The development of Bryce Young was a pretty big reason why the Carolina Panthers hitched their wagon to Dave Canales this offseason. So, what does he think about his new head coach?
The second-year quarterback spoke with reporters following the team’s first session of voluntary minicamp on Tuesday. He was asked about his early impressions of Canales.
“Yeah, just that energy—just from the first phone call all the way to now,” Young replied. “He just has that energy, that excitement. He just brings juice every day. That rubs off—not just on offense, on the whole team and really, on the whole building. Everyone just being in here, there’s a different juice, different vibe. And we all kinda have that excitement to be here, to wanna be better, wanna accomplish our goals. It’s super exciting.”
Those words probably mean a lot to Canales, who is entering his first season as an NFL head coach. The 42-year-old said during Carolina’s pre-draft press conference last week that he’s looking to create an environment that’s “great to work at.”
Young may not have gotten the same impression of last year’s coaching staff. He also talked about the importance of now having one, unified vision—something the 2023 No. 1 overall pick didn’t necessarily experience throughout his rocky rookie campaign.
“That’s huge—just to have one consistent voice and for us as an offense,” he stated. “Obviously, this is new for everyone. Us being on the same page, us being able to ask anyone a question and everyone have an answer and there be the same vision—that’s gonna be huge for our development as an offense.”