Carolina Panthers Make Coaching Change That Could Take Dave Canales to Next Level

A head coach's assistants can be just as valuable as the head coach themselves, as so many NFL teams know. The Philadelphia Eagles are a prime example of how valuable a good coordinator actually is.

The Carolina Panthers believe Ejiro Evero is a valuable defensive coordinator, but offensive coordinator Brad Idzik is mostly just Dave Canales' second in command. It remains to be seen if a true offensive coordinator (since Canales calls plays) would help or hinder.

Regardless, good assistants can make the difference for teams, and the Panthers are banking on that. That's why they just hired an extremely valuable assistant to help Canales.

Carolina Panthers add Darrell Bevell to help Dave Canales

The Carolina Panthers are bringing in Darrell Bevell to be their associate head coach and offensive specialist, according to NFL insider Tom Pelissero. This is the only substantial coaching change taking place for the Panthers.

The Panthers are hiring Darrell Bevell as associate head coach/offensive specialist, per sources.

A longtime respected NFL assistant, Bevell brings a wealth of experience to Dave Canales’ staff as Carolina aims to take the next step. pic.twitter.com/e6PLn3FFoj
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 11, 2026

They've been pretty stable for two seasons now, which is almost unfathomable given how many coaches and assistants they went through between the Ron Rivera and Dave Canales eras.

Nevertheless, Bevell is a well-respected coach in the NFL with a ton of experience. Most recently, he worked with the Miami Dolphins quarterbacks, and now, he's going to help Canales evolve as an offensive mind.

Bevell's highest coaching credits include Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator (2006-2010), Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator (2011-2017), Detroit Lions offensive coordinator (2019-2020), Lions head coach (2020), Jaguars offensive coordinator (2021), and Jaguars head coach (2021).

He has worked under many different head coaches, including Mike Sherman, Brad Childress, Pete Carroll (where he worked alongside Canales), Matt Patricia, and Mike McDaniel.

This should help Dave Canales greatly. He has a ton of duties as playcaller and coach, and he wants to be involved with defense and special teams. It's a very full plate, and while the coaches he has around him are fine, more help is valuable.

This will especially help the offensive game-planning and play-calling. Idzik is a former wide receiver coach who has just followed Canales from stop to stop, so adding another offensive mind that doesn't come from the same exact tree is incredibly valuable.

Expect more variety and fewer timing issues in the future with Bevell helping Canales.

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