Tag: dave canales

What Dave Canales said after Carolina Panthers can’t capitalize vs. 49ers

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Dave Canales opened his postgame press conference Monday night disappointed but resolute.

“Just a game of missed opportunities,” the Carolina Panthers’ head coach said before being prompted by any question.

He’s right.

The Panthers fell to the San Francisco 49ers on the road, 20-9, despite seeing their defense earn three interceptions in the first half — two of which yielded the ball on the good side of the 50-yard line. The loss, in a more general sense, also represented a larger missed opportunity: The Panthers remain a half-game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South; a win could’ve awarded them sole possession of the division lead for the first time in a long time.

Monday’s loss in the ESPN spotlight came by vice of a regression from quarterback Bryce Young, who finished 18 of 29 for 169 yards and one touchdown and two interceptions. It also wasn’t helped by a rushing attack that felt underused: Rico Dowdle only notched six rushes — and still earned 38 yards, 6.3 yards per carry — and Chuba Hubbard only ran it thrice for 16 yards.

And that’s not to mention the powerhouse performance that San Francisco running back (and former Panthers star) Christian McCaffrey ended up delivering. How good was he? He finished with 24 carries for 89 yards and one touchdown rushing and added on seven receptions for 53 yards receiving. Another ho-hum, 142-yards-from-scrimmage day.

Canales expounded on all of this and more postgame. Here’s a recap of what he had to say.

Head coach Dave Canales of the Carolina Panthers looks on in the second quarter of Monday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. Jed Jacobsohn Getty Images

Dave Canales’ opening statement

“Just a game of missed opportunities. Our defense was putting us in some great situations with the interceptions and not coming away with points. Having an interception on one of those things really hurt us. Some basic things: a couple of penalties put us in long drives, a drop on third down, it really just comes down to fundamental execution, and things that were moving in the right direction, but we didn’t take that step today that I was looking for collectively as a group.

“The defense battled. And they kept us in it, gave us some opportunities there, and then we turned it over again at the end with an opportunity to make the game close there at the end.”

On play-call from the 1-yard line to throw instead of run

“It was a great action. (Young) had Mitch (Evans) open in the back half. And there’s an option he can take off and run it into the front pylon. He saw Mitch, and right when he turns back in, they had a defender on the edge who popped out and intercepted. (The defender) made a great play on the ball. But we’ve been running the ball there in that situation. I felt like we had another chance to run it if we didn’t get the completion on that role. But I like the call. It was an aggressive call that we had opportunities on, and unfortunately came out with an interception.”

On if Tommy Tremble and Evans were supposed to be in the same vicinity: “I haven’t gotten a clear (look). I will be able to tell you more about that once I look at the film. … No, (they’re) not to be in the same area.”

Why only 9 carries by Panthers running backs?

“I just felt like building off what happened last week, and just taking a step forward with the pass game, I saw some opportunities. We were protecting pretty well, as far as pass protection goes. And it just felt like we didn’t come away with our opportunities consistently enough early on. And then in the second half, at a certain point, when the score becomes what it is, it’s like, ‘OK, we’re in a two-score game, we gotta move it a little bit here and throw the ball around.’ And we had some measure of success that way. And the run game seemed to be hitting pretty good. But it was trying to take advantage: They were playing some loaded boxes. They did a good job with their disguises in some of those areas too.”

Head coach Dave Canales of the Carolina Panthers reacts in the second quarter of Monday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. Jed Jacobsohn Getty Images

How 49ers were able to take away Panthers tight ends

“Again, at a glance, I thought we had some opportunities and some one-on-one matchups outside. And we made some. But not consistent enough.”

How much did lopsided time of possession — 22:18 to 37:42 — play a factor into injuries on the field?

“I don’t know how much of a factor it was that way. But I know they did a great job making first downs and finding early successes on third down. They took the ball down the field on third downs. They were pretty much perfect in that area. And we did a really solid job against the run game. But as the game goes on, and because we weren’t able to sustain drives offensively, we were leaving our defense out there a long time. And they started making extra yards after that with two good solid backs.”

What happened with Jaycee Horn’s head injury?

“It didn’t present as a head injury initially. And then once he came in for the half, that’s when it started to really materialize, so when he came out, and he was feeling nauseous and all that, those are signs that our training staff took and said, ‘OK, we gotta make sure we do a further evaluation on that.’”

Decision to go for 57-yard field goal late in fourth quarter

“If we could get it past the 40 and give Ryan (Fitzgerald) to get a field goal there, kick them back deep. We had timeouts, so let’s see if we can get a stop, which our defense ended up getting a stop after that. So the goal was to do that, get the ball back and see if we can go down to tie it up.”

On Tre’Von Moehrig hitting Jauan Jennings low, leading to postgame scuffle

“I’ll get to the bottom of that. I want to see what exactly happened. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Tre about that yet. As you know, we’ve just been kind of talking to the team and wrapping up the day. But that’ll be a conversation I’ll dig into. … I’ll talk to him tonight. And I’ll have a chance right now to look at the film and see what happened.”

