletic prime yet. There's just one major reason for concern. The efficiency metrics like EPA per play and other analytics do not suggest that Young is secretly very good. He passes the eye test on some of these things, but the eye test is not infallible. Neither are the metrics, but they usually are not kind to Young. Of course, some of those metrics are team-oriented, like EPA/play. Still, a Young-led offense has never been very good. Advanced analytics usually step in to help explain why the traditional metrics might look a certain way. In many cases, they can be evidence that a player with low-level traditional stats is better than you think. For example, Young's passing yardage and his average depth of target suggest he is not good at anything but dumping it off, but the PFF deep grade and big-time throw rate prove otherwise. But in general, the advanced analytics don't paint a different picture than the traditional stats. They generally back up the perception that Young isn't that good. There's plenty of reason to think he can be, as Hartitz perfectly pointed out. But there's also one major reason to be concerned he won't ever be. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow