The Carolina Panthers were looking for a new coach who could coach their young offense, and they found that in former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator, Dave Canales. It’s no question that he helped develop Baker Mayfield in his first year and now he gets a fresh start. New Carolina Head Coach, Canales also brings some interesting credentials even before joining Tampa Bay. He is responsible for developing the wide receiver corps with the Seattle Seahawks.
He helped guys like Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf become 1,000-yard receivers and Pro Bowls. Beyond that, Canales brings pride to his ancestry as the fifth NFL head coach of Latino descent. Not only a surprising move for Carolina to hire him but also history-making. However, he’s still young and brings a mindset for Carolina Quarterback, Bryce Young.
Canales is their seventh coach in team history and now could bring a promising impact to Young and the rest of the quarterbacks. The Panthers haven’t had any luck in the past with their former head coaches. An example of that is Matt Rhule and Frank Reich, who was fired less than a full season. The 1-10 start and many forgettable seasons could finally be put to rest with Canales in charge.
Panthers expected to hire Bucs OC Dave Canales as new head coach. (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/ADnQsGckPC
— NFL (@NFL) January 25, 2024
Carolina Panthers Hire Dave Canales as Their Next Head Coach
How He Could Make an Impact
Any fresh start would be good for Carolina, after trying to rebuild a team around a coach that has been with them for less than a year. The fact that there were other head coaching candidates on the market still available and they got Canales, says another thing. They could have that trust for him to transform the offense. What could have triggered the Panthers from letting Reich is the lack of development from Bryce Young.
Young struggled all year, only completing 62.1% of his passes, and has thrown nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. It’s the unexpected meltdown when Carolina had huge expectations for Reich to fix their team. His 11-game run with the Panthers is the shortest tenure for an NFL head coach in the last 45 years. The Panthers can only hope that wouldn’t be the case for Canales coming in.
However, Carolina fans and staff could probably breathe a little bit, for now. The bar is set low for Canales, but the only bad thing is that history is not on his side. There is still some good news that he can make an impact, having an up-and-coming offensive mindset. He did revitalize Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield’s careers in back-to-back seasons.
Could His Play-Calling Affect His Coaching Performance?
This is a question that can be answered after the 2024 season, but the chances are in his favor. In just year one of his play-calling experience, it was noteworthy. Canales filled up the stat sheet with an excellent passing attack, which elevated the Buccaneers toward a playoff run. It paid off during their blowout win against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL Wild Card round.
Canales has quickly proven his ranking in the league because of his work with Baker Mayfield. Mayfield was a struggling quarterback when he was with the Cleveland Browns and now that’s changed. In his lone season as Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator, the Buccaneers’ offense ranked 17th in passing yards and 13th in passing yards per play.
Only one can wonder what Canales can do in his new coaching job with the Panthers, but the future is bright.