On Bryce Young’s struggles vs. 49ers

“The full group’s execution, and just making sure we’re on the same page with the calls that are coming in and out. The timing and rhythm. Making sure he’s getting his throws off the right way. Making sure guys are running the right routes at the right depth. Those are all the things that we’re just hammering on as a group. And we gotta make sure we regroup quickly this week and get to the bottom of the execution part of it.”

Head coach Dave Canales of the Carolina Panthers and quarterback Bryce Young speak with side judge Lo van Pham in the second quarter of Monday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. Jed Jacobsohn Getty Images

On falling short on prime time stage

“We just have to be able to carry our execution regardless of where it’s at, what time it’s played, who the opponent is. We have to focus on those things and make sure that we come out of the game with good football. And I didn’t think we did that collectively. There were spots. There was some really good football played in areas, but certainly from an offensive standpoint with the penalties, putting us into some bad situations on some first-and-20s, and things like that, it gets harder. So those are some of the things we’re talking about. And just the basics of it: the blocking, throwing and catching, the things we have to come back to and improve.”

How confident do you feel in your ability to handle situational football, as well as play-calling?

“I have a lot of good help, but again this is a collective thing, and it starts with me, and I have to make sure we’re all taking that information and making it come alive. And having a good attack. … I gotta do whatever it takes to make sure they’re ready to go, and we have a modified week this week. So we have to be able to take the lessons from this and move on quickly. We have everything still right in front of us. We have to understand that. But the only way we’re going to make it happen is by playing good, fundamental football.”

Alex Zietlow

The Charlotte Observer

Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the Pro Football Writers Association, the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) group. He’s earned six APSE Top 10 distinctions for his coverage on a variety of topics, from billion-dollar stadium renovations to the small moments of triumph that helped a Panthers kicker defy the steepest odds in sports. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22.
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November 24, 2025
Carolina Panthers take massive win over Green Bay Packers. Dave Canales reacts

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Bryce Young threw an early interception in the end zone.

The offensive line battled even more injury attrition.

Mike Jackson dropped a potential pick six.

Rico Dowdle earned an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after a touchdown that cost the team an extra point and changed the complexion of the game.

And yet, somehow, the nearly two-touchdown-underdog Carolina Panthers surprised one of the best teams in the NFL on Sunday, defeating the Green Bay Packers, 16-13 — thanks to great defense and a final drive that was punctuated by a 49-yard kick from rookie Ryan Fitzgerald as time expired.

The win moved the Panthers to 5-4. The Packers fell to 5-2-1.

Young finished Sunday’s contest 11 of 20 for 102 yards and an interception. That added up to a 48.3 passer rating. Still, in one of the toughest environments in football, he led his ninth game-winning touchdown drive — his ninth in 11 total NFL wins — and earned his third win on the road in his career.

Dowdle finished Sunday with 25 rushes for 130 yards and two touchdowns against one of the best rush defenses in the league. Young’s favorite receiver on the day was Tetairoa McMillan, who finished with four catches for 46 yards and came up with a big first down on the final drive.

The defense, meanwhile, forced two turnovers — one a forced fumble by linebacker Christian Rozeboom collected by safety Nick Scott, the other an interception from Tre’Von Moehrig — and held the Packers to 1-of-5 in the red zone.

Head coach Dave Canales answered to the Panthers’ imperfect and confusingly delightful day on Sunday in his postgame press conference. Here’s a recap of what he said.

Opening statement

“Unbelievable finish. And it took all three phases: just like we imagined, just like we pictured it. First and foremost, just the grit in our guys and in our group to keep a battling against a team that was moving the ball well.

“But the defense to come out 1 for 5 in the red zone is a big deal for us. Offensively, we had their first early interception; ball kind of got hung up in the wind, it felt like. It definitely was a factor in the things in the choices that we were making in this stadium.

“But again, the run game came alive. There was some balance. And the critical, obviously, the critical two-minute drive there at the end, really with the mix of run and pass to try to get it done there. So I’m really proud of this group. And again, there’s stuff to look at. There’s stuff to say, ‘OK, we gave up some big plays in some different scenarios. And offensively, you know, we missed some opportunities as well.’

“So, I think a lot to learn from. But again, just building in the confidence of this group to believe: If we play our style of ball and keep ourselves in it, we’ll give ourselves a chance to finish the way we want to.”

Was choosing to take the ball first on the opening kickoff related to the wind at all?

“Yeah, I got to give a lot of props to (special teams coordinator) Tracy Smith. He and I were talking before the game, and he was like, ‘If we if we take the ball, we can set ourselves up to have the ball with the wind to our backs to finish the game, to give us an opportunity.’ And it played out just like that. It was unbelievable. But it took all of us doing right to make it happen. So it was a little bit of a change from what we normally do. We’d normally defer in that situation, but the wind was a factor in that decision.”

On how the defense performed so well in Green Bay

“Yeah, it was execution, and it was putting pressure on the quarterback. When he did have time, he hurt us on a couple of balls down the field, and when we put pressure on him, he let the ball out early. Mike (Jackson) had an opportunity there at the end, on that fourth down in the red zone, you know, to make it a little less interesting. I would have liked to see how far he could go on that one right there. But it was all the guys working together, attacking our rush plan, all that, and then just coming up with those opportunities. (Rozeboom) with the punch out early on. That’s a huge one you talk about. You know that that early drive in the game. Just really proud of these guys.”

