"They're fun to watch": On John Metchie, Bryce Young and the impact of chemistry

Jul 10, 2026 at 10:00 AM

Kassidy Hill

Bryce Young and John Metchie III are seen during Carolina Panthers Mandatory Mini Camp on Wednesday, Jun. 10, 2026 at the Atrium Health Training Facility in Charlotte, NC.

CHARLOTTE — There is a sticker of Bryce Young, first made for when he was drafted in 2023, that floats around Bank of America Stadium. It graces laptops and notebooks, door jams and whiteboards. Nick Scott has it plastered above his locker, tickled at the cartoon version of his quarterback.

The first time John Metchie III noticed it in the wild (outside the players' cafeteria), Young was standing beside him.

"Bryce doesn't really like that sticker," he was told. "Can you guess why?"

The receiver stared for a second, maybe two, before answering confidently, "the beard. It's too long."

That is actually exactly right. It is why the QB has always (jokingly) taken issue with the ever-present sticker. And with no context, his former college and current NFL teammate was able to pinpoint the issue. How did he narrow in on it that quickly?

"I know my boy," he quipped, sticking his right hand out towards Young without even looking over, knowing the QB would respond with one of their signature handshakes, which he did.

Bryce Young and John Metchie III are seen during Carolina Panthers Voluntary Workouts Phase 2 at Thursday, May. 14, 2026 at the Atrium Health Training Facility in Charlotte, NC.

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The two were famously teammates at Alabama, Metchie having a career year at the college level the same season Young won the Heisman; those two things were not mutually exclusive. When it was announced the Panthers were signing Metchie as a free agent this offseason, he and Young quickly got back to work.

"We were really fortunate, we were both in the same area in the offseason when he ended up getting signed in the first place," Young shared during mandatory minicamp. "So because of that, we kind of got to get a little head start for the offseason of like, all right, here's this, here's the verbiage, here's the little things, and now it's filling out how the coaches want it, filling out how it goes with the room."

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (9) and wide receiver John Metchie III (8) bow to one another as a celebration of a touchdown during the first half of the team's NCAA college football game against Tennessee, Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)

The verbiage and logistics were really all the two needed to go over, thanks to a chemistry that shows up in everything from pinpointing cartoon sticker discrepancies, to handshakes, to throws that unfold on the field in such a way it's clear only those two knew what was happening.

"They're fun to watch," nodded fellow receiver David Moore of the connection, before explaining how Metchie never has to adjust his speed on routes, knowing exactly where Young is going. And vice versa.

"Once the receiver and the QB get that connection, that connection can't be broken," continued Moore. "It doesn't matter if you play with him for three years, two years, and then don't see him again for however long; that's his case. Once you get the timing of that QB, he doesn't slack off, and you don't slack off, and y'all keep doing it, then y'all will get back together, and it'll be like clockwork."

Bryce Young and John Metchie III are seen during Carolina Panthers OTA Day Number 5 on Tuesday, Jun. 2, 2026 at the Atrium Health Training Facility in Charlotte, NC.

Tetairoa McMillan didn't watch a lot of Alabama football when the two were tearing up SEC defenses, and Metchie's NFL career to this point has been marred by injury, illness, and offensive changes. Over the last three months, though, the reigning rookie of the year has seen the chemistry up close.

"Seeing the way he runs routes, that's really the guy that I'm impressed with right now," bragged McMillan. "Just the way that he moves, the way that he understands. How confident he is in his ability. And obviously, how confident he is in Bryce."

That confidence, born of time on task and tests on the biggest stages, means the timing between quarterback and receiver is almost impeccable. Granted, offseason work is largely throws on air with limited defense. But there's something to be said for an instinctual connection.

Bryce Young and John Metchie III are seen during Carolina Panthers Voluntary Workouts Phase 2 at Tuesday, May. 12, 2026 at the Atrium Health Training Facility in Charlotte, NC.

