Coming off a brilliant end to the 2025 season, Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young enters the most important year of his career. With a huge contract extension looming, it's now or never for a breakout season to unfold.

Breakouts are an annual occurrence in the NFL; each year, players who aren't household names become stars, or players finally reach their potential and prove they were highly touted for a reason. For Young, inconsistency has plagued him from being a consensus top QB in the league.

Flashes of greatness and fourth-quarter magic are good starts, but the clear turnover issues and lack of size hold NFL fans back from trusting him fully. That goes for the national media as well. Young certainly hasn't won everyone over; however, there are some believers, or at least one.

Bryce Young Receives 1 Vote to Have a Breakout Season

CBS Sports' Zachery Pereles dropped his preseason all-breakout team. The breakouts were voted on by a pool of media members, and each position group had winners, with other players also receiving votes.

When it came to quarterbacks, Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams was the leading breakout candidate, totaling four votes. A rightful choice, the idea is that Williams propels from a Pro Bowl-level player to a league MVP candidate.

Other QBs received votes, including Bryce Young, who was one of four QBs who received one vote. It's not completely unfair for only one insider to think Young can break out. While year 3 was an improvement, major questions remain about whether he can consistently perform at a high level.

The scenario for a breakout season is certainly feasible, but there are things that have to go right.

Pieces Around Bryce Young Have to Be Reliable

The offensive line has new pieces at multiple pivotal spots, adding a new center in Luke Fortner, and will feature two new starters at the tackle spots. Free-agent acquisition Rasheed Walker will start at left tackle, and 2026 first-round tackle Monroe Freeling will start at right tackle.

The continuity of this revamped line will be pivotal to Young improving on his 2025 campaign, in which he posted 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. That ratio ranked 14th in the NFL, which is in the top half of the league, but it still doesn't mean much, since his 3,011 passing yards ranked 21st in the NFL.

If the line looks anything like it did against the Houston Texans at joint practices, then Young's in for a punishing season.

Under pressure, Young has usually struggled, as was evident against arguably the league's best pass rush this week. At joint practice, Young threw for 9-of-17, with two interceptions, and was unofficially sacked seven times.

A good offense starts up front. If Young is well protected, then there aren't any excuses for not having a breakout year.