Dave Canales faces a tall task in turning around the Carolina Panthers. The first-year head coach is optimistic about leading a quick rebound.
Per Fox Sports’ Greg Auman, Canales predicted during this week’s NFL meetings that Carolina will contend in the NFC South.
“I think we’re going to be competitive for the division this year,” Canales said. “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.”
Competing for a division title would represent a vastly successful debut for Canales, who inherits a team that went an NFL-worst 2-15 last season. But it wouldn’t be the first time he contributed to an unexpected NFC South champion.
Canales comes to Carolina after one season as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator. An anticipated rebuild morphed into a division title behind a resurgent year from Baker Mayfield.
The Panthers signed Jadeveon Clowney this week, but they traded star edge rusher Brian Burns earlier this season. They also don’t have a first-round pick in next month’s draft.
Canales nevertheless said the Panthers have “got better” this offseason. However, he thinks the same can be said for Carolina’s competition.
Although Tampa Bay won the NFC South at 9-8, Canales called it a “dangerous division.” The Buccaneers retained Mayfield, Mike Evans, and other core players. The New Orleans Saints bring back a strong defense, and the Atlanta Falcons signed Kirk Cousins.
“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.”