"It's almost like a spiritual experience," muses Metchie of the bond. "We know how to adjust for each other. If it's something where I might be struggling, he knows how to adjust to put it where only I can get it. If he's struggling and the pocket is collapsing, I know how to move to make it easier for him."

With the chemistry already in place and the offseason work put in to address the new details, it didn't take long for the former second-round receiver to figure out what playing with Bryce Young in the Panthers' offense would look like.

"(He's) doing a great job with the little details, and a lot of the time that's the stuff," explained Young. "A good smart player will come in, and he'll run the right route, but is it the right landmark, right timing, or the splits the right way? And he's been doing a great job of studying to make sure that's possible, taking it out to the field. He worked super hard."

However, for as fun as it is to watch these two reestablish their ability to read each other on the field, it is important to remember, as offensive coordinator Brad Idzik is quick to point out, they are not codependent. The Panthers signed John Metchie for multiple reasons, and Bryce Young was far from the only one.

"Bryce aside, Metchie has a lot of feel for the game, so he does a really good job of taking what you're trying to teach in the room, communicating with the quarterback. 'Hey, what do you want? How do you feel about this concept coming to life and then applying it?" said Idzik.

Steve Smith Sr. and John Metchie III are seen during Carolina Panthers Mandatory Mini Camp on Wednesday, Jun. 10, 2026 at the Atrium Health Training Facility in Charlotte, NC.

"Yeah, there's a lot of familiarity there, you see with Bryce, and you see them working after practice on some of the small missed timings of routes or whatever it is, but in general, I credit John for who he is as a player. You see that away from Bryce, too. You see him talking to Kenny. You see him talking to me, asking questions, trying to poke and prod to get to the details of how to do things, and then applying it.

"So I would never reduce his feel for the game to just, 'Oh, it's just him and Bryce playing together again.' It's really like, he's a good football player. He has a lot of good feel."

John Metchie III is seen during Carolina Panthers OTA Day Number 4 on Monday, Jun. 1, 2026 at the Atrium Health Training Facility in Charlotte, NC.

The aforementioned illness hampered Metchie's impact early in his career, sidelining him for his entire rookie season and bleeding into the next. Coaches don't have the luxury of affording an adjusted timeline, though. Idzik is adamant, though, that in this situation they wouldn't even need to.

"Unfortunately, we don't really get to do that, so we just have to evaluate in a vacuum. I love the guy. I told him the first day he got here, like, I've loved you since you came out," shared the coach.

"I think I was a receivers coach in Tampa when he was coming out, and he was a bulldog in the slot, did a lot and he showed that feel for a player that — everybody needs a couple of those guys out there as skill guys that can find the soft spots in the zone, set up routes and understanding how everything's pieced together.

"But when it comes down to it, for the room as a whole, we evaluate everyone in a vacuum and who's going to be the best for the Panthers and building that whole room out for Bryce and the offense."

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) hugs Houston Texans wide receiver John Metchie III (8) following an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Brian Westerholt)

A couple of quick succession trades wrote the narrative of his 2025 season, and as quickly as the former national champion could learn one offense, another was on the way.

"Last season I learned a whole new offense Week 1, then I learned a whole new offense week 6 or whatever it was, when I went from the Eagles to the Jets, so I learned two offenses while still having to play fast and stuff like that," recapped Metchie.

It's why he's so excited to just exist in this Panthers' offense right now.

"By the time training camp comes around, I can have put the learning of the offense to bed and just be able play it like last season. And every single day, like learning something new about the playbook."

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) talks to wide receiver John Metchie III (13) during the team's NFL football practice in Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

With each new lesson, though, the receiver — talented in his own right — can pair it with something tried, true, and tested: a connection with his quarterback that has proven to last.

"I wasn't surprised because I knew it," smiled Metchie, "but just getting back and playing together, it's definitely the same frequency, and it's definitely special. It really has been fun."

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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.