Watching the Carolina Panthers defense go through significant complications last season became an ongoing embarrassment. And there was nobody more disappointed than head coach Dave Canales.
Dan Morgan neglected reinforcements on the defensive side during his first offseason as general manager. Ejiro Evero didn't have the starting quality or depth pieces to implement his 3-4 base scheme effectively. Once a couple of key injuries occurred early on, there was no way to compensate.
The Panthers were bad. Historically bad. They gave up the most single-season points ever. They conceded more than 3,000 rushing yards at 179.8 per game. Generating pressure was difficult and confidence sapped to unrecognizable levels. Evero couldn't do anything to stop the rot with the limited options available.
Morgan acknowledged his part in the team's defensive failings. He's been working hard to rectify these issues with free-agent acquisitions. More help will arrive during the 2025 NFL Draft, although this comes at the expense of upgrading the weapons around quarterback Bryce Young.
Dave Canales bemoans Carolina Panthers' defensive effort during abysmal campaign
Canales highlighted something else. Something much more problematic.
The head coach told Joe Person of The Athletic that Carolina's effort on defense wasn't up to the required standard. And make no mistake, Canales will be taking a much closer eye on how the defensive players are committing themselves over the summer and when competitive action arrives.
"Chasing the ball — that needs to go way up. The effort and the style of play. I was not satisfied with the style of our defensive football, first and foremost. That is just about effort, strain and attempts on the ball. So we have to step that up. I’ll always be pushing the envelope on that."Dave Canales
Not having the talent is fair enough. Sometimes, people (or teams) are just better.
But not putting in the necessary effort is a damning indictment of how things unfolded for Evero's unit in 2024.
This won't be breaking news to anyone who followed the Panthers closely last season. They were a complete joke. They threw in the towel, sometimes even before a game had started. They were picked apart constantly and couldn't rise in the face of adversity.
It was a harsh learning curve for Canales. Evero is a respected coach who could still get a top job one day. However, he perhaps should have taken a stronger hold on the operation when standards were slipping.
A similar effort (or lack thereof) won't be tolerated next time around. The Panthers have better options and should improve depth during the draft. Evero got a lot of confidence this offseason, but the leash is tight. Any further failings won't be tolerated, so a rousing summer to get everyone up to the required standard is crucial.
Canales is confident the Panthers can make strides. However, if the defense cannot benefit from some substantial investments over the recruitment period, the ceiling remains low.
Hopefully, the high-profile signings and any pending college incomings have the desired effect. That will give the Panthers a chance to enter the NFC South title picture.