On quarterback Bryce Young’s day

“I think the best part of it was he functioned so well, and he anticipated. He operated quickly. This is a group that we really respect defensively-speaking with their pass rush and the challenges that we knew they were going to present to us. And Bryce did a magnificent job of getting the ball out in rhythm. You get one hitch, and that ball better come out. But it was good to see him move around, pick up a couple of first downs with his legs as well. And that’s just a tribute to him being aggressive, knowing when to hold him, knowing when I got to go, and being decisive. Really, really helped us there.”

Despite all mistakes, you still beat the Packers. What does that say about your team?

“They’re resilient, and we’re learning to trust and have confidence. At the same time, we’d like to do better. We got to do better in those situations, especially in a tight game like this. We put ourselves in a hard spot. There was a thought to try to go for two there. We’d have been somewhere around the 16- or 17-yard line. I think on the two-point. The odds aren’t great from that spot right there.

“But we knew we had that headwind on the kick, so I decided to go with the kick, and it came up short right there. So that was a kind of a split decision I had to make right there.”

Ryan Fitzgerald of the Carolina Panthers celebrates with teammates after kicking the game-winning field goal during the fourth quarter Sunday at Lambeau Field. Patrick McDermott Getty Images

On Rico Dowdle’s 19-yard run on final drive that put Panthers in field goal range

“It was not a check. That was a called play. They were loading the box up, but they were pretty thinned out in terms of how they rushed. I got to give the O-line props for handling the movement. That’s the hardest part. If you’re going to run the ball on (passing downs), you have to be ready for the exotic looks and, you know, with guys standing up in different spots. And then after that it’s Rico, just hitting it hard and finding a little daylight and really flipping the field for us right there.”

On Rico Dowdle’s day in general

“That’s from carry one, it was attitude. It was aggression and violence at the end of it. And it really does affect the group. It affects the whole sideline. When they see that kind of energy and that kind of violence, it gives them confidence and it’s who we want to be. And so just really loved what he was able to do.”

On Jake Curhan coming in and stepping up for injured offensive line

“Jake and I were together in Seattle. So he’s got a lot of familiarity with our run game, our pass protection philosophy and how we handle things. He’s a very sharp guy, and he’s got a lot of versatility. I’ve seen him play all but center, really, I think in the time that I’ve been around him. So to be able to pick him up from Arizona’s practice squad a couple of weeks ago was huge for me because it gives us another veteran player that allows us to have the continuity for when things happen. And he did a great job going in there and executing with the guys.”

On Rico Dowdle’s celebration that cost the penalty

“I didn’t see it, so I just I heard about it. They’re jogging off the field, and they’re happy about the touchdown. We have to do better. We got to put ourselves in position right there to make it more challenging. We can’t give the opponent anything, especially a good opponent like this. Any margin that you give them can come back to hurt you. “

How big is this win for the program you’re developing?

“It’s huge because it just comes down to the fundamentals and basics of football. It’s tackling, it’s blocking, it’s executing. And to get into this type of environment, this is a special place. The fans are unbelievable, and this is a really good team. And we understood all the things that what it was going to take for us to take for us to have a chance to win this game: it was doing right longer, and that’s our mentality.

“And that’s also the things that we have to capture. Can we capture this style of football? It didn’t show up for us last week. It showed up for us today. To get back to our basics and execute. These are the things that you need to know, what to expect when we get into close games like this.”

On the Panthers trying to limit the Packers’ big-play ability

“That’s two weeks now, really, of playing quarterbacks who have the ability to extend the play with a really talented skill group and making sure that we stay connected to guys all the way through the down. Even on the fourth down. I’ve seen that play go the other way. Jordan love kind of rears back, throws it across the field, and Mike Jack had the presence of mind to stay with his guy on that one, and could have come up with a big interception. But either way, he was in the right spot at the right time. And so having the carryover from one week to the next, in the emphasis plaster, stay connected to your guys, really prepared us for this.”

On Ryan Fitzgerald’s resilience for nailing winner after missing first kick

“I just love his confidence to get back out there give us a chance: with the challenge and the wind at his face and all of a sudden you have it at your back. A big moment. Crowd is as loud as it was all day, and to have the focus to hit that one. We trusted in him to do it, and we got down there. I don’t know if we had much of a choice, but Ryan just has the same kind of ability. He bounces back, he learns lessons, he stacks and he just continues to improve.”

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Alex Zietlow

The Charlotte Observer

Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) group. He’s earned five APSE Top 10 distinctions, most recently in the Long Features category in 2024. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22.
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November 2, 2025
What Dave Canales said about Bryce Young’s health, Jaycee Horn’s massive day

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The Carolina Panthers gritted out a 13-6 win over the New York Jets on the road thanks to a two-interception day from Jaycee Horn, a turnover-free performance from the offense and a close-to-flawless day on special teams.

Still, there was a lot to talk about postgame.

