‘Let’s find the solutions together’: How Panthers ended on a high note​on January 14, 2025 at 1:27 pm

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Coach Dave Canales was noticeably excited about the fun he had calling plays for second-year quarterback Bryce Young in the Carolina Panthers‘ season finale against the Atlanta Falcons.

It spoke volumes about the season.

“Being able to call whatever I wanted, knowing he was going to find a positive outcome, he was going to find a throwaway, a big play, a scramble for a touchdown,” Canales said after the 44-38 overtime victory in which Young had a career-high five touchdowns. “And how freeing that is just to be able to call whatever fits that area, not having to second-guess the calls.

“He gave us the ability to do that today.”

The growth of Young — who was benched following an 0-2 start and returned as the starter in Week 8 — gets most of the headlines.

But of equal importance was the growth of Canales, a first-year NFL coach learning the job on the fly.

Canales adjusted his playcalling to fit what Young needed to succeed, which helped create hope for the future of a 5-12 team coming off a seventh straight losing season.

It went a long way in making owner David Tepper comfortable enough to enter the offseason with the same coach, general manager in Dan Morgan and quarterback for the first time since 2019.

“Hopefully, that allows Bryce to [say], ‘Look, we’re not looking for perfection. We’re looking for just growth and let’s go for it together. Let’s find the solutions together,”’ Canales said. “I have loved that we have kind of taken those steps together.”

Players couldn’t miss Canales’ over-the-top optimism when he greeted them at the door on the first day of 2024 offseason workouts and how that didn’t change during a 1-7 start.

They also couldn’t miss his growth and how that meshed with the development of Young from a potential bust as the No. 1 draft pick in 2023 to what Canales now calls “our guy.”

“That was the reason coach Canales was hired, because he has a unique ability to meet guys where they’re at, really give them an opportunity to show him who they are, and then take what they’ve shown him and really just emphasize what they do well,” wide receiver Adam Thielen said.

“I don’t think I’ve ever really been around a coach that has really just been able to evaluate first and then emphasize what guys are doing. It just shows a sign of a true leader and a guy who knows what he’s doing.”

Young went from 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions in his first 11 games to 10 touchdowns and no interceptions in his last three, which gave him the best TD-INT ratio in the league during that span, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

Knowing that Young and the offense appear headed in the right direction will allow Canales to focus his offseason on a defense that gave up an NFL single-season record 534 points and ranked last or near the bottom of the league in most statistical categories.

Canales is confident enough in defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, understanding how much injuries impacted this season, that he didn’t hesitate to say Evero is returning. There have been changes on the defensive staff, though, as secondary coach Bert Watts and outside linebacker coach Tem Lukabu were fired.

But even on defense there is optimism.

“Canales really has something good going,” said 30-year-old inside linebacker Shaq Thompson, who hopes to re-sign and retire with Carolina.

Getting back Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 1, and re-signing Thompson, who suffered a season-ending right Achilles injury in Week 2, will help.

Morgan can use much of the Panthers’ projected $33 million in cap space and nine draft picks — Round 1 (No. 8 overall), Round 2, Round 3, Round 4 (2), Round 5 (3) , Round 7 — to shore up the defense.

But beginning the offseason without a coaching search for the first time in three years and having a quarterback to build around has created the most optimism.

“That’s building a culture, right?” Thompson said. “You can’t build if everything keeps changing.”

Long-snapper JJ Jansen, who has been with Carolina since 2009 and hopes to re-sign as a free agent, said the team hasn’t been this stable since 2020.

“The biggest element of stability was who coach Canales was every day,” he said. “It exudes calm throughout the building.”

Canales’ decision to bench Young played a big part in that. He did what he considered best for the team. It also turned out best for Young, who didn’t get the job back until Andy Dalton injured his thumb in an Oct. 22 car accident.

Young understands it now, insisting his relationship with Canales is good, something he hadn’t addressed in detail since his benching.

“I trust him,” he said. “I’m super grateful for [the relationship] … what he means to the team, what he means to the room. Being able to pick his brain has been great and super influential for me, just being able to learn.

“I have a lot of respect for him personally, and just the consistency that he brings, being able to be himself no matter what.”

Canales didn’t want to relive what went into his decision to bench Young in Week 3, the day after he gave him a vote of confidence. But when it comes to how the two grew from that moment, he was just as excited as he was when talking about the playcalling in Week 18.

“I love that story,” he said. “It is a cool story, and it is kind of the nature of what we’re doing. I’m excited for the progress and for where we are headed next.”