Dave Canales began his first pre-draft press conference as head coach of the Carolina Panthers by throwing out the term “Panther fit.” So, what exactly does that mean?
President of football operations/general manager Dan Morgan, who also took questions alongside Canales on Thursday afternoon, gave his description of what’ll surely become a buzz term around these parts.
“I think when me and Dave were talking about the type of player that we want—those passionate, hungry, the dawg mentality, passion for the game, love of the game. That’s kinda what we’re looking for,” he said. “Measurable-wise, obviously, we want guys with height, length, speed, all those type of traits. But, at the same time, if they don’t have that dawg mentality, they don’t have that passion for the game—they’re not gonna be able to reach their full potential. So we really gotta filter those guys out and be thorough with everything we do.”
Speaking of buzz terms, this isn’t the first time Morgan has expressed his desire for that “dawg mentality.” In fact, it was probably the most notable takeaway from his introductory press conference back in February.
He was then asked if the main focus of next week’s draft will be on securing playmakers for quarterback Bryce Young.
“I think it’s about just not getting playmakers for Bryce, it’s about getting playmakers for our team,” he replied. “For our organization—who’s best gonna fit our team? Who’s gonna make plays? Who’s gonna take the ball away on the defensive side of the ball? Who’s gonna put the ball in the end zone on the offensive side of the ball?”
Carolina’s dreadful offense was, of course, the most prevalent story for the team in 2023. And that’ll happen when your No. 1 overall pick throws for only 11 touchdowns and your unit finishes last in the league in both yards and points.
But the Panthers defense also left a bit on the table. Despite allowing the fourth-fewest yards per contest, the group recorded the fewest sacks and the fewest takeaways this past season.
So if you’re a playmaking dawg in this year’s class, then get familiar with the Charlotte area code.