Dave Canales' calm purpose saved the Carolina Panthers' 2024 season

Dave Canales looked like a shell of the enthusiastic figure with boundless positivity after the Carolina Panthers decided to bench quarterback Bryce Young. It was a difficult situation for everyone involved. It's not something the head coach was expecting after doing nothing but praise the No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft during the offseason. This is the tough part of his new job, but he came out on the other end smiling.

Canales believes in his process. He felt removing Young from the equation was the best thing for the team and to pick up a demoralized locker room rapidly losing faith. The vindication was immediate, with the Panthers putting in a polished display to blow away the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.

This was a huge relief for Canales. He'll know that one triumph won't matter if the Panthers revert to type in the coming weeks. Keeping everyone on an even keel while also using this success as a springboard to better days now becomes the primary objective. He thinks it's a talented football team. With Andy Dalton under center, they looked like one.

Dave Canales provided calm when the Carolina Panthers needed it most

Long-snapper J.J. Jansen, who's seen more highs and lows than anyone during his 16 years with the franchise, praised Canales for ignoring the outside noise and maintaining a sense of calm during a time when the Panthers were getting it from all angles across the media. The team's longest-serving roster member also believes his player-first approach is earning complete respect, pulling everyone in the same direction for good measure.

"One of the most important jobs of a leader is to provide calm in the storm. Dave [Canales] stayed calm in the eye of the media storm this week. He kept us focused on the preparation day to day and kept us dialed into what we needed to do as a team to win on Sunday. Dave is so positive and so encouraging. What he also loves to do is celebrate the players and their performances. It felt like he got the greatest amount of joy listing off all the individual accomplishments of our players today, of which there were many. Winning in the NFL is hard, and it's a tremendous accomplishment for him to win his first. I hope he will give himself a few minutes to really let it sink in and cherish all the things that he and his family have done to get here."

- J.J. Jansen via Panthers.com

It was a big call to bench Young. What it provided was a message to the locker room that's it not all about one guy no matter what the Panthers invested in the Heisman Trophy winner. This performance doesn't happen without the change, so it could be a genuine turning point for Canales in his quest to get this once-proud organization back to respectability.

There will be plenty of twists and turns to come. It's only one game. But every struggling team has to start somewhere.

If an experienced figure like Jansen sees what Canales is trying to do, that will transition across the locker room. Nobody is expecting the Panthers to instantly become world-beaters and challenge for the Super Bowl. But hopefully, this can provide the initial spark that ignites a talented yet confidence-sapped roster to better fortunes.

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