Dave Canales must implement bold offseason intentions amid ongoing turmoil

Dave Canales made his intentions clear upon becoming head coach. He wanted the Carolina Panthers to be a run-first offense and would be stubborn in establishing this dominance on the ground. Dan Morgan's moves in free agency - signing Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis - lent further weight to these claims.

This was a purposeful, aligned vision for the franchise. Unfortunately, it's not gonna according to plan.

There haven't been many prolonged bright spots for the Panthers this season. They are 1-4 following another demoralizing loss at the Chicago Bears in Week 5 and going nowhere fast despite another new regime coming into the fold. But amid all the doom and gloom, Chuba Hubbard remains a shining light amid the chaos.

Hubbard's been arguably Carolina's best performer this season. He almost went over 100 rushing yards once again (97) against the Bears despite getting just 13 carries. For someone so adamant the running attack would set the tone, it's been anything but so far.

Dave Canales bemoans Carolina Panthers' lack of offensive execution

Some of that is down to the Panthers being behind so much. Some of it is down to the schematic concepts and over-reliance on the passing game. Canales pointed to his offense failing to get into a rhythm when he wanted to mix things up as the factor in Week 5.

"It was a bad day on third down and it didn’t allow us to continue in the rhythm. I like trying to mix things. If I just keep running the ball they are going to play defense that way. Trying to find that mix in rhythm, not extending those drives. You get a couple of plays, you’re punting, you’re trying to find a rhythm, it gets hard. I would have loved to have made half of those third downs so we could see what this run game could have been today because I thought our guys blocked well, I thought our guys pressed the hole. To get into that flow and rhythm of it, we didn’t allow ourselves a chance to do that."

- Dave Canales via SI

Considering how well Hubbard started the game behind Carolina's much-improved offensive line, this should have been the primary method of gaining yards. Having a defense that couldn't stop anybody was playing into Canales' thought process. Even when the former fourth-round pick was vocal about generating more touches on the sideline, the head coach plowed forward with what quickly became an ineffective passing strategy with Andy Dalton under center.

This has to change, and quickly. The Panthers face a difficult run of games over the next three weeks. The Atlanta Falcons, Washington Commanders, and Denver Broncos all have early playoff ambitions. If Canales wants to be competitive, he must make the only thing that is functioning effectively the primary focal point.

Rely on Hubbard to shoulder the load. He's proven more than capable not only this season but also when he got the starting gig over Miles Sanders in 2023. Run blocking is the offensive line's strength. Utilize this more instead of trying to get too cute and prove you're the next great young offensive mind.

The Panthers don't have the talent for anything else. Focus on treading water rather than drowning first. After that, objectives can change and expectations could rise.

Run the football. Do what you promised so adamantly throughout the offseason. That makes things easier for everybody.

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