The 2024 Panthers season has come to an end.
The Carolina Panthers finished with a 5-12 record. Was it a successful season? Yes, it was.
Ron Rivera was fired in 2019 with a 5-7 record and replaced by Matt Rhule. Then Rhule won five games in each of his two full seasons as a head coach.
So what makes this Dave Canales season different? He had one main job – build an exciting offense for the future based around the quarterback. After Frank Reich’s two wins in 2023, the win-loss column was not of high importance.
Canales came in last January with a reputation as a quarterback guru. He had played a part in resurrecting Geno Smith’s career at Seattle in 2022 as the quarterback coach, and followed that up with Baker Mayfield at Tampa Bay in 2023 as offensive coordinator.
His job in Carolina was simple; do the same with Bryce Young! The number one overall pick struggled mightily in his rookie year.
Bryce, Bryce, baby
While Canales came under criticism from fans early in the season for his so-called ‘expert’ offensive play calling, the job done in developing the offense cannot be understated.
Taking a struggling two-win team to five wins as a first-year head coach is a great place to start. But more so, making Bryce Young go from being dubbed ‘the worst number one draft pick in history’ in September to being ranked as one of the league’s best in December is an incredible feat.
Young was benched after Week 2 and his time in Carolina seemed to be over. But sitting behind veteran Andy Dalton for five games was arguably a stroke of genius by Canales.
Finishing off as the starter for the final 10 games of the season, Young was responsible for four wins – double that of 2023 – with performances and stats among the best in the league.
The 2024 season really got started from Week 12 after narrow victories in Weeks 9 and 10 improved the win total to three.
The following three weeks all resulted in defeat, but extremely narrow defeats and outstanding performances against some of the best teams in the league in Kansas City and Philadelphia, as well as an overtime defeat to Tampa Bay.
Despite the losses, these performances really turned heads and made people realise Young’s abilities.
Pieces in place
This upcoming offseason should be easier to continue building the offense with the confidence they have their quarterback of the future, something they have looked for since 2019.
With rookie receivers Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker, as well as rookie tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, Canales has a lot of exciting young pieces already.
Not to mention one of the top running backs in Chuba Hubbard, veteran receiver Adam Thielen and a strong offensive line.
With one or two more pieces, Canales has a real shot of making this offense thrive.
