CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jadeveon Clowney’s locker is on the opposite end from Bryce Young’s in the Carolina Panthers locker room. The 31-year-old Clowney is eight years older than Young and plays a position designed to wreak havoc on quarterbacks like him.
But the two share a history that allows Clowney to connect with Young: Both were No. 1 picks who came under criticism after tough rookie seasons. Clowney’s first-year struggles were injury related, and Young’s were production based. Still, there might be no one on the Panthers roster more excited than Clowney about Young’s getting another chance to start this week.
“He definitely deserves it,” Clowney said this week. “The guy was a first-round pick. Not just a first-round, the No. 1 pick. So he’s obviously got a lot of talent and a lot to prove to a lot of people.”
Clowney, the South Carolina pass rusher taken first in 2014, took an interest in Young shortly after signing with the Panthers in March. A few months later Clowney said the Panthers needed more energy from Young, who maintains a low-key demeanor on and off the field.
In the weeks since Young was benched after just two games, Clowney has offered him advice about believing in himself.
“I talked to him even before we knew this was coming and I was like, ‘Brah, I know it’s hard being No. 1. I was there at the No. 1 pick and I know how people nitpick at you and put you on this pedestal. The only way you can go is down when you’re at the top of it,’” Clowney said.
“I’m just telling him, ‘Man, keep the people that love you close to you and everybody else at a distance. Continue to (stay) around the people that love you and believe in you, and everything will work out for you. It worked out for me.’”
As a No. 1 pick himself, Jadeveon Clowney can empathize with what Bryce Young has gone through. He told him to keep believing in himself and keep the haters away. pic.twitter.com/djyfEoULPh
— Joe Person (@josephperson) October 23, 2024
Before Andy Dalton sprained his thumb in a car accident, Young spent the past five weeks on the scout team, “saucing up” the first-team defense with nice throws, Clowney said.
If Young is going to succeed against the Denver Broncos’ third-ranked defense, Clowney and at least one other veteran teammate believe he needs to regain his confidence. Tight end Jordan Matthews said if Young can complete a few throws on the opening series Sunday — as he did in the final preseason game at the Buffalo Bills — it could do wonders for him.
“We hit a couple throws early on in that drive. And then before you know it, you wouldn’t know if that jersey was Carolina blue or (Alabama) crimson,” Matthews said. “So I just want to see him go out there, hit a couple plays early where he can get his confidence going. And then once that happens, I know he can go out there and play his game.”
Young’s return has dominated the news cycle this week, but it’s not the Panthers’ only relevant storyline. Four more:
Who’s No. 2?
Dave Canales is hoping Dalton can handle the backup duties. But Dalton has missed the first two days of practice, during which undrafted rookie Jack Plummer has gotten the second-team reps. No one knew much about the former Louisville QB when he arrived in the spring — including a couple of players and coaches who mistakenly thought Plummer was the son of former NFL quarterback Jake Plummer.
With Canales resting his starters and veterans most of the preseason, Plummer started two of the exhibitions and played in all three. He completed 63 percent of his passes for 406 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions.
| OPPONENT | COMP-ATT | YARDS | TD-INT |
|---|---|---|---|
 at Patriots |
11-21
|
86
|
0-0
|
 Jets |
11-18
|
42
|
0-0
|
 at Bills |
21-29
|
278
|
2-0
|
|
43-68
|
406
|
2-0
|
“There’s nothing like getting game reps,” Plummer said. “So just to play all those snaps in the preseason was good, just to operate in the huddle, calling the plays, looking at the defenses, the play clock. Got a couple two-minute situations, too, which was good. Any and all experience is good for me.”
Plummer, who also played at Purdue and Cal, looks the part at 6-5 and 215 pounds. But he’s not all brawn.
“He’s got a brain on him,” said center Brady Christensen, who snapped to Plummer a lot during training camp. “He’s a very, very smart QB. He would jump right in and wouldn’t skip a beat.”
D.J. Wonnum’s long road back
The folks who dragged free-agent acquisition D.J. Wonnum on social media for being a malingerer might want to shoot the former Minnesota Vikings edge rusher an apology. While recovering from several setbacks after quad surgery Christmas Eve, Wonnum was reluctant to share his story until he was close to returning.
He detailed his health scares — a couple of which were potentially life-threatening — to reporters Thursday. The condensed version: After his quad surgery, Wonnum needed two additional procedures because his body rejected the dissolvable sutures in his leg, leading to a MRSA infection.
Doctors inserted a PICC line in Wonnum’s arm to administer antibiotics over six weeks. But the line caused blood clots to form in Wonnum’s arm, which required him to go on blood thinners and slow his recovery from the original surgery.
“It’s been a lot. It’s like you take 10 steps forward and 100 steps back within my journey,” the 26-year-old Wonnum said. “But I’m excited to be back.”
Wonnum isn’t all the way back, yet. He sat out Thursday after practicing for the first time Wednesday and said he’s at least a week away from playing in a game.
Wonnum said there have been times he’s felt like he’s let the team down as the defense has struggled and allowed the most points in the league. But he’s eager to help the Panthers pass rush after gaining a greater appreciation of life’s little things, like showering without having to drape plastic covers over his leg and arm.
“It was very hard,” he said. “Any path that’s put ahead of me or meant to stop me, I’m gonna overcome it. … Whatever it is, I’m gonna grind through it.”
Is Ejiro Evero concerned about his future?
Only a month or so after Ejiro Evero turned down an offer to serve as interim coach after the Broncos fired Nathaniel Hackett in 2022, the former Los Angeles Rams assistant was headed to Charlotte to join Frank Reich’s highly touted staff. After he oversaw a top-five unit last season, Evero’s defense has taken a big dip this year as the Panthers have been hit hard by injuries on that side of the ball.
The Panthers have allowed the third-most yards in the league and are threatening to give up more points than any team in NFL history. Evero, who has interviewed for head-coaching jobs the past two years, said he’s not thinking about how this season could affect his future.
“Each day’s important. Each week is important. The mindset is always to try to win the next game. So that’s where we are,” he said. “I don’t have any control over the injuries of when guys get back or all of that stuff. That’s for the performance people and Dave and Dan (Morgan) to manage. … I always go into the game thinking we have a great chance to win. It’s our job to find a way to win that game. Beyond that, all of that stuff is beyond my control.”
At the center of it all
Christensen had never played center in a game at any level until two weeks ago, when Austin Corbett’s season-ending biceps injury meant Christensen would be starting at his third position up front since being drafted in the third round in 2021.
All Christensen did was play penalty free while grading out among the best at his position two weeks ago against the Atlanta Falcons and posting the best grade among all Panthers players last week at the Washington Commanders, according to Pro Football Focus.
Christensen said he’s leaned heavily on Corbett while making the transition and watched the play of other centers as part of his film study. The former BYU All-American has come a long way since Matt Rhule and his staff thought Christensen’s arms were too short to play tackle. Maybe Rhule was right, but the talk still served to motivate Christensen.
“I remember some of those takes. My dad’s brought it up a couple times. I can’t remember who said it or what was said. I just remember hearing about it,” he said. “It always fuels my fire, too, when I hear, ‘Oh, maybe he’s not big enough.’ I always try to play with a chip on my shoulder and it adds to it.”
(Top photo of Bryce Young: Geoff Burke / Imagn Images)