The most pressing matter had to do with the health of starting quarterback Bryce Young, who exited the game in the third quarter with an ankle injury and didn’t return thereafter. He was replaced by Andy Dalton, who brought the ship to shore with a solid performance — which included a deep, game-clinching pass to Xavier Legette on third-and-8 late in the contest.

Young finished 15 of 25 for 138 yards and one touchdown passing, and added 10 yards rushing. Starting running back Chuba Hubbard finished with 31 yards on 14 carries, and backup Rico Dowdle finished with 17 carries for 79 yards. Legette led all receivers in targets (11), receptions (9), receiving yards (92) and touchdowns (1).

On defense, defensive lineman Derrick Brown, safety Nick Scott and Christian Rozeboom led the team with seven tackles each. Brown notched two of the team’s six sacks on the day. Others getting a sack: Nic Scourton (1.5), Tre’Von Moehrig (1), A’Shawn Robinson (1) and Princely Umanmielen (0.5).

Here is head coach Dave Canales, who addressed all of this after the win in his postgame presser.

Oct 19, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales looks on in the first quarter against the Carolina Panthers at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images Robert Deutsch Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Opening statement from Dave Canales

“(The Jets) were an aggressive group, and the guys challenged us in every way you could think of: in the pass game, with the pressures, in the run game, all those things. So I gotta just tip my hat to them. We’re grinding it out, just trying to find solutions, find yards. Andy was able to come in there, get a critical third down for us. Xavier with the big day, just all the hard work paying off.

“And then of course you just can’t say enough about the defense, coming away with six sacks, a couple of interceptions there, and just really playing excellent football all the way through the game.”

Update on the condition of Bryce Young

“We’re evaluating him for the right ankle, so we’re taking in all the information, and we’re going to look at him when we get home some more and see where we’re at. …

“(It happened) on that long third down, was trying to get out of trouble there and got caught up a little bit. So we’ll update you as soon as we have more information.”

How the carry distribution with Rico Dowdle, Chuba Hubbard went

“It came out just how we thought it would. We just switched some series and let those guys go out there and play some football for us. We’re able to find some yards in different ways, some screens, some different things like that. As they were trying to make things difficult, we were able to get the ball on the edge a couple of times with Rico in there. So I just thought it was a good day of both guys running physically, running aggressive, and it ended up paying off for us.”

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales looks on during warmups prior to the game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium Oct. 19, 2025 Robert Deutsch Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

On Jaycee Horn’s performance: 2 second-half interceptions

“Yeah, just clutch play, doing right, doing right longer, and that’s our definition of finish and putting himself in position to make those plays. It’s really just his ability, his ball skills to be able to come up with those plays was huge for us. It gave us a chance to put it away two drives before the end, really, with the interceptions.

“But the defense just showed up collectively. Princely is another guy that just showed up for us today, and got banged up a little bit, and went back out there and finished. And I thought, ‘What a great step for him,’ just telling the team how much this means to him, to be out there and be available for the guys.”

If Bryce Young can’t go next week, how does offense change with Andy Dalton?

“We’ll look at it. We’ll look at all that, and see what the best version of us is. But right now, it’s running the football, and Andy can handle all those things. The pass game, the reps, the time on task with the group that we have: We got to stay within our core of our system. And you know, Andy’s fully involved in all that. So if he does play that, that’ll be the mode.”

Young has been quite durable. Does that speak to this injury’s severity?

“We’ll see. We’ll look at all the information. We’ll make sure we trust our docs and get the full evaluation, and we’ll go from there.”

On the absence of Damien Lewis and the offensive line’s depth

“I think the (shoulder) injury happened on Thursday, and we started trying to mobilize (his shoulder). We just couldn’t get a strength back to a point where we felt safe about playing, putting him out there.

“The beautiful timing of Austin Corbett coming back. I got to watch the film, but you know, first impression is that Austin did a great job just continuing to allow us to play our style of offense.”

What it means to have a winning record at this point in the season

“We just take it one game at a time. We celebrate the win, celebrate the heck out of it just now. The resilience of this group, the focus, the toughness to finish when we needed it, guys making plays on the offense, on special teams. I thought Trevor Etienne did an excellent job today, fielding the ball and making some yards out of that. So he handled all those punts great, which was such a good thing.

“And then, of course, for example, to come through on a one on one opportunity, they challenged us all game and to make the play when we had a chance, it was huge.”

On Bryce Young’s day prior to the injury

“He was doing excellent. Throwing in rhythm, making sure we’re getting to the right runs based on the looks and all those things. He’s been just continuing to build off of that, just feeling confident about our process and being able to push our football forward. So he’s been doing a great job.”

More on Jaycee Horn’s day, plus some thoughts on Mike Jackson

“It was huge, just from a standpoint of guys expecting their teammates to show up and make big plays. Just the excitement and the energy that brought the sideline for him to come up with both of those interceptions in critical situations.

“And Mike Jackson had a couple of really beautiful plays on a one-on-one go ball down the field in the end zone, and then an end cut, you know, a little bit later on the last drive — really close to picking that ball off. And then we had kind of a ‘tie goes to the runner’ situation on the sideline where they got a first down. He had both hands on it. He’s trying to pull the ball away. So I thought those guys just played excellent together today.”

