Buccaneers star reacts to Dave Canales becoming Panthers HC

Tampa Bay Buccaneers veteran center Ryan Jensen spent the 2023 season on injured reserve but nevertheless got to know quite a bit about offensive coordinator Dave Canales, who reportedly will soon be announced as the new head coach of the Carolina Panthers.

"Throughout the year, I was helping coach; I use 'coach' as a loose term because that life’s not for me, but I love Dave," Jensen said about Canales during an appearance on the latest edition of the "Short and to the Point" podcast, as shared by Sam Neumann of The Comeback. "Dave is a great man." 

Jensen missed the 2022 regular season while recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament and posterior cruciate ligament along with a tibial head fracture and a cartilage fracture. He somehow managed to play in the wild-card playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys in January 2023 but never featured for Canales, who was hired by Tampa Bay last winter. 

"The first time I met Dave, I was a little unsure of him," Jensen acknowledged during the podcast. "You know, this was his first time being an offensive coordinator; he was just such a, like, happy-go-lucky guy. And I’m like, 'OK, let’s see how this is gonna work out.' But, when it comes down to the root thing, he’s such a man of relation, like he wants to have relationships with all of his players and lead them through the tough times." 

A plethora of analysts and reporters have credited Canales for Baker Mayfield finding new life for his career after a total of three teams parted ways with the quarterback from the summer of 2022 through March 2023. While speaking with "Short and to the Point" host Jessica Kleinschmidt, Jensen noted how Canales helped prevent the 2023 Buccaneers from falling apart when they went from 3-1 to 4-7. 

"Dave was the same person every day," Jensen said about Canales. "He came to work. He got the guys ready to play, and he stayed the course. And I think that’s something you look for in a head coach. I think he’s gonna be very successful at it." 

It remains to be seen if Canales is the right man to fix Panthers quarterback Bryce Young after Young endured a rocky rookie campaign. If nothing else, it sounds like Canales will have plenty of patience working with the 22-year-old who could use a bit of a reset this offseason.