Panthers coach Dave Canales on the wrong end of NFL play-caller chart

Why the low grade? It’s understandable considering the circumstances of the Panthers’ 2024 season. Bryce Young started the first two games, struggled mightily, and was benched. Enter veteran Andy Dalton, who started the next five contests and threw nearly as many interceptions (6) as touchdown passes (7). He would be sidelined by a thumb injury and Young returned as the starter for what proved to be the final 10 games.

Also, keep in mind that this is analysis based on the entire 2024 season. Carolina gained the fourth-fewest total yards per game, and only the New England Patriots and Chicago Bears finished with fewer passing yards.

When it was all said and done, the Panthers’ offense reached the end zone 40 times in 17 outings. After scoring 12 offensive touchdowns in their first seven games, this same unit totaled 28 touchdowns in the club’s final 10 contests. Canales’s offense scored at least two touchdowns in each of their last 10 games. That’s something the Panthers did just three times during the first seven weeks of 2024.

Canales was offensive coordinator with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023. His one-year stint with Carolina’s NFC South rival was one reason he wound up as the Panthers’ current sideline leader. Quarterback Baker Mayfield blossomed under his guidance, along with help from wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. It will be very interesting to see where Canales winds up on this chart if Young picks up where he left off this past season, and newcomers like wide receivers Tetairoa McMillan and Hunter Renfrow and running back Rico Dowdle make great first impressions.