Was it gratifying to see Trevor Etienne play well as a returner?

Etienne finished Sunday with three punt returns for 35 yards and one kick return for 45.

“Absolutely. Just working on his craft every day. What is my next step? And the next step was fielding those punts cleanly. If we find yards, great. Good. But if we catch them all, we save a lot of yards. And he did an excellent job today with that.”

On defense’s clutch fourth quarter

“Again, just great for the players to feel every phase, doing their part. Special teams, covering the kicks, returning the ball, getting us positive gains there. Offensively, making yards, making first downs. Third down: it was a little bit of a rough day for us on third down, but we found some good completions early on to move the chains, to give us chances. But I just love the fact that when everybody has a chance to affect the game, and they do, the trust factor and the confidence of the group takes a step and grows.”

‘Really proud of the group’

“I cannot leave this podium without, again, just talking about the Jets. (Defensive coordinator) coach (Steve) Wilks and just the job that they did, and our guys to have the resilience to take care of the football was a big deal today, especially with the challenges that we were presented so really proud of the group and the way we finished.”

Final question on Bryce Young: How did you find out about the injury?

“It was all the trainers just doing their job of evaluating him and being able to say whether he could get back out there and put, you know, force on that ankle and change directions and do the things we need him to do within our scheme. And it just felt like we couldn’t get him back out there soon enough. And we’ll give you more information as we gather information. … Again, I won’t give any specifics. I don’t have the specifics right now, so I think we’re just going to have to just do our evaluation.”

This story was originally published October 19, 2025 at 5:35 PM.

Alex Zietlow

The Charlotte Observer

Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) group. He’s earned five APSE Top 10 distinctions, most recently in the Long Features category in 2024. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22.
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October 19, 2025
Panthers made some franchise history in win over Cowboys. Dave Canales reacts

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Three home games. Three wins.

And on Sunday afternoon for the Carolina Panthers? Two other bits of franchise history.

The Panthers notched a thrilling win, 30-27, over the Dallas Cowboys in Bank of America Stadium. The victory came thanks to some newly furnished explosiveness on offense, a timely stop by the defense and the unshakeable resolve of their kicking unit — one that was put in the spotlight on that final, game-winning field goal from Ryan Fitzgerald.

The win makes the Panthers undefeated at home through three games.

And onto the history:

The win raises their record to 3-3 — the first time the Panthers have been at .500 since Week 10 of the 2021 season, the same game Cam Newton returned to the Panthers and scored a touchdown his first play from scrimmage, which was memorialized with some signature phrasing: “I’m backkkkk!”

It also featured a franchise-best performance by one of the team’s emerging stars. Running back Rico Dowdle notched 239 scrimmage yards, the most ever of any Panther, supplanting Christian McCaffrey. He finished with 183 rushing yards on 30 attempts, and added four receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown through the air.

Head coach Dave Canales reacted to all such history — and more — in the statement-of-a-win. Here’s a recap of his postgame press conference:

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales, center, questions a call during action against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, October 12, 2025 at Bank of America Stadium. The Panthers defeated the Cowboys 30-27. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com

Opening statement

“At the end of the day, it’s what do you do with the last possession? The defense, you know, gave up some yards. And Dak Prescott, George Pickens, had a great day. I give the Cowboys a lot of credit for the offense that they produced today.

“But the defense came through for us when we needed it. And to give us the ball back, give us another chance to get down there, get into field goal range right there, and for Ryan to hit that his first career game winner was amazing. It just ties the whole group, and everybody had to do their part right here at the end to win this game. So I’m so proud the way the team keeps coming together to find good football when we need it.”

Rico Dowdle had another monster game. Any extra motivation playing Cowboys?

“Just looked like the same guy last week, ran with violence, had a plan, a man on a mission. He wants to make yards, and really just take our schemes and make them come alive. He’d be up here, first thing he would say is give credit to the offensive lineman tight ends for blocking the wide receivers involved in all that to create another successful day on the on the ground. But he’s human. I’m sure there are emotions coming from the former team and all that. So I will acknowledge that part of it, but I didn’t see a difference from what he did last week. I just saw great execution and great attitude.”

On Bryce Young’s day

“I thought he was great, you know, better and better, just in terms of the the communication with the guys, it’s a lot of hard work. These guys have been working together, working on things in practice, you know, as we continue to challenge the group and they took to that, you know.

“We had to take a couple of timeouts there at the end. There were some substitution things. I had to make a really critical decision to use those timeouts to make sure that we were settled so we could have our best group out there for the concepts that we had practiced. And I don’t want to use those timeouts in that situation. But for me, it felt like I needed to settle to settle the group in. Let’s get our best call. And then we ended up executing them.”

On the resilence of Tetairoa McMilan, who was in on an INT but also two TDs

“He’s a really focused player, and he just goes to the next play. High-confidence player who knows he’s going to make that play. And the catch was a little bit away from him, I’ve seen him make that. He’ll be the first one to tell you, I can make that play, you know. And the Cowboys turned that around and, you know, got a big gain off of the interception. But get the guy down and just give us one more chance, you know, see if we can affect them and keep them and keep them out of the end zone.

