Carolina Panthers given promising outlook by former NFL general manager

Dave Canales and the Carolina Panthers are taking a journey into the unknown together this season. He's the first-time head coach with one year of play-calling experience tasked with bringing respect back to the NFL's bottom feeder. It's the toughest test imaginable, but at least the franchise is working towards a long-term plan at last.

Improvements, if they arrive, will be slow burning. There's a chance the Panthers can start well upon further examination of their 2024 schedule. Canales will be looking to generate some early momentum. Accomplish this and anything is possible.

Fans have been burned by delusional projections and poor roster evaluation compared to Carolina's adversaries around the league previously. They're taking a cautious approach this time around no matter how positive things appear. It's the football product in a competitive setting that counts. Nothing else matters.

Former NFL general manager tips Carolina Panthers to improve under Dave Canales

One respected former NFL general manager turned analyst believes the Panthers have the right foundation in place to improve. Michael Lombardi thought Canales' methods coupled with a stout defense and newfound stability would be enough for Carolina to enhance performance levels. He also believes quarterback Bryce Young is going to make strides after a rough rookie campaign in tough circumstances based on comments via the Pat McAfee Show.

"They've gotta be better than they were last year. I think Dave Canales is going to be much improved offensively. Defensively, look, this is a team that beat the Houston Texans with C.J. Stroud earlier in the year. They have good defensive talent. Now, they've made a lot of changes. They've lost [Jeremy] Chinn, [Frankie] Luvu, Brian Burns, so they're gonna have to fill in some real blanks here. But they're going to play hard for their coach and here's why. They know he's got a six-year contract. He's not going to get fired at the end of the year. They have a temperamental owner, but at least they have some stability. And I think you'll see a better effort out of them, and I don't think Bryce Young is as bad as we all suspected he was."

- Michael Lombardi

This would be a dream come true for the Panthers. Nobody is expecting them to achieve just two wins again. At the same time, nobody is expecting Canales to mount a Super Bowl challenge in Year 1 of his head coaching tenure.

If the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator can find some middle ground and get the Panthers up into the region of 6-8 wins, that's encouraging progress. Fans are dreaming bigger and rightfully so at this time of year. However, it'll be gradual progress rather than becoming this year's version of the Houston Texans.

Canales left a positive impact with his purposeful teachings and unrivaled positivity throughout his first offseason. The pressure is going to get turned up exponentially when the regular season begins. How the rookie head coach copes with this will go a long way to determining Carolina's fate in 2024.

Some position groups are stronger than others. There are concerns about depth and injuries continue to raise alarm. What's important for everyone associated with the Panthers is keeping an even keel whether things are going well or not. This also needs patience from team owner David Tepper, who's not exactly renowned for this character trait.

Fans should be ready for another rollercoaster. Embrace the journey and hopefully, Canales comes out on the other end smiling.

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