Dave Canales opens up about Panthers' pursuit of improved run game

The Carolina Panthers brought new head coach Dave Canales in to transform the team after a two-win season under Frank Reich. While both sides of the ball need work, the offense is a major priority as Canales attempts to right the ship that is Bryce Young‘s fledgling career.

The first-year head coach said on The Season with Peter Schrager this week that “it all starts with the run game.” By improving the run game, the Panthers can have a more balanced offense, and Canales believes they’ve acquired the pieces to make that happen.

“It all starts with the run game and having (guards) Robert (Hunt) and Damien (Lewis) in there because I love our backfield,” Canales said. “Adding Jonathan (Brooks), an opportunity came to us with a really talented guy. And again, depth, talent, just keep adding key pieces. Challenge your roster.”

“That’s what this draft and this offseason was all about,” Canales added. “I feel confident that we’ll be able to have a successful run game, which, for me, opens everything else up. It helps third down, it helps move the ball and give you more opportunities.”

The Panthers added former Texas star Jonathan Brooks to the roster in the second round of the NFL Draft. Though he’s still bouncing back from injury, he figures to be an important cog in the run game this season, along with returning lead back Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders. The team ranked 20th in rushing yards per game last season, averaging 104.1 ypg, after ranking 10th in 2022.

Canales modeling Panthers’ offense on success in Seattle

Canales’ plan to improve the run game should help quarterback Bryce Young a lot. The skipper believes the team will be able to take stuff off of the former first-overall pick’s plate by adding it to the run game. His confidence that Carolina made the right choice to draft Young remains sky-high.

“I’m just excited about the talent,” Canales said. “It’s everything that we saw from over a year ago when we were doing the draft evaluation. It’s all there. It’s all still there. So it’s like, wait, the guy’s athletic. He can get the ball out quickly. He’s a leader, communicates well. Like, oh, he’s got everything we need. OK, Bryce, just do your part, do your 1/11th, do your quarterback part, you’re the point guard, and then, we’ll everybody else do all there’s, and we can dissolve the pressure of ‘you’ve got lead, you’ve got to do this’ and all that. ‘You’re the one.’

“No, that’s just not true. I have not seen that model of football work and win. In Seattle, we didn’t put it all on (Russell Wilson‘s) plate. So that’s not the model we’re going to try to create in Carolina.”

Carolina is holding training camp in Charlotte this year. It will be the first opportunity for fans to see both Xavier Legette, the 2024 first-round selection, and Brooks on the field together with Bryce Young.