Canales Believes Panthers Can Be 'In the Hunt' for the NFC South in 2024

An extreme amount of confidence from the first-year head coach.

How long will it take for the Carolina Panthers to contend in the NFC South? Not long, according to first-year head coach Dave Canales.

During the NFL's annual owner meetings, Canales was asked about the expectations for the upcoming season and he didn't shy away from the confidence he has in his team.

“I think we’re going to be competitive for the division this year. What I’m saying is if we play good football, if we can get the football right which we believe we can and we can take care of the football and let the numbers take care of themselves, we’ll be in the hunt. We’ll be in every single game which will give us an opportunity to be in the hunt for the division at the end and if we can play great defense and run it, it’ll carry us to the end.”

Only seven of Carolina's 15 losses in 2023 were one possession games. In their other eight losses, they fell by an average of 18.5 points per game. This is a big reason why very few are taking Carolina seriously heading into 2024, even with a new coaching staff. There are a lot of holes on this roster along with several question marks, namely Bryce Young.

Although the expectation within the Panthers' building should be to compete for the division crown, that should not be what the expectations are on the outside. The true indicator of a successful season, in my opinion, is turning two or three of those one-score losses into wins and cutting the two-score or more defeats in half.

Competing for the NFC South is not something I see the Panthers doing for at least another two years.