Dave Canales faces tough decisions for the Panthers to take the next step, including the obvious move everyone is calling for
The Carolina Panthers cannot be content with the way things went this season.
The Carolina Panthers proved a lot of people wrong during the 2025-26 season and finally started taking positive strides under head coach Dave Canales.
Even though the regular season was a frustratingly inconsistent experience, the Panthers managed to find their way into the postseason as the No. 4 seed in the NFC and gave the Los Angeles Rams a run for their money on Saturday.
The Panthers proved they belonged in that game but ultimately came up short. And now, an important offseason looms for the Panthers, and Canales is going to have to make some tough decisions to take this team to the next step.
Dave Canales faces some tough decisions with the coaching staff this offseason
This season, the Panthers proved that the Canales and quarterback Bryce Young connection can pull off big wins and be a true threat. That alone answered a big question about the immediate future for this franchise and it’s clear both Canales and Young are the right men for their respective jobs.
Personnel-wise, the Panthers can make some clear improvements to help elevate Young’s game to the next level. But, for Canales, he’s going to have to make some tough calls from a coaching standpoint to avoid any complacency.
The obvious move everyone is calling for involves the future for defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. Evero’s unit had a significant turnaround from the 2024 season, when his unit finished as one of the worst defenses in NFL history. He got the most out of his young players this year but when it mattered most, his unit couldn’t live up to the moment against the Rams on Saturday.
“Ejiro had a really good plan for trying to get pressure on [quarterback Matthew Stafford] early on and then they picked up the blitzes and he hurt us a couple of times over the middle on some third downs,” Canales told reporters after the game. “We have to play a little more coverage right there.”
The Panthers finished the game with just one sack against Stafford, who picked the Panthers’ defense apart, especially on the final game winning drive. While the players seem to blame themselves and advocate for Evero, it’s clear Canales should move on from his defensive coordinator and add someone who can bring a more aggressive juice to the unit next season.
Canales also could benefit from handing over play-calling duties, another obvious decision that fans have been begging for all season long. Offensive coordinator Brad Idzik is primed for the opportunity after spending years working alongside Canales. It’s time for Canales to delegate some roles off his plate and focus on being the head coach and managing critical situations better.
Something’s gotta change if this team wants to continue making positive strides because in the big picture, this was still an 8-9 regular season team that only benefitted from a bad division to make a little postseason noise. You can’t rely on that outcome every year and making these two changes could go a long way for this entire team.
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