Dave Canales expected to call plays, will report directly to David Tepper

On Thursday night, the Carolina Panthers officially announced the hiring of new head coach Dave Canales. And, in typical Carolina Panthers fashion, that official announcement wouldn’t go without a few intriguing nuggets.

The first of which may be a tell on the direction of the offense, as the official release from the team noted that Canales is expected to call plays. This, of course, shouldn’t be much of a surprise—especially considering the crux of the organization’s head-coaching hunt.

As was the case during last year’s search, which ultimately ended up on Frank Reich, the Panthers were believed to be focusing in on an offensive-minded candidate. A rough rookie campaign from No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young, who averaged just 179.8 passing yards per game with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, probably only heightened that desire.

So, Carolina nabbed one of the game’s fastest rising play-callers in Canales. The 42-year-old’s work as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator in 2023, particularly with quarterback Baker Mayfield, helped put him on the radar.

The second key takeaway is that Canales, as well as new president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan, will report directly to owner David Tepper.

That practice is not uncommon in the NFL, as numerous teams currently follow the same approach. But given the public perception of Tepper’s control over the on-field product, the optics on that little tidbit aren’t exactly encouraging.