{"id":273606,"date":"2026-04-10T09:00:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T13:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=273606"},"modified":"2026-04-10T07:12:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T11:12:54","slug":"panthers-offense-unlock-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/04\/10\/panthers-offense-unlock-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"How Dave Canales and Brad Idzik Can Unlock the Carolina Panthers Offense in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the 2026 NFL season, the Carolina Panthers are making a quiet but important shift. Unlocking the Panthers’ offense in 2026 will be one of the Carolina Panthers\u2019 biggest priorities this season, as Head Coach Dave Canales<\/a> is handing over play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Brad Idzik<\/a>. Allowing himself to focus on the bigger picture, game management, leadership, and culture. Meanwhile, Idzik takes full control of the offense he helped build.<\/p>\n

This move is about alignment more than anything else. The Panthers believe Idzik can elevate the system. But more importantly, they believe he can elevate Bryce Young<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where this entire conversation begins.<\/p>\n

Unlocking the Panthers Offense by Building Around Bryce Young<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re being honest about the Panthers offense, everything comes back to Bryce Young and how to make the game easier for him. The talent is there. The anticipation is there, something he\u2019s been known for since his time at Alabama<\/a>, but the structure around him hasn\u2019t always helped.<\/p>\n

The numbers back that up.<\/p>\n

Young has never averaged more than 6.3 yards per attempt in a season<\/a>, and his struggles attacking the middle of the field have shown up consistently. Some of that ties to size. Passing lanes get tighter, especially over the middle, which forces a quarterback to win with timing and anticipation rather than just vision.<\/p>\n

Even in 2025, the advanced metrics told the story. His EPA dipped as low as -0.54 in early matchups and hovered around -0.13 at other points, ranking near the bottom of the league, at one point as low as 34th. That\u2019s not just on the quarterback. That\u2019s a reflection of structure, spacing, and play design.<\/p>\n

This is where Idzik has to step in.<\/p>\n

The goal isn\u2019t to change Bryce Young. It\u2019s to build something that allows him to play fast, decisive, and confident. Especially in the areas he\u2019s struggled most.<\/p>\n

Unlocking the Panthers Offense by Fixing the Middle of the Field Without a Tight End<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One of the biggest issues in this offense is the lack of a reliable presence at tight end. Without that consistent threat, defenses don\u2019t have to respect the middle. They can widen out, sit on outside routes, and make everything harder than it needs to be.<\/p>\n

But this doesn\u2019t have to be a dead end.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve seen offenses solve this before. During the era of Drew Brees<\/a>, the Saints didn\u2019t just use Jimmy Graham<\/a> as a traditional tight end. They moved him around, turned him into a matchup problem, and built concepts around his strengths.<\/p>\n

Carolina may not have that player right now, but they can still manufacture those same advantages through design.<\/p>\n

The key is spacing, leverage, and forcing defenses to declare early. If you can create clarity before the snap, you give Bryce Young a chance to trust what he\u2019s seeing and deliver the ball on time.<\/p>\n

There are a few core ways this offense can consistently attack the middle:<\/p>\n