Panthers rewarding Canales’ enthusiasm with fight: At last, Carolina looks competitive
At 3-8, it’s a bit weird to have — even tepid — optimism about the Carolina Panthers. But after three games of largely competent football, it feels like Dave Canales’ crew has finally flipped a switch of sorts.
Sure, they’re still exchanging blows to the wire, even in their recent wins, but that’s largely the point. For a head coach who routinely preaches culture, the ongoing fight of his roster is what the Panthers can largely hang their helmets on through 11 games.
Canales, the positive presence at the top of totem pole, has seen buy-in from his players on and off the field, and the last three games have seemingly served as the launching point of his long-term vision.
The Panthers aren’t particularly talented. Their depth chart is constantly churning due to injuries or ineptitude at the bottom. But at the top, there seems to have been a shift with several contributors returning from long-term ailments and QB Bryce Young stepping up his game after his Week 3 benching.
The Panthers have some pieces: DE Derrick Brown (injured), RB Chuba Hubbard, RG Robert Hunt, CB Jaycee Horn, RT Taylor Moton, WR Xavier Legette, WR Adam Thielen and K Eddy Piñeiro, for instance. They also have guys finally settling into their surroundings like LB Josey Jewell, WR Jalen Coker, LB Trevin Wallace, DB Jordan Fuller, LG Damien Lewis, OLB Jadeveon Clowney and OLB D.J. Wonnum, too.
Carolina isn’t a rag-tag operation right now. The first two weeks were brutal, and there have been moments of melancholy since, but over the last month, the Panthers have stepped it up.
All of this is to say, Canales’ team is starting to respond to his unflinching enthusiasm and consistent messaging.
Canales has been a relentlessly positive force in the building. He was part of the decision to bench Young and the most important voice behind the second-year QB’s recent on-field resurgence. He is also the guy that has been steady in preaching that the team just needed to get better every week. And at least in the last month, the group has noticeably improved.
Sunday’s 30-27 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs might have been a defeat from a practical standpoint, but it might have actually been the biggest victory for messaging this season through 11 games — even beyond the team’s three actual victories. For four quarters, the Panthers not only competed with the two-time defending Super Bowl champs, they actually tied the game until the final seconds.
On paper, that game should have been a blowout. Instead, the Panthers simply came up short, trading touchdowns for field goals against a quality Chiefs offense. After largely serving as league fodder for the past two years, that’s a plus, and ultimately forward-thinking perspective, as the team heads into the home stretch.
They can compete, despite their roster quirks.
Canales hasn’t been perfect. He has plenty of calls and decisions he’d probably want mulligans on. The same can be said for the rest of the team, from the front office to the training staff to the 53-man roster to the practice squad. But, for once, it feels like the Panthers are actually ascending after a string of solid-to-strong performances against opponents of varying prowess.
The Panthers are rewarding Canales’ optimism with fight. And perhaps, just as important, they’re showing the fans who haven’t left the bandwagon that they aren’t just going to lie down and take losses anymore.
It’s a long road from laughingstock to contender, but the Panthers are starting to push their wagon up the hill — certainly on a slow churn — and making progress as the Canales era’s first season hits the final stretch.
Let’s check out some of the questions we received from the Panthers mailbag this week:
Panthers mailbag: The future of defense
Liam asks: Do you think Dave Canales and Dan Morgan move on from Ejiro Evero this offseason?
This one is hard to answer with six games remaining on the schedule. The defense hasn’t played well through 11 games, and that is evident. But, as with Young, things can change during different pockets of the season.
Evero’s defense has given up a lot of yardage (387.3 yards per game — third-most in the NFL) and tons of points (30.9 points per game — most in the NFL). But over the past month, with several injured guys returning to the lineup, the unit has played considerably better. The points are down from the initial eight games, and the defense is making stops in key spots.
That said, it wouldn’t be particularly surprising to see Canales want to change things up after inheriting Evero and his staff.
Evero is a very good coach, and he’s shown he can be an excellent NFL coordinator. The defensive personnel took a major hit this offseason in favor of the offense, but Evero was given a bunch of familiar faces to plug into the scheme. Unfortunately for him, most of those guys got injured early in the campaign and the replacements, predictably, didn’t fill the void.
Still, if Canales decides to cut bait with Evero, he will have some pretty strong options internally and externally.
Defensive line coach Todd Wash had success as a defensive coordinator in Jacksonville with a hybrid system. Outside linebackers coach Tem Lukabu, inside linebackers coach Peter Hansen and pass game coordinator Jonathan Cooley have all received buzz over the past couple of years as potential coordinator candidates.
Former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh worked with Canales in Seattle, and they still have a strong relationship. Saleh will probably be viewed as the prime defensive coordinator candidate in the NFL this offseason. If Canales can land Saleh, maybe that’s worth exploring an Evero exit.
Really, it’s going to need to be a collective decision between Canales and Morgan, but given their experiences in various stops, they could have plenty of options if they move in another direction.
A change at cornerback?
Zack asks: Dane Jackson didn’t have the best game (against the Chiefs). Should this be the time to put in Chau Smith-Wade or leave Dane out there?
Jackson was a liability against the Chiefs.
Lined up in the nickel position, he missed at least three tackles and gave up a handful of big plays over the middle. It almost felt like every big play for the Chiefs in the second half was the result of Jackson being out of position, missing a tackle or getting beat in coverage. It was a real stinker of a performance.
That said, it was one game, and the Panthers are trying to compete down the stretch. Jackson is known for being physical against the run, and that’s really why he is in that spot. It also feels a bit too early to demote a well-paid veteran during a stretch of competence for the squad.
Smith-Wade has shown some really positive things since arriving in May, but there seems to be some inconsistency in his coverage as he learns the nickel position. If Jackson continues to struggle, maybe the Panthers go to the rookie. But it’s hard to fault Jackson completely for being picked on by the Chiefs, who have Patrick Mahomes at QB and a pair of absolute studs at tight end in Travis Kelce and Noah Gray.
Jonathon Brooks’ long-term outlook
Marcas asks: What’s the future for Jonathon Brooks?
Brooks played just five snaps in his NFL debut against the Chiefs. He received two carries that went for 7 yards.
That workload was smaller than expected, even for the beat writers who cover the team and have largely preached patience with Brooks’ reemergence.
Brooks’ long-term projections shouldn’t take a massive hit because of the initial timid showing. He actually looked quite good on both of his carries. He showed burst and decisiveness as he hit the hole on both plays.
The Panthers are easing Brooks back because they can afford to. Chuba Hubbard is the well-paid top back on the depth chart for now and the future, and Brooks is likely to have a strong No. 2 role behind him. This duo complements each other so well on paper, but it needs to be shown in games.
Expect Brooks to be the big-play threat on third down as Hubbard continues to churn on early downs. Hubbard dropped a pair of passes against the Chiefs, and that could lead to Brooks taking on more third-down work in the near future. Ultimately, Hubbard and Brooks will blend in together and try to be complementary weapons in the backfield.
The Panthers used a lot of 21 personnel (two backs, one tight end) with Miles Sanders — who is now on injured reserve — and it’s fair to expect those looks with Hubbard and Brooks down the stretch.
From a fantasy standpoint, it’s hard to see a big touch count for Brooks this year. Still, with Canales’ desire to run the ball, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him get 10-12 touches per game once he’s settled in.
