Panthers’ to-do list for Dave Canales, Dan Morgan: Getting Bryce Young help is priority

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Four days after announcing the hiring of Dave Canales, the Carolina Panthers have yet to officially introduce their new head coach.

And it will be several more days before Canales’ inaugural press conference. It’s a busy time for the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator.

Canales and recently promoted general manager Dan Morgan are scheduled to participate in Senior Bowl practice this week in Mobile, Alabama. The format of the All-Star Game has changed. All underclassmen are eligible to compete, but previously only fourth-year underclassmen were invited to Mobile.

But Canales and Morgan have a lot more to do than get to see more than 110 players in person at Senior Bowl workouts. The Athletic So here are five things on the to-do list for the Panthers’ new decision-maker, who was his colleague for eight years with the Seattle Seahawks.

Assemble the coaching staff

This will be Canales’ first assignment, and it could be troublesome where defensive coordinator Ejiro Ebello is concerned. Ebelo, 43, was passed over as Carolina’s head coach, but the Panthers hope he remains as defensive coordinator.

Evero was interviewed for a second time for the Seahawks’ head coaching vacancy on Saturday, and multiple teams are interested in hiring him as defensive coordinator, league sources said. However, Ebelo remains under contract with the Panthers, who could block him from interviewing for a wide position, and has also signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins and New York Giants. The Panthers finished fourth in total defense under Evero, who, like Carolina, oversaw a top-10 defense in 2022 with the Denver Broncos, who, like Carolina, underwent a coaching change during the season. With the Panthers facing a major rebuild, Evero may be inclined to move to a contending team to improve his chances as a head coach.

Canales is expected to rely heavily on his connections in Tampa Bay and Seattle to fill out his staff. Bucs receivers coach Brad Idzik, who came to Tampa with Canales from Seattle, is considered a top candidate for the Panthers’ offensive coordinator position. The Panthers have requested to speak with Seahawks assistant Tracy Smith about the special teams job, and Nate Carroll, son of former Seattle coach Pete Carroll, has also been mentioned as a top possibility in Charlotte. ing.

But the key is Evero. If Canales has to replenish his defensive staff, it could be a difficult process given Panthers owner David Tepper’s reputation for interference and the team’s bleak outlook for 2024.

Complete front office reorganization

OK, technically this falls into Tepper territory. And the next changes in the front office have been in the works for some time. As previously stated in this area, Tepper brought in Brant Tillis, vice president of football operations for the Kansas City Chiefs to replace Samir Suleiman as head of salary cap/contracts, and agreed to change the relationship between Canales, Morgan and owners. It is planned to act as a buffer material.

This model has been successful in San Francisco, with John Lynch serving as president and general manager of football operations (the same role as Morgan) and Parag Malate serving as 49ers corporate president and vice president of football operations. There is. So what’s stopping this move? Well, the Chiefs made it to the Super Bowl, as usual.

But several other staff moves related to Tepper are worth noting. The Athletic confirmed it on friday Canales won’t stay Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor and offensive line coach James Campen had a lot of influence on Tepper after owner urged Frank Reich to lean on Matt Rhule’s staff. Diverse loyalties led to dysfunction and a “Hunger Games” culture, with assistants belittling other coaches and bringing suggestions to management, ultimately leading to Reich, quarterbacks coach Josh McCown and running back This led to the mid-season firing of backup coach Duce Staley.

Look for at least one holdover in the offensive line. Senior assistant Jim Caldwell, who sat in on interviews during the Panthers’ search, is expected to remain, league sources said. Caldwell, a former head coach with the Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts, could be a valuable addition to Canales, who has just one year of experience as a full-time coordinator.

The Panthers’ chaotic season affected Young’s development, and his rookie season was marked by a coaching change and three flip-flops in offensive play-calling. Tight end Hayden Hurst had a year in which the No. 1 pick finished with the NFL’s worst passer rating and was second-to-last with a completion percentage of 59.8 (bested only by the Tennessee Titans rookie). There are too many voices,” he said. Will Levi).

Porous pass protection and a lack of receivers who could break away from coverage also contributed significantly to Young’s rookie struggles. But the problem persisted, as coaches weren’t on the same page even when it came to Young’s dropback depth.

In Canales’ case, the last two QBs have either won Comeback Player of the Year (Geno Smith) or been a finalist for the award (Baker Mayfield). Smith said Friday that it will be a different dynamic for Canales and Young, who will need more guidance than the veteran Smith will need. But the Seahawks quarterback said Canales has a knack for getting the best out of his players.

“His process is elite, and that’s more important to me than the result,” Smith said on a conference call. “Having an elite process and understanding how to get things done is very important, especially when you go to a new team. Dave has a good understanding of himself and what he wants to accomplish. I’m going to learn about the players I coach, get to know them as people, find out what motivates them, and work from there.”

decide their position on Brian Burns

You may have heard: The Panthers don’t have a first-round pick this year. This probably landed on your social media feed as well. That pick currently belongs to the Chicago Bears and is the first overall pick.

So Morgan could sit back and wait to be drafted high in the second round, or he could engineer a trade for the former Panthers linebacker to go in the first round. Morgan was assistant GM in 2022, when Scott Fitterer turned down the Los Angeles Rams’ offer for two future first-round picks and a second-day pick for edge rusher Burns. Barnes was in the midst of his second straight Pro Bowl season at the time.

Since then, the Panthers have been unable to sign Barnes to a long-term contract, but Barnes’ production plummeted in 2023. Burns said he was sometimes distracted by maintaining his health as he and several defensive teammates were struggling with injuries. Barnes finished with eight sacks, just above his career low of 7 1/2 from his rookie season.

Barnes is a strong candidate to receive the franchise tag and is expected to cost more than $20 million in 2024. Morgan could choose to tag and trade Barnes. The return won’t be far from what the Rams are offering, but the Panthers could probably get a first-round pick.

Get help from Young

If you hadn’t ordered your items chronologically, this would be at the top of your list. Before Morgan and Canales decide whether Young is a top QB (we can assume he is, since Morgan was part of the brain trust that chose Young over C.J. Stroud), they first want to give him a fair evaluation. We have to give them some better playmakers and pass blockers.

Canales spent last season with Bucks wideout Mike Evans, the notorious Panthers killer who became a free agent this year. Morgan and Canales are not directly related to Tee Higgins, but they should also serve as free agent wideouts for the Bengals. The list of free agent receivers also includes Michael Pittman Jr. and Gabe Davis, a fourth-round pick of the Buffalo Bills in 2020 when Morgan was in Buffalo’s front office under coach Brandon Beane. There is.

If the Panthers are looking to add a receiving tight end, Canales is familiar with Noah Fant, who had a few big seasons in Denver before being traded to Seattle as part of the Russell Wilson trade. Fitterer failed to properly address interior sideline depth last year as starting guards Brady Christensen and Austin Corbett were returning from surgery.

The Panthers will need to add a few linemen this offseason and could potentially add a tackle if they decide to slide Ikem Ekwonu inside. One interior player to watch: Seattle guard Damian Lewis, a 2020 third-rounder out of LSU, moves well despite weighing 326 pounds.

(Top photo of Dave Canales: Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)