“But the way that he just responded, the way he bounced back: This is time on task. This is conversation between him and Bryce all throughout this season of just fine tuning the different routes and the landmark were expected to be at how we adjust on things. And that really showed up on two plays that we’ve been working on, that those guys have been talking about: ‘If they play this I want you to respond this way. If they play this one, find space here.’ And that’s the type of chemistry that we have to continue to grow.”

On Panthers being .500 for first time since November 2021

“It’s a group commitment to the process. And the way that we practice, the way that we study, the way that we talk to each other, the type of effort that we ask for — it leads to good results. And there’s gotta be a trust in this process. A belief that it will lead to good things if you just show up and give us everything you have when you walk into these doors. That’s what we’re looking for: progress. … Being able to come away with a full team win right there was amazing, and it allows me to just double-down on the fact that this process works.”

Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales gives Carolina Panthers kicker Ryan Fitzgerald a hug after his game winning kick at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., on Sunday, October 12, 2025. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com

Checking in with Ryan Fitzgerald before his game-winner

“Honestly, just the normal course of action for me is I don’t really typically go and check with the kickers as they‘re going out onto the field. I’m kind of just collecting my thoughts about what happened. What’s the scenario? You know, there are a lot of conversations happening. Just want to give him his space to be locked in. And he came through for us in a big way today.”

On the possession right before halftime

“Going into the locker room. We tried to mess that up. We talked to Xavier about the lateral right there, in that situation, it’s just something that’s outside of what we need to do. I think actually, Rico was calling for the ball. So Rico kind of came up to me and was like, ‘Coach, that was on me.’ So I just, like, ‘Guys, don’t make stuff up. Let’s just play our football. Let’s just advance the ball. Get us into a better field goal situation so we can take advantage of the plays that led into it.’

“It was a good way for me to just remind the group: just do your job. It’ll be enough. And if they beat us, they make great plays. George Pickens makes an amazing play. Today, we got to give them credit where credit is due. The defense made it hard on us at the end. And we had a three and out right there right before the touchdown drive, you know. And Dallas’s defense made some adjustments and made it hard for us right there. But we just have to continue to execute the little things over and over.”

Who told Trevor Etienne to get down on that final play?

“Bryce was all over it. We had a timeout somewhere in there. Dallas called timeout. Came over. He was like, you know, ‘OK, I’m telling these guys, first down, get down. This is something we practice. Coach George Lee presents us with different scenarios in our walkthroughs, where we get to hit our two-minute situations and a half in the game, and also four minute situation just like that. We practiced that two weeks ago, getting into a four minute situation where this is a first down, get down type of deal.

“And Trevor came off the field and said, ‘The next time that happens, you guys are gonna have to run off the field and tackle me, because I really would like to score my first touchdown.’ But it was well executed. It was well blocked. He got down. Gave us a chance to run the clock out and then win the game, lock out.”

Alex Zietlow

The Charlotte Observer

Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) group. He’s earned five APSE Top 10 distinctions, most recently in the Long Features category in 2024. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22.
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October 12, 2025
Bryce Young, Rico Dowdle help Panthers rally from 17 points down to beat Dolphins 27-24 :: WRALSportsFan.com

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By STEVE REED, AP Sports Writer

CHARLOTTE. N.C. — CHARLOTTE. N.C. (AP) — Bryce Young threw a go-ahead, 4-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell Evans with 1:59 remaining, Rico Dowdle ran for 206 yards and a score, and the Carolina Panthers overcame a 17-point first-half deficit to beat the Miami Dolphins 27-24 on Sunday.

Young completed 19 of 30 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns after turning the ball over on Carolina’s first two possessions, leading to two touchdown passes by Tua Tagovailoa and a 17-0 Miami lead.

Making his first start for the Panthers, Dowdle matched the second-highest rushing total in franchise history.

The Panthers (2-3) remained unbeaten at home and equaled a franchise record with their 17-point comeback. Carolina improved to 4-117 (including playoffs) when trailing by 17 or more.

Tagovailoa finished 27 of 36 for 256 yards with TD passes to De’Von Achane, Darren Waller and Jaylen Waddle in Miami’s first game since Tyreek Hill sustained a season-ending knee injury.

The Panthers took the lead midway through the fourth quarter on a 1-yard TD run by Dowdle, but Tagovailoa answered quickly with a 46-yard touchdown pass to Waddle to put the Dolphins ahead 24-20 with 4:50 left.

The Panthers responded with an impressive drive sparked Young’s 17-yard pass to rookie Jimmy Horn on fourth-and-5. Evans’ TD catch was his second score in two games.

The Dolphins (1-4) had a chance to retake the lead, but Patrick Jones II sacked Tagovailoa for a 7-yard loss on third-and-10. Miami coach Mike McDaniel elected to punt with 1:10 left.

On Carolina’s ensuing drive, Miami’s Jack Jones was flagged for pass interference on Hunter Renfrow on a third-down play, giving Carolina a game-sealing first down.

The Dolphins were held to 19 yards rushing, and Tagovailoa was sacked three times.

