Dave Canales Gave Up Something He Loved — It Might Be Saving the Panthers

When Dave Canales announced before the season that he was giving up play-calling to Brad Idzik, I thought I understood why. Let Idzik call the offense and give Canales more time to worry about everything else that comes with being a head coach.

It made sense, but I was still mostly interested in what it would mean for Bryce Young and the offense. Four games later, I think I was looking at the wrong part of it.

Back in February, Canales explained why he was making the change in an interview with Panthers.com. He had gone back through the previous season and noticed things he was missing during games because he was so focused on calling the next play.

“Let's not wait until Monday, when I watch the film, to be able to help somebody,” Canales said.

Four games into the season, we're starting to see what he meant.

Canales Can Finally Coach Everybody

Canales admitted this week that he still misses calling plays. That's not surprising. He said the speed of making those decisions during a game is “really stimulating,” and it's pretty obvious he still loves that part of coaching.

But Darin Gantt of Panthers.com pointed out a couple of moments from the Detroit game that caught my attention.

Akayleb Evans was having a rough night. He had given up some plays, and Canales knew the Lions weren't going to stop coming after him. So he found Evans on the sideline, talked to him, and tried to get him ready for the next time Detroit came his way.

Canales had a similar conversation with Princely Umanmielen, whom he thought was a little too fired up early in the game and had gotten away from what he normally does. Canales told him, “Just settle in, just do your job, your time is going to come.”

Later, Umanmielen came up with a huge sack in the fourth quarter. He deserves the credit for making the play, but I think it matters that Canales noticed what was happening earlier and had the time to go talk to him. That's exactly what Canales was talking about back in February.

Maybe Giving Up Control Was the Best Thing for Him

Aug 28, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Brad Idzik on the field before the game against the Houston Texans at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I've spent a lot of time looking at this move from the offensive side. Is Idzik a better play-caller? Is Young more comfortable with him? Why does the offense look so much better?

Maybe I've been asking the wrong questions.

Linebacker Bobby Okereke called Canales an “emotional intelligence savant” and said that giving up play-calling allows Canales to use that part of his personality more during games. We've heard plenty about how Canales relates to players since he got to Carolina. Now he actually has time during games to do something with it.

Canales can still have his hands on the offense during the week. He's part of putting the game plan together, and Idzik isn't running some completely different system. But once Sunday gets here, Canales doesn't have to spend the entire game worrying about the next offensive series.

The Panthers are 2-2, so I'm not saying they've suddenly figured everything out because Canales gave up play-calling. We watched Chicago score 59 points in Week 1. There's still plenty for this team to work on, and four games isn't enough to know how much this change will matter over an entire season.

But I keep going back to the question Canales asked when he made the decision in February: “Can I affect our whole team in a more positive way?”

I think we're starting to get the answer.

I thought giving up play-calling was mostly about finding out what Idzik could do with the offense. Maybe it was also about finding out what Canales could do as the head coach.

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