What are the biggest questions facing Canales and the Panthers?
The Carolina Panthers were looking for an offensive-minded coach to help turn quarterback Bryce Young‘s career around and believe they found the solution in Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales.
The team plans to hire Canales, 42, as their seventh head coach, league sources told ESPN on Thursday.
Details on the contract have yet to be finalized, according to a league source familiar with negotiations who assured the deal would get done.
The Panthers locked on Canales less than 24 hours after Wednesday’s in-person interview with owner David Tepper, general manager Dan Morgan and others on the search committee. They also had second interviews with Carolina defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.
Evero, who has interviewed for several head-coaching positions, is a candidate to remain with the Panthers as defensive coordinator, according to a league source familiar with the situation.
Recently fired Tennessee head coach Mike Vrabel was scheduled to interview in Charlotte on Thursday when news leaked out Canales was the choice.
Taking a closer look, Panthers reporter David Newton answers three key questions about what Canales’ hiring means for the franchise. National reporter Dan Graziano breaks down what he’s hearing about the hire, and draft analyst Jordan Reid examines their options without a first-round pick in 2024. Finally, front office analyst Mike Tannenbaum grades the hire.
Why did the Panthers go with Canales?
Newton: He worked with Morgan, the recently hired GM, for eight years (2010-2017) in Seattle when Morgan was the director of pro personnel and Canales was the wide receivers coach. So there was familiarity. But Canales’ history with developing quarterbacks was arguably the biggest reason. He helped Russell Wilson (2020) and Geno Smith (2022) to career-best seasons in Seattle when he was the pass-game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He helped Baker Mayfield, who failed with the Panthers in 2022, to a career year this past season as the offensive coordinator of the Buccaneers.
Canales also will be open to keeping Evero, who was a candidate for the job and interviewed with two other teams. Evero’s unit was top five in total defense last season and he is under contract. A team source said ideally the plan would be to keep Evero and as much of the defense as possible intact. Canales also likely will be open to keeping special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, who was the interim coach after Frank Reich was fired 11 games into last season.
How does this impact Bryce Young?
Newton: Just look at what Canales did for Wilson, Smith and Mayfield. Each passed for more than 4,000 yards to set career highs. Each had career highs in touchdown passes, 40 for Wilson, 30 for Smith and 28 for Mayfield. Each had a completion percentage of 64.3% or higher, topped by Smith at 69%. He’s got a knack for scheming an offense that plays to the quarterback’s strengths and the strength of those around him. That’s what Young needs coming off a season in which his 11 touchdowns tied for the fewest in NFL history for a quarterback with at least 500 attempts. That’s what Young needs after completing only 59.8% of his passes.
What are the biggest roster questions facing the Panthers this offseason?
Newton: Rebuilding an offensive line that allowed Young to be sacked a team-record 62 times has to be at the top of the list. Among the decisions will be whether left tackle Ikem Ekwonu will remain or move to guard. After that, locking down outside linebacker Brian Burns to a long-term deal and possibly getting one done with defensive tackle Derrick Brown. Both are the foundation of a solid defense.
But most of the effort will be on the offensive side, where Canales will need to add a No. 1 receiver with speed and possibly a top-flight tight end to take pressure off Young. The Panthers don’t have a No. 1 pick, having traded that to the Chicago Bears for the top pick to draft Young last season. But they have the first pick of the second round and are expected to have about $40 million in salary cap space. Attracting top talent to an organization that has had six straight losing seasons will be the toughest task.
What are you hearing around the league on the hire?
Graziano: Most people I’ve talked to about this job for the past couple of months believed Tepper was set on hiring a coach with an offensive background to try to maximize the return on Young. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was thought to be a top target, but there are other teams that have expressed interest in him, and therein lies the issue. People around the league wondered whether Carolina would be able to attract candidates who were in high demand because of concerns about instability and the impatience of Tepper. Remember, it hired Reich as head coach this time last year and fired him in Week 11.
Canales’ history with Morgan shows they know how to work together, which is encouraging. I think there was going to be skepticism about this hire no matter who it was — not because of the coach but because of Tepper. A couple of people I spoke to found it interesting that the Panthers would hire a coach based in part on how much he got out of Mayfield in 2023 when the Panthers couldn’t get anything out of Mayfield in 2022.
Who will Canales and the Panthers hope falls out of Round 1 and is there at No. 33 in April?
Reid: The focus of the Panthers’ offseason should now be revamping the supporting cast around Young. Receiver Adam Thielen was the only consistent pass-catcher in 2023, and the Panthers averaged a league-low 9.3 yards per catch. They really need to add multiple playmakers this offseason — especially pass-catchers who can generate yards after the catch.
Although Carolina doesn’t have a first-round pick in April, Texas’ Xavier Worthy and South Carolina’s Xavier Legette are two intriguing guys who could be there at No. 33. And Western Kentucky’s Malachi Corley and Texas A&M’s Ainias Smith could also be possibilities if Carolina opts to wait until the third or fourth round to address the wide receiver issue.
How would you grade this hire?
Tannenbaum: C+. Canales is a bright young offensive mind, but he has only one season of playcalling experience. This hire was clearly made to maximize Young’s development, and while I think Canales is going to help there, his lack of experience is a concern.
