Whoever was to be the new head coach of the Carolina Panthers had to be on board with Bryce Young as their franchise quarterback. Well, that seems to be the case, as their franchise quarterback is seemingly also on board with his new head coach.
The Panthers, as first reported by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport on Thursday, are expected to hire Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales into the vacancy. In adding a little more context to the decision, Joe Person of The Athletic noted that the organization kept Young’s people in the loop during their latest head-coaching hunt.
Person writes:
The Panthers stayed in touch with Young’s representatives throughout the search. A source close to Young and his representation said the No. 1 pick is optimistic about Canales and likes that he’s young with a strong track record with quarterbacks.
That track record includes career years for three different quarterbacks. Two of those seasons belong to Russell Wilson and Geno Smith, whom Canales worked with as the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator in Seattle.
The third campaign happened in 2023, with Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield. The former Panther passed for bests in completion percentage (64.3), yards (4,044) and touchdowns (28) while leading the Bucs to their third straight NFC South crown.
Now, it’s the current Panther—who had a rough rookie season—that Canales will get to work on.
