By STEVE REED, AP Sports Writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

Dave Canales is taking on the challenge of turning around the struggling Carolina Panthers, following in the footsteps of Frank Reich and Matt Rhule who were not successful in doing so.

The lowest-performing team in the NFL has reached a deal with Canales, the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to be their new head coach on Thursday evening. The team is hoping that his leadership will end their six-year streak without making it to the playoffs.

The Panthers have a record of 31-68 since 2018, which is tied with the New York Jets for the lowest ranking in the league during that time period.

Canales is now the seventh coach to lead the Panthers since David Tepper became owner six years ago. He is taking over a team that had a record of 2-15 last season and will not have a first-round draft pick in 2024.

According to a statement on the team’s website, Tepper stated that Dave has a history of achieving success. His forward-thinking attitude and optimistic demeanor resonate well with both players and staff. We are impressed by his talent for bringing out the best in players.

Canales, who is Mexican American, joins Ron Rivera as the second head coach of Latino descent hired by the Panthers.

He is among the four coaches of color hired in this coaching cycle, along with Raheem Morris in Atlanta, Jerod Mayo in New England, and Antonio Pierce in Las Vegas. This sets a new record in the NFL with a total of nine coaches of color, including Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh, DeMeco Ryans in Houston, Todd Bowles in Tampa Bay, Mike McDaniel in Miami, and Robert Saleh in the New York Jets.

The Seahawks and Commanders are still in the process of hiring coaches.

The hiring marks a rapid ascent for 42-year-old Canales, who previously served as the quarterbacks coach for the Seattle Seahawks in 2022.

During his time in Seattle, he played for 13 seasons. Out of those, eight were with Dan Morgan, who was recently promoted to the role of Panthers general manager and president of football operations. Morgan took over for Scott Fitterer, who was let go after the season.

Morgan expressed anticipation for collaborating with Dave once more. His experience coaching various position groups has provided him with a strong grasp of what is necessary to create a thriving team. His charismatic nature connects with players and all those he interacts with. It is believed that this quality will have a positive impact on the team’s performance.

Canales broke into the league in 2010 as the wide receivers coach in Seattle, where he spent eight seasons and helped the team win a Super Bowl in the 2013 season. He spent three more seasons as the team’s quarterbacks coach working with Russell Wilson and two as passing game coordinator before landing the Buccaneers job last year.

In his debut season as an NFL offensive coordinator, Canales played a crucial role in guiding the Bucs to the NFC divisional playoffs with quarterback Baker Mayfield.

“On X, formerly known as Twitter, Canales expressed gratitude for his time with the @Buccaneers and excitement for the future. He also praised the organization and its fans.”

In addition, Canales expressed gratitude towards Bowles, the Buccaneers’ coaching staff and players.

Canales wrote, “I will be supporting you for 15 weeks out of the year!” “Thank you!”

It is not unexpected that the Panthers selected a coach with experience in offense.

Canales has been given the responsibility of guiding the growth of quarterback Bryce Young, who was selected as the top pick in the 2023 draft but faced challenges in his first year. Young’s record as a starter was 2-14 and he averaged less than 180 passing yards per game, with only 11 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions.

Canales’ work on Mayfield might have had a lasting impact on Tepper. The first overall pick in 2018 had a tough time with the Panthers last year and was let go towards the end of the 2022 season.

However, under Canales, his career was revived in Tampa Bay.

During the current season, Mayfield had a completion rate of 64.3% and threw for 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while playing for the Bucs. The team ended with a record of 9-8 and were able to secure the NFC South title in the last week of the regular season. In the playoffs, Mayfield continued his strong performance as the Bucs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 32-9, but ultimately fell to the Detroit Lions with a score of 31-23 last week.

During the playoffs, Mayfield had a passing success rate of 62.3%, throwing for a total of 686 yards and scoring six touchdowns while only throwing two interceptions.

In 2020, Wilson achieved his highest statistical performance while Canales served as the passing game coordinator. He threw for 4,212 yards and 40 touchdowns, with 13 interceptions. Similarly, in 2022, Geno Smith had his strongest season under Canales’ guidance as QBs coach, recording 4,282 yards, 30 touchdown passes, and 11 interceptions.

It is uncertain how long Tepper will tolerate Canales, who reportedly signed a six-year contract according to ESPN.

Reich was let go by the Panthers after only 11 games as head coach in his first season, despite being signed to a four-year deal. Tepper, who has a record of 31-68 since taking control, has a history of impatience with head coaches, having also fired Rivera and Rhule mid-season in the past.

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Source: wralsportsfan.com