Overview
- Young, speaking Tuesday as offseason work began, said he has “all the confidence in the world” in Idzik but noted you never fully know how a new voice will call a live game.
- Carolina designated Idzik as the in-game play-caller for 2026, and outside of preseason he has not called NFL plays, with plans to test concepts in OTAs to fit players’ strengths.
- Young said the offense is pushing for “mastery” of the playbook to speed huddles and cut delay-of-game penalties and wasted timeouts.
- The move gives Young his fourth play-caller in four NFL seasons after stints under Frank Reich, Thomas Brown, and Dave Canales.
- Young is coming off career highs in completion rate, yards, and touchdowns during a season that ended with an NFC South title, setting a baseline as he enters his fifth year with future extension talk still only reported as a possibility.