The Carolina Panthers won the NFC South, made the playoffs for the first time since 2017, and gave a fan base that has been through a lot of suffering something to celebrate.
That didn't stop Moe Moton of The Bleacher Report from putting Canales on his league-wide hot seat list, rating him at a 6 out of 10.
“Typically, head coaches coming off a playoff appearance with a team that's had little success in recent years aren't on the hot seat.”
“However, Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper can be impulsive. And even though the Panthers won the NFC South title last season, they finished with a sub-.500 record and needed help in Week 18 to win the division.”
Dave Canales' future with Carolina Panthers may still depend on Bryce Young
However, the bigger issue might not be Canales at all. It's whether quarterback Bryce Young can prove last season wasn't a fluke either.
Young threw for 3,011 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 2025 with a 63.6 percent completion rate. Those are legitimate numbers. The Panthers also exercised his fifth-year option, a $25.9 million guarantee, and general manager Dan Morgan told Adam Schein on Mad Dog Sports Radio that an extension will come "at the right time."
Sounds like progress.
But Canales handed play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Brad Idzik this offseason, a notable shift for an offense-minded head coach who built his reputation developing quarterbacks with the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Canales framed the decision as the best thing for the offense going forward, citing Idzik's continuity with the system and the players. Fair enough. The question is whether it works.
If Young regresses, Moton noted, Canales gets some of that blame regardless. An offensive head coach who's no longer calling plays still owns the results. That's the deal.
To make matters worse, the NFC South won't bail them out this time. The Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, and Buccaneers should all be better. The Panthers have made some noise this offseason, too, but the margin for error is smaller now.
Canales has done real work in Carolina. The culture has shifted, the roster is younger and more athletic, and Young is developing encouragingly despite the ongoing skeptics. But if the Panthers cannot attain a winning record next time around, questions will no doubt be asked of the current project.
Panthers fans have watched team owner David Tepper make decisions that defied logic. A step backward in 2026, especially if Young goes with it, could leave Canales' status looking increasingly shaky.
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