The momentum changed late in the second quarter when Young found struggling wide receiver Xavier Legette for a 7-yard touchdown strike to cut the lead to 17-7. Legette had come into the game with just 8 yards receiving on four catches this season and had sat out the last two games with a hamstring injury.

A field goal by Ryan Fitzgerald on the final play of the half got Carolina within 17-10. Dowdle’s 53-yard burst set up another field goal to open the second half.

Dowdle, a free-agent pickup from Dallas, also had a 43-yard run. He came within 5 yards of breaking the franchise single-game rushing record held by DeAngelo Williams.

Dolphins: Host the Los Angeles Chargers next Sunday.

Panthers: Host Dallas next Sunday.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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October 5, 2025
Panthers hit crisis mode after loss, with Dave Canales as ‘common denominator’

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FOXBOROUGH, Mass.

The Carolina Panthers are a very bad football team.

Occasionally, they push this fact to the background with an unusually adept performance, akin to a blind squirrel finding an acorn. But then reality bites, as it did on Sunday, when they went to New England and got walloped, 42-13, by the Patriots.

New England (2-2) is a long way removed from the Super Bowl Belichick-Brady juggernauts, but the Patriots scored 42 — 42! — unanswered points in a game that made Carolina head coach Dave Canales call everything he was doing into question.

Said Canales of Carolina’s performance, which he noted was poor in all aspects: “When it happens in all phases, I’m the common denominator, and I have to take responsibility for that. I have to make sure I’m pushing the guys the right way. I have to evaluate what we’re doing, how we’re working, how we’re preparing our guys. I felt confident about that part. But we’re not getting the results.”

You can say that again. And to Canales’ credit, he did. Several times.

Carolina (1-3) threw in a sweet mirage last week — clobbering Atlanta, 30-0, in a remarkably error-free game. But after one week of renting a Ferrari, the Panthers were back driving their 1976 Ford Pinto on Sunday, and it all went about as well as that very same car performed when I had one as a teenager.

Panthers owner David Tepper walked by me in the tunnel headed toward Carolina’s locker room after the game. He did not look happy. Nor did anyone else in that locker room after this blowout, which could bring about major changes within hours (some similar losses have in the past) but, more than likely, won’t.

New England Patriots running back Treveyon Henderson (32) scores a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers during the first half at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA., on Sunday, Sep 28, 2025 Brian Fluharty Imagn Images

Canales, for instance, said after the game that quarterback Bryce Young would start next week at home against Miami, that he didn’t anticipate making any staff changes at the moment and that he also didn’t think he was going to give up calling plays.

The Carolina players looked like they had just taken their worst loss of the season, which they had. Said Panthers safety Nick Scott: “Guys are pissed off…. Guys are angry. Guys are upset. You put a lot into this game, and this happens. I mean, it’s embarrassing.”

And yet no one (outside of Panthers fans at least) was publicly asking for an alteration in the status quo.

Said Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard, when asked what needed to change: “We’re not going to change anything. We’re just going to keep working hard. I mean, I think in times like this, everyone can be like, ‘Oh, do this. Do that.’ But I think we just have to stick to our process and just continue building off that. So we’re not changing anything.”

With all due respect, that’s not going to work. We have seen that it doesn’t work. Repeatedly.

New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) runs the ball while Carolina Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson (2) defends during the first half at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA., on Sunday, Sep 28, 2025. Diggs burned the Panthers for 101 yards receiving. Bob DeChiara Imagn Images

Some things have got to change. Maybe the coaching staff needs to be shaken up. Maybe Young — ineffective except for his first drive and now 1-15 as a starter in NFL road games — needs an Andy Dalton reset like he got last year. Maybe Canales needs to be more of a CEO head coach and relinquish playcalling.

And believe me, Canales’ job isn’t totally safe, either, if this team keeps losing big and losing often. Although Tepper has repeatedly and quietly preached patience with the second-year head coach, the owner has also fired three Carolina head coaches in the middle of three previous NFL seasons (Ron Rivera, Matt Rhule and Frank Reich) and installed interim head coaches.

Carolina has two winnable games coming up next at home in Charlotte, against Miami and Dallas. If the Panthers lose both of those, too, and drop to 1-5? All bets are off.

Canales is now 6-15 as a head coach for Carolina. Young is 7-25 as a starter. Tepper is 37-83 as the team’s owner, but he’s not going anywhere. A lot of other people will, though, if this continues.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) slips and falls under preasure from New England Patriots defensive end Milton Williams (97) and linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson (44) during the first half at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA., on Sunday, Sep 28, 2025. New England scored 42 straight points after an early Panthers lead and won, 42-13. Brian Fluharty Imagn Images

It’s hard to believe now, but the Panthers actually prompted some New England fans to start booing early in the game. After taking the opening kickoff, the Panthers marched right down the field on one of their best drives of the last several seasons. They didn’t even face a third down as they rolled to one substantial gain after another, ending the march with Young’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Tommy Tremble to take a 6-0 lead.

“Booooo!” yelled a number of Patriot fans, already disgruntled.

And then it all disintegrated.

The problems started slowly, as Carolina’s previously perfect rookie placekicker Ryan Fitzgerald doinked the extra point off the left upright. No good.

