Mint Street’s new age begins. Dave Canales will be the Panthers’ seventh head coach. Charlotte hired Canales after one year as Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator.
Canales leads the club with new PFO/GM Dan Morgan. Morgan was appointed last week.
Canales will prepare for the 2024 NFL draft immediately. Here are five facts about new Carolina head coach Dave Canales as he gets to know Panthers fans.
Pete Carroll’s tree produced him.
Canales went from selling cowboy boots to working for Pete Carroll at USC in six years. The travel was arduous and fast. Conor Orr writes for Sports Illustrated that the Southern California native always knew he wanted to coach. Life got in the way, so he worked for a startup selling Rudy Lara cowboy boots. He became Carson High School’s offensive coordinator after two years and El Camino College’s special teams and tight ends coach.
That employment allowed Canales to work coaching clinics with USC head coach Pete Carroll. Carroll hired Canales as Trojans’ assistant strength coach because of their relationship. A low-level employment to get in. Canales capitalized on his one year with Carroll to impress the coach. One year later, Carroll hired Canales for the Seattle Seahawks.
Canales advanced from wide receivers coach to passing game coordinator and quarterback coach in 13 years in Seattle. His Seahawks career included eight seasons with Morgan.
He specializes in QB resurrections
He helped quarterbacks have career-best seasons three times. In 2020, Canales was Seattle’s passing game coordinator when Russell Wilson had his greatest year for completion percentage (68.8) and touchdowns (40). Wilson also had his second-best yards (4,212) and third-best completion passing rating (105.1) that season. He coached wide receivers in 2016, when Wilson passed for 4,219 yards. Canales was quarterbacks coach in 2018 when Wilson had his finest passing rating (110.9) and in 2022 when Geno Smith resurged.
Smith had his greatest season in 2022, with 4,282 yards, 69.8 completion %, 30 throwing touchdowns, 100.9 passer rating, and 366 running yards. That season, Smith was Comeback Player of the Year.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired Canales, who helped Baker Mayfield to his career-best yards (4,044), completion % (64.3), passing touchdowns (28), passer rating (94.6), and running yardage.
The 42-year-old was Russell Wilson’s passing game coordinator or quarterbacks coach for four Pro Bowls, Smith’s, and Smith’s Comeback Player award. Mayfield has also considered the latter this season.
His offensive play calling is smart.
Orr described Canales’ offensive strategy as a mix of various identities, never relying on one. The play-caller prefers to use mental strategy to give his teammates an edge. His receivers aren’t in a slot or outside boxes. They learn and run the whole route tree.
Mayfield and Canales helped Evans have his second-best season in 2023. Under Canales’ guidance, the future Hall-of-Famer used his vision more to shift defenders, even mid-route. Play-callers may use it to level the playing field and gain an edge with NFL physical talent.
Canales becomes the only NFL Hispanic head coach after the Panthers hire him. Miguel and Lupe, his paternal grandparents, came to California from Mexico in the early 1900s. In WWII, his grandpa served under Patton.
NFL history has only five Hispanic head coaches, including Canales. Former coaches include Ron Rivera, former Panthers and Washington Commanders coach; Honduran-born Brian Flores, current Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator and former Miami Dolphins head coach; Tom Fears, born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and head coach of the New Orleans Saints from 1967-1970; and Tom Flores, the first Hispanic head coach in the league.
From an inspiring and communicative family
When Canales interviewed for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator position, Fox Sports’ Carmen Vitali noted “how great of a teacher and communicator” he was.
Canales was unfamiliar to Bowles, but he soon rose to the team’s top three and became the favorite following his interview.
Canales was reared in a family of communicators and instructors; his family all preachers at Mission of Ebenezer, his grandfather’s Carson, California church. The Orr biography says the church was formed in 1959 and serves over 3,000 people. Canales’ two brothers are lead and associate pastors, while his mother and other family members work. His father was lead pastor for years.
