Panthers OT Cam Erving on Bryce Young Pass Protection: 'the S--t Wasn't Good Enough'

Bryce Young was greeted with some physical play during his preseason debut for the Carolina Panthers and the offensive line takes full responsibility.

Young was hit hard on two of his first three throws and ended his day with a sack on his 10th play. Veteran tackle Cam Erving said this was all on the offensive line, and singled out himself for not playing well enough.

"We had to keep it real with each other,'' Erving said, per David Newton of ESPN.com. "The s--- wasn't good enough. Top to bottom, no matter if it's preseason, regular season, the s--- was not good enough. Any level, from any position, myself included, especially my f---ing self. All we can do is try to regroup and fix it.''

Young went 4/6 for 21 passing yards in the contest, which the Panthers lost 27-0 at the hands of the New York Jets.

Erving elaborated by complementing Young's toughness, stating that the issues came strictly from lapses from the offensive line.

"We found out he can take a hit,'' Erving said, per Newton "I mean, that wasn't really a surprise coming from where he played college ball [Alabama]. But that kid has been doing everything the right way, and we have to make sure we do a better job of protecting him.''

Young, the No. 1 pick from the 2023 NFL Draft, is tasked with being the Franchise quarterback for a Panthers team that has been struggling with a consistent presence at the position since Cam Newton left in 2019.

The front office has continued to express their happiness with how Young has progressed to this point, and his teammates have made lofty comparisons for the rookie as a result of what he has shown them during training camp.

Still, significant contact in the preseason is certainly not idea for any young quarterback, and Young's slight stature doesn't help either. He is currently listed as the team's first-string quarterback on the official depth chart, so keeping him sharp and healthy for the regular season will be the priority.