CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Owner David Tepper found his man to lead the Carolina Panthers: Dave Canales, the one-year wonder offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
While many NFL fans may not be familiar with Canales, his reputation among players, coaches and analysts suggests an up-and-coming coach with a good offensive mind who is capable of developing quarterback Bryce Young.
Other candidates who interviewed for the job included Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, Baltimore assistants Todd Monken and Mike Macdonald, Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Miami offensive coordinator Frank Smith. Two internal candidates — Ejiro Evero and Chris Tabor — also interviewed for the position before Canales was selected.
Who is Dave Canales?
Canales spent his college career at then-NAIA school Azusa Pacific University. His playing career wasn't super memorable, but it did lead to his first coaching job at his alma mater of Carson High School in California, in 2004. From there, he broke into major college football at the University of Southern California as an assistant strength coach in 2009.
Canales was hired by the Seattle Seahawks in 2010 as the team's wide receivers coach. This was where he began to establish himself as a coach with a bright future in the NFL. Canales' existing relationship with former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll helped him secure the job.
The Seahawks won Super Bowl 48 while Canales was on staff. He spent 13 seasons in Seattle, including several seasons as the team's quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator. Former Panthers tight end Greg Olsen spent one year in Seattle and quickly formed a good relationship with Canales.
Canales' work in Seattle helped quarterback Geno Smith win the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2022, as well as his first Pro Bowl appearance. He parlayed that into the offensive coordinator job in Tampa Bay, where he would be tasked with turning around ex-Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield.
The partnership was an overwhelming success. Mayfield threw a career-high 28 touchdowns and eclipsed 4,000 yards for the first time in his career, all while leading Tampa to an NFC South division crown.
Can he get Bryce Young on track?
Former NFL players and analysts alike feel good about what Carolina's getting with their new head coach. ESPN's Robert Griffin III touted Canales' ability to build an offense around his personnel.
"Canales helped relaunch the careers of Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield in back-to-back years by building the offense around their strengths in his West Coast scheme," Griffin said. "Excited to see him work with Bryce."
Young struggled mightily in his rookie campaign as Carolina's offense floundered near the bottom of the NFL rankings. Carolina had the lowest passing yards in the league last year and Young only managed to throw 11 touchdowns.
While Tepper hasn't spoken publicly about the coaching search, he made it clear after Frank Reich's firing that developing Young is a top priority.
His life is literally a novel
Canales and his wife, Lizzy, have four children: Ashby, Benjamin, Bearice and Amaya. The couple co-wrote "This Marriage? The Questions That Changed Everything" in 2022. The book recalls the couple's journey with "poignant and painful honesty" that saved their relationship and helped their marriage thrive moving forward.
"The things he comes home to talk to me about are not the plays or, 'We are doing this or that,'" Lizzy Canales said. "He will come home and say, 'Wow. I had a conversation today and it was just a total God thing. I was late from the sauna because I ran into so-and-so, and he opened up to me.'"
The couple met while attending Azusa Pacific. They became email pals while Lizzy spent a semester abroad. From there, Dave asked her out on a date and their relationship blossomed from there.
Dave Canales career timeline
- Carson High School offensive coordinator (2004-2005)
- El Camino College special teams & tight ends coach (2006-2008)
- USC assistant strength coach (2009)
- Seattle Seahawks wide receivers coach (2010-2017)
- Seattle Seahawks passing game coordinator (2020-2021)
- Seattle Seahawks quarterbacks coach (2022)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator (2023)
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