Dave Canales on the 'right path' with Panthers turnaround

Dave Canales didn't walk into the best situation in Carolina.

The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator had to carve out his own path in the aftermath of Frank Reich's firing. The Panthers are starting to show improvements but still have growing pains. The benching of quarterback Bryce Young after two games last season felt worse than it really was. While many blamed Canales thinking he was making a bad decision, Young's progression has benefited from Andy Dalton taking over for a short time.

Carolina tried to fix the offense in the midst of a historically bad defensive effort. But don't expect that to happen again under Canales' watch. He went on the record with Joe Person from The Athletic about last season and looked ahead to the 2025 NFL Draft and beyond. Being able to ride the emotional rollercoaster but finding silver linings along the way has been part of Canales' approach 

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"When things were looking pretty bleak, to be able to keep consistent messaging and not emotionally respond to losses or wins," Canales said. "But just bring it back on Monday (like), ‘All right, here’s the truth. Here’s critical variables. Here’s where we did good. Here’s where we need to improve. We've got a plan for this. Are these things that sound like we can fix?’" 

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No sense of overreaction when the losses stacked up or shouting from the mountain tops after a victory. The confidence from Canales has shined through. He's trying to develop a winning culture which is hard to do in the face of adversity. Reich never brought that aspect to the table and it was lacking for the Panthers as a whole.

Carolina is weeks away from the draft and can add depth at some needed positions. There will be work putting it all together but Canales and his staff are in a prime position to turn the Panthers into a contender. Big risk with a big reward comes with time. There is no rush to make it all happen because it's coming together the right way.