Dave Canales, the new head coach of the Carolina Panthers, during the annual league meeting, expressed his confidence in the team stating that he believes Carolina will be significantly improved in 2024.
“I think we’re going to be competitive for the division this year,” Canales said, via Greg Auman of Fox Sports. “What I’m saying is, if we play good football, if we can get the football right like we believe we can, and we can take care of the football, let the numbers take care of themselves, we’ll be in the hunt. We’ll be in every single game, which will give us an opportunity to be in the hunt for the division at the end.”
Dave Canales: I think we're going to be competitive for the division this year. https://t.co/I9o5Fmp8f4
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 28, 2024
Previously serving as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator, Canales has first-hand experience and knowledge of the NFC South division.
Backing his optimism, Canales highlighted that each team in the NFC South has shown improvement in this year’s offseason.
However, he anticipates that the Panthers are ready to go toe-to-toe with any team when the season kicks off in the fall.
“Every one of those games is going to be a huge opportunity for us to become us, to see what version of football we want to play,” Canales said. “We want to walk off that field saying, ‘This is Panthers football.’ It’s tough. It’s fast. It’s physical. It’s a really intelligent style of play. That’s kind of going to be our approach.”
To be a competitive force in the NFC South, Coach Canales emphasized that the key to the team’s success will be setting up star quarterback Bryce Young for triumph on the field.
Canales has explicitly stated that Young’s growth is pivotal to facilitating a turnaround for the Panthers.
To achieve this, the head coach insists on taking a long-term perspective.
Canales revealed during his conference that Young’s development may require a tad of patience.
“it’s going to take some time”
He acknowledges the time needed for Young to move up the ladder and make the necessary improvements in his game.
