CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers hired Dave Canales as head coach to help develop Bryce Young into a franchise quarterback and turn around a team that hadn't been to the postseason since 2017.
Canales, considered a young, rising star in the NFL coaching ranks, only spent one season as a coordinator and none as a head coach before his arrival in Carolina. But he received acclaim for resurrecting the careers of quarterbacks Geno Smith in Seattle and Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay.
Through 10 games, there have been mixed results for his latest project.
Young flopped in his first two games in Canales’ system, going 0-2 with Carolina losing by a combined margin of 73-13. That resulted in Canales benching the 2023 No. 1 overall pick before Week 3. He had no immediate plans to go back to Young, saying at the time he felt 37-year-old Andy Dalton “gives the team the best chance to win.”
Canales has never deviated from that stance.
But when Dalton sprained his right thumb in an automobile accident, he had no choice but to turn back to Young.
Since then, the results have been different.
Young has won two straight starts entering the bye week, albeit against two other struggling teams in New Orleans and the New York Giants.
He has completed 55 of 88 passes for 521 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions over the last three games, which is measurably better than his first two starts — 31 of 56 for just 225 yards with three interceptions and no TD passes.
Young has shown better command of the huddle, improved decision-making skills and a newfound confidence.
Canales said Young “made a statement” after leading the Panthers to a 20-17 overtime win over the Giants in Germany on Sunday.
“I’m just so proud of Bryce,” Canales said. “I’m so proud of (him) taking the next step again. He had a great day. It could have been a fantastic day. I thought a few balls got away from us. A couple of times that would have really turned it into really an exceptional day, but he handled the rush, he handled the different coverage looks and all that.”
Still, he hasn't publicly committed to Young as the starter for Carolina's next game against the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 24.
Young, who typically answers questions in age-old cliches and seemingly well-predicated generic answers, predictably deflected talk about his own development.
“We’ve had a lot of adversity and for me, just the ability to know on offense I have 10 other guys that I know are going to do their job, I know are going to compete that I’m grateful to go to war with," he said. "And the defense being the same, having all the faith in the world in them. Not saying that’s different, but it’s just great, us growing in that together.”
Despite the team's first two-game winning streak since 2022, the Panthers still have plenty of evaluating to do in their final seven games.
After all, Young is still just 4-17 as an NFL starter.
And with a likely top 10 pick, it's still reasonable to think quarterback could still be in play for the Panthers in the 2025 draft.
For now, the Panthers hope Young continues to develop. They received phone calls from other teams about Young at the NFL trade deadline, but rebuked them. Canales said Young needs more experience — which makes his refusal to name him the team's regular starting QB all the more perplexing.
“We’ll take all the information; we’ll do all that,” Canales said. “But Bryce certainly is making a statement to all of us. So I just can’t tell you how proud I am of just weekly progress. And that’s the goal for all of us."
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Steve Reed, The Associated Press