After a New England punt, Carolina had a chance to extend its lead. But after moving to the Patriots 45, on third-and-10, Canales inexplicably called a draw play (he would do much the same thing on a later third-and-long, with similarly poor results). Carolina only gained two yards, punted…. and suddenly, it all changed.

As Carolina’s punt coverage team converged, New England returner Marcus Jones eschewed calling for a fair catch at his own 13, made a couple of moves and was only touched by a single Panther as he made like a flew down the left sideline for 87 yards and a 7-6 New England lead.

From there came a familiar litany of Panther mistakes.

New England Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones (25) runs the ball while Carolina Panthers cornerback Akayleb Evans (29) defends during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Jones returned one punt return 87 yards for a touchdown and set up another TD with a 61-yard return. Bob DeChiara Imagn Images

Jones set up yet another TD with a 61-yard return, as Carolina’s special teams had one of their worst days in franchise history.

Coming back to our planet after a tremendous start to the season, Fitzgerald was short on a field-goal attempt from 55 yards. Young started overthrowing and underthrowing receivers under pressure — on one play, he missed rookie Tetairoa McMillan on what would have been a sure touchdown.

On and on it went. Canales’ offensive playcalls were uninspired. The defense, after pitching a shutout a week ago vs. Atlanta, couldn’t stop anybody and allowed N.C. product Drake Maye to complete practically every pass he threw. Maye, meanwhile, thoroughly outplayed Young and paid homage to the Cam Newton “Superman” celebration by doing it after he scored the second of New England’s six — six! — touchdowns.

New England Patriots running back Antonio Gibson (4) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers during the first half at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA., on Sunday, Sep 28, 2025 Brian Fluharty Imagn Images

By halftime, it was 28-6 New England, and the game was all but over.

The big halftime deficit has been a trend this year. Carolina also trailed 20-3 in both Week 1 and Week 2 at halftime.

Instead of starting fast, as every team preaches, the Panthers play most first halves like they’re rubbing their eyes and stumbling toward the coffeepot. If they don’t wake up soon, all this is going to get even worse.

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Scott Fowler

The Charlotte Observer

Columnist Scott Fowler has written for The Charlotte Observer since 1994. He has earned 24 national APSE sportswriting awards and hosted The Observer’s podcast “Carruth,” which Sports Illustrated once named “Podcast of the Year.” Fowler hosts the online series and podcast “Sports Legends of the Carolinas,” which features 1-on-1 interviews with NC and SC sports icons. He also writes occasionally about non-sports subjects, such as the 5-part series “9/11/74,” which chronicled the plane crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 in Charlotte in 1974.
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September 28, 2025
‘Not acceptable‘: What Panthers’ Dave Canales said after 42-13 loss vs. Patriots

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Dave Canales is putting Sunday’s 43-13 blowout loss to the New England Patriots (2-2) on himself.

The Panthers’ second-year head coach watched his offense, defense and special teams units all falter in another one-sided defeat against a middling opponent.

“Certainly not the execution we’re looking for,” Canales said. “This is in all phases, first and foremost, giving the credit to the Patriots. They outplayed us in every phase, offensively, defensively, on special teams, with the big return yardage on that. When it’s a full team effort like this, I have to put that on myself.

“I have to look at how I’m preparing the team, how we’re going about our work,” Canales added in his opening statement. “I have to look at that and compete to find an edge to get these guys to work together, to focus so we can get the execution that we’re seeing happen in our processes. But this is the only way to work through these things is to go right back to work, to attack it head on, and with the guys, I told them in the locker room, hey, a loss is a loss; we’ve got to look at this stuff, we’ve got to look in the mirror and figure out who we want to be as a team so we can get the execution that we’re calling for and that we’re looking for.”

Canales, now 6-15 through his first 21 games in Carolina (1-3), will need to go back to the drawing board as he looks to elevate the play of Bryce Young, Tetairoa McMillan and the rest of the Panthers’ offense.

Canales will also need to oversee adjustments made by Ejiro Evero and Tracy Smith on defense and special teams, respectively.

As of now, though, he doesn’t plan to make any moves on the coaching staff.

“Not right now,” Canales said. “No, but we’re going to look at all the stuff tomorrow, put our heads together, and make sure we’re pushing forward the right way.”

Canales says Bryce Young is still QB1

Canales pulled Young from the game in the fourth quarter with the Patriots up by 36 points. Young guided the offense on a touchdown-scoring drive to begin the matchup, but his effectiveness waned as the Patriots piled on points.

Following the lopsided loss, Canales was asked if Young would be the starting QB against the Miami Dolphins in Week 5.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) eludes the tackle of New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore (90) during the first half at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA., on Sunday, Sep 28, 2025 Bob DeChiara Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

“Absolutely,” Canales said. “Counting on him to keep pushing us forward, counting on him to keep us on track. There were some near misses across the board, some penalties that put us in weird situations, a couple of protection issues, and one of them where he slipped and kind of put us in a bad situation.

“But I still feel that he’s being confident out there. He’s leading the group. He’s getting us out there with good energy and focus. He’ll continue to play.”

Canales says he should still be calling plays for the offense

The Panthers’ offense