Bryce Young has a new center, and he and Luke Fortner are learning each other

Jul 01, 2026 at 11:56 AM

Kassidy Hill

Bryce Young and Luke Fortner are seen during Carolina Panthers voluntary workouts Phase 2 on Monday, May 18, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

CHARLOTTE — As every free agent in the NFL knows, there is a certain adjustment period that comes when signing with a new team. Adjusting to a new city, a new locker room, a new system.

Center Luke Fortner has used his offseason to do just that. To start, he and his wife have explored the Queen City.

"Charlotte's beautiful," smiled Fornter, settling into a chair for a respite during the Panthers production day in early June. "I've really enjoyed — I'm adventuring and finding new things out about the city, so it's been really cool.

"I've been all over a little bit, so staying in South End. Been to NODA, Plaza Midwood, and Optimist Hall. I've tried Noble Smoke, and it was great, but I haven't tried anything else, so I don't want to make ultimatums," he added diplomatically.

Luke Fortner is seen during Carolina Panthers Mandatory Mini Camp on Wednesday, Jun. 10, 2026 at the Atrium Health Training Facility in Charlotte, NC.

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He's adjusted to life in a new locker room, meeting people for the first time or ones that he's only faced across the line of scrimmage in his four-year career thus far.

"I think you just be yourself," Fortner said of the relationships. "Every quarterback and probably every offensive lineman understands what it's like to come into a new room, a new building, and they understand that everyone's also living the same life, moving around and playing for different teams, etc.

"So I think just being yourself and wearing your heart on your sleeve a little bit and showing who you are from day one is helpful.

And he's adjusted to life with a new offensive line, albeit one that's easy to fold oneself into, especially as an interior guy, thanks to being surrounded by two brick walls otherwise known as Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis.

Damien Lewis, Luke Fortner and Robert Hunt are seen during Carolina Panthers Mandatory Mini Camp on Wednesday, Jun. 10, 2026 at the Atrium Health Training Facility in Charlotte, NC.

"It's exciting," gushed the center of playing between the duo. "You have a lot of confidence going into the game. You know that both guys on either side have your back, and they're going to — I'm trying to think of the best way to say this — they're going to do things that a lot of guards can't do in the NFL: just their athletic ability and their size.

"They're able to multitask, they're going to be able to help you out, help the tackles out, take space, protect Bryce, and they're just naturally gifted at it. On top of that, they're both extremely hard workers and smart guys, so it's exciting."

But the biggest adjustment has come with quarterback Bryce Young. It's not due to any player-specific reason, but to the simple nature of the chemistry needed between a quarterback and his center. It can't be manufactured but must be facilitated quickly.

Chuba Hubbard, Bryce Young and Luke Fortner are seen during Carolina Panthers Voluntary Workouts Phase 2 at Thursday, May. 21, 2026 at the Atrium Health Training Facility in Charlotte, NC.

"There are lots of things that come in, and you say, 'Hey, I do things this way, and I've heard it done this way, but I prefer this.' And you definitely talk through a lot of stuff," explained the center. "But there are so many things that, you get on the field and something happens, and then you're like, oh wait a minute, I didn't realize you're going to do it like that.

"So there's a lot of time on task, but there's also things you come in and you know may be different. somewhere along that spectrum."

Every quarterback speaks their own language, in a way, with a cadence unique to their pace of speaking, the timbre of their own voice, preference to timing, and more. It is where the chemistry between the passer and his snapper shows up more than anywhere else, or sometimes, where the lack of chemistry shows itself in the worst possible times.

As the Panthers work through this offseason, having Fortner learn Young's cadence until it sounds second nature is the biggest point of emphasis.

Taylor Moton, Robert Hunt, Luke Fortner and Bryce Young are seen during Carolina Panthers Voluntary Workouts Phase 2 at Thursday, May. 14, 2026 at the Atrium Health Training Facility in Charlotte, NC.

"It's the cadence first, getting used to the rhythm of how Bryce calls his cadences, when he checks protections, when he alerts, different things like that," explained head coach Dave Canales.

"As you can imagine, the center doesn't know what's going on behind him most of the time. So, just getting that chemistry going.

"And then understanding, for the center position, if you just give a good, clean declaration early on, the quarterback can fix it if he needs to. It allows us to play fast. And Luke's got a ton of experience, and so he's able to hop in there, get everybody lined up where they need to, get a good starting point, and then he and Bryce are talking through things in between."

There is, of course, another adjustment to make for Fortner. His first three years were spent with Trevor Lawrence, who is 6-6. Last season, he was snapping to Tyler Shough, who clocks in at 6-5. That is a seven-to-eight-inch difference from Young, and while there are plenty of ways Young can, and does, work that to his advantage, it can take a bit of adjustment for the man snapping him the ball.

The responsibility, though, promised Fortner, rests solely on his shoulders.

"There's really not much," he assured. "The only thing is Trevor might be able to catch a snap that's a little higher than Bryce, but put it where it's supposed to be, you don't have to. I mean, there's no world in which it's not my fault on that one."

Luke Fortner and Damien Lewis are seen during Carolina Panthers Voluntary Workouts Phase 2 at Tuesday, May. 19, 2026 at the Atrium Health Training Facility in Charlotte, NC.

But that's what this time of year is here for, continued Fortner. Every quarterback requires an adjustment from a center, and the offensive lineman is ready to tackle the challenge.

"It feels a lot better because you get to experience this time of year and these OTAs in the spring with Bryce," said Fortner. "So, I'm really excited about the way it's feeling."

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Chris Brazzell II is seen during Carolina Panthers Mandatory Mini Camp on Wednesday, Jun. 10, 2026 at the Atrium Health Training Facility in Charlotte, NC.