When the Carolina Panthers hired Dave Canales to be their head coach last season, the phrase that Panthers fans began to hear immediately was ‘quarterback whisperer’ and Canales’ resume spoke for itself. He was instrumental in the turnaround of the Seahawks Geno Smith, who spent 6 years as a backup after busting as a 2nd round pick for the Jets. With Canales as his QB coach, Smith stunned the league by making the Pro Bowl in 2022, winning comeback player of the year and earning MVP votes.
As the Buccaneers offensive coordinator in 2023, Canales performed an even greater miracle. He salvaged the career of former top overall pick Baker Mayfield, who had been dumped by the Browns, Panthers and Rams. Mayfield also made the pro bowl, finishing 3rd for comeback player of the year. The Panthers believed Canales was the perfect man to help take their number one pick Bryce Young, who struggled as a rookie, to the next level.
That hope faded quickly, as Young and the Panthers lost the first 2 games of the year and Canales made the surprising decision to bench Young for 14-year veteran Andy Dalton. He was criticized for the move, and the conversation about hanging the bust label on Bryce Young ensued. There was no question the offense played better under Dalton, after scoring just 13 points combined the first 2 weeks, the Panthers averaged 22.5 over the next month.
Days after a brutal 40-7 loss to the Commanders in week 7 however, fate intervened. Dalton had been in a car crash with his wife and 3 children, and had sprained the thumb on his throwing hand. Canales was asked by Joe Person of the Athletic this week about the narrative that Dalton’s injury had been a blessing in disguise.
“I don’t really want to call the traumatic event of what happened with Andy, JJ and the kids a blessing in disguise. I think it was just an opportunity for Bryce. We were able to see him play and gather a lot more information on him,” Canales stated. They did get to see him play, as Young started the final 10 games of the year, throwing for 15 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions, 2,104 yards and an 88.9 passer rating. The Panthers went 4-6 in that stretch, but Young looked completely different, more like the playmaker he had been at Alabama, leading the Panthers on game tying or winning drives in six of the games.
Canales received praise from the Chiefs Andy Reid on how he handled his QB situation. “The fact that he backed up, let him take a step back and then the kid took a step forward when he came back — that’s great on his part. A tough thing to do,” Reid said last week. “It’s tough to sit him down, especially with him being a first-round pick and all. And then it’s really tough bringing him back. And the kid responded, so it was a great move.”
If Canales can keep whispering the right things at the right time, Bryce Young may turn out to be his greatest quarterback success story yet.
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