Who is this guy? Dave Canales’ rise to Panthers head coach

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Dave Canales, who revived the careers of quarterbacks Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield in Seattle and Tampa Bay, will try to do the same with Bryce Young as Panthers head coach.

A year ago, Dave Canales stepped around the shield of his long-time mentor, Pete Carroll, eager to see what he could carry the fight on his own.

Few NFL insiders paid much attention when news broke last February of Canales accepting the offensive coordinator job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Future Hall of Famer Tom Brady was no longer listed on the roster, so who cared, right? Few offensive-minded coaches were interested in taking over a unit featuring Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask as the top two quarterback options. The Bucs, who were two years removed from a Super Bowl LV celebration, entered 2023 without much national fanfare.

Canales proved again to be a QB whisperer, aiding Mayfield to rediscover the confidence he had as the 2018 No. 1 overall draft pick. With Mayfield emerging, the Bucs rebounded from a 4-7 start to capture an NFC South title and win a Wild Card playoff matchup against the reigning conference champion Philadelphia Eagles, 32-9.

The Panthers’ brass, including owner David Tepper and newly hired president of football operations/general manager Dan Morgan, was impressed with the 42-year-old first-year coordinator. So much so, they hired Canales on Thursday as their new coach. Tepper’s marching orders are clear: perform more magic with QB Bryce Young.

Canales called ‘innovative’

Canales traveled an unlikely path to an NFL head coach. Known throughout the leauge as a high-IQ, energy guy, Canales has a history of taking problems and turning them into opportunities.

"Dave’s background is rooted in success," Panthers owner David Tepper said in a team statement. “He has an innovative mindset and positive energy that connects well with players and staff. We are impressed with his ability to bring out the best in players.”

Take the past two seasons as examples for why Tepper and Morgan, a long-time associate with the Seattle Seahawks, pursued Canales, who didn’t appear to be a top candidate with any of the other seven coach-less clubs this offseason.

With his fourth team in six seasons, Mayfield regained lost confidence with Canales calling the plays. Mayfield, a 2018first overall draft pick, completed a career-high 64.3% of his passes for 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions.

In 2022, Canales helped turn journeyman Geno Smith into an All-Pro with the Seahawks, completing a league-best 69.8% of his passes. The NFL Comeback Player of the Year also posted 4,282 yards and 30 TDs, both career highs.

In comparison, Young, who struggled through many of the 16 games he started, ranked 34th with a 73.7 passer rating for the Panthers (2-15), who were shut out in their final two regular-season outings – breaking a 21-year streak.

Canales will call the offensive plays next season, according to a team statement.

Of the major adjustments Canales made with Mayfield was providing freedom for him to move around the pocket and throw downfield. The Bucs ranked seventh in plays of at least 20 yards.
With fired coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Thomas Brown splitting time as play-callers last season, Young, who was sacked 62 times, the second-most in the NFL, rarely threw downfield. He ranked 53rd in average yards per pass attempt (5.5).

Morgan is confident Canales can help Young create more big plays for the Panthers, who produced just 20 offensive TDs (seven rushing and 13 receiving) in 2023. After working together for eight seasons in Seattle (2010-18), Morgan wanted to utilize Canales’ intensity and dogged determination to create a new locker-room culture.

Canales becomes the lone Hispanic coach in the NFL and fifth in league history, following Tom Fears, Brian Flores, Tom Flores and Ron Rivera, the Panthers’ former skipper.

“I’m excited to work alongside Dave again,” Morgan said. “His background coaching multiple position groups has given him a great understanding of what it takes to build a successful team. His infectious personality resonates with players and everyone who comes in contact with him. I'm confident that will translate to the field.”

Canales’ career focus aided his meteoric rise through the NFL coaching ranks. A former wide receiver and two-time captain of Azusa Pacific, an NAIA program, he sold cowboy boots at a start-up while cutting his coaching teeth at Carson (Calif.) High where he was head coach of the freshman/sophomore squad.

For three seasons (2006-08), Canales toiled on the staff at El Camino (Calif.) College, beginning as a special teams/tight ends coach. He added quarterbacks coach to his resume the next season.

It was during this time Canales started working at Southern California football summer camps with Carroll, who hired him to coach receivers. When Carroll took over the Seahawks, Canales was in tow, starting as receivers coach before being promoted to quarterbacks coach and finally passing game coordinator. He added fuel to the Seahawks’ Super Bowl run in 2013.

“He had a lot of the Pete Carroll-type intensity and positivity the way that he worked things in Tampa Bay, he came from Seattle, that mentality that he had he was consistent,” NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo said on social media. “It’s not fake. That's why we talked about Dave Canales as a potential head coach down the line after an impressive year as the coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and for Baker Mayfield.

“For it to happen this quickly — quite the surprise given that 12 months ago very few had ever heard of Dave Canales."

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