Inside Dave Canales' decision to turn over play-calling

INDIANAPOLIS — The offseason reckoning arrived early for Dave Canales. Alone with 18 games of Carolina Panthers film, the first-year head coach forced himself into the kind of blunt self-audit he conducts every winter: what worked, what failed, where talent was maximized, and where it was wasted. Somewhere amid the rewind-and-pause sessions, a single conclusion crystallized—his own voice needed to be heard less on game day. Sources close to the process say that moment of candor became the catalyst for Carolina’s most significant schematic shift of 2025: Canales will cede play-calling duties to an offensive coordinator whose identity the club will formalize once the staff restructures are complete. The move, confirmed by team officials here at the league meetings, ends the coach’s tenure as the Panthers’ primary play-caller before it ever officially began. Canales, who has never lacked confidence in his offensive vision, ultimately decided the franchise’s path forward required a broader vantage point from the sideline—one that prioritizes game-management, in-game adjustments, and overall culture-building over the weekly chess match at the line of scrimmage. The decision, described by one Panthers source as “uncomfortable but necessary,” underscores the young coach’s willingness to confront hard truths in pursuit of a sharper, more balanced attack when Carolina returns for voluntary workouts this spring.