Why Carolina Panthers Will Stick With Dave Canales for a Long Time

The Carolina Panthers hired Dave Canales in 2024, and he has already taken the team to the playoffs, albeit with eight wins and a very negative point differential. He has improved in two seasons, though.

In the past, that wouldn't have been enough. Matt Rhule was fired in a season where eight wins could've won the division, and Frank Reich lasted 11 games total. The Panthers were notoriously impatient.

Now, they appear to be exercising patience, and it is paying off. One insider recently argued that more forward momentum is imperative for Canales to keep his job. Here's why it might not be, and why the Panthers are likely to keep him around for a while.

Panthers won't move on from Dave Canales in the near future

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales looks on against the Seattle Seahawks during the fourth quarter | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Dave Canales has done a solid job in his first two years as head coach. He took over the worst team in football and got them to five wins in year one and eight in year two, including that aforementioned playoff berth.

That alone should buy him more time, even if the Panthers take a step back in 2026 and do not make it back to the playoffs or win more than eight games.

Growth isn't linear, and the Panthers probably understand that. They know that they were ahead of schedule in 2025, so if they get back on the original track and backslide a bit in 2026, that probably won't be the end of the world.

Everyone's aware that this roster is still lacking talent on both sides of the ball. At best right now, Bryce Young is barely a top-half quarterback, and they have a good but not great offensive line.

On defense, they have pieces, but they still can't rush the passer whatsoever, so that's still not a winning unit, either. Point is, Canales is extremely flawed, but one could argue that he's somewhat responsible for the improvements.

If things do go awry in the near future, it will be a whole lot easier to move on from Bryce Young than Dave Canales. Neither is likely, in my opinion, but letting Young walk in free agency is easier than firing Canales prematurely.

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales with quarterback Bryce Young | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

I made the argument for why the Panthers would stick with Young for a while, and it boiled down to this: the replacement options aren't great, and the Panthers are improving, making it harder to find a quarterback.

They can always find replacement head coaches, but the improving point is key for Canales. If the team continues to improve, even if not in linear fashion, then Canales is the architect for that.

He has built the program, and he's the frontman. Unless the Panthers plan to entirely start over, then Canales is going to be here for a few more seasons at least.

They're going to continue accumulating talent and getting a better roster in the next couple of seasons, so a coaching change seems highly unlikely.

- Enjoy more free Panthers coverage with Carolina Panthers on SI -

Carolina Panthers urged to swap Xavier Legette for star wide receiver

Panthers should go after newly released star edge rusher

Carolina Panthers must lock down services of star wide receiver

Where Panthers should spend vs. where they should draft