The Carolina Panthers pulled off an interesting move on Thursday when they opted to hire former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales as their new head coach. Canales wasn't really viewed as a frontrunner for the job, but he ended up quickly emerging as Carolina's top candidate, and the result is the first head-coaching job of his career.

After their debacle with Frank Reich this past season, it's clear the Panthers are going to do everything in their power to get their pick right this time around. While many folks were caught off guard by Canales' hiring, Carolina obviously feels like they got their guy, which was the sentiment that Tepper put forth with his initial comments about the move.

“Dave's background is rooted in success. He has an innovative mindset and positive energy that connects well with players and staff. We are impressed with his ability to bring out the best in players.” – David Tepper, Panthers.com

David Tepper hoping Dave Canales can help Panthers develop Bryce Young

Panthers owner David Tepper and Dave Canales

While Canales doesn't have a ton of high-level experience, he has developed a reputation of being a quarterback whisperer of sorts over the past few years. Canales was the Seattle Seahawks quarterbacks coach in 2022 when Geno Smith enjoyed a comeback campaign, and he just helped Baker Mayfield go from a Panthers reject to the Buccaneers quarterback of the future in 2023.

After a rocky rookie campaign, Carolina will be hoping Canales can work his magic once again with Bryce Young. Young had virtually no help from the Panthers last season, and this move is clearly being made with his best interests in mind. Canales' roster needs a lot of work, but he's going to have time to make things right with the Panthers, and it will be interesting to see if Tepper's confidence in him ends up paying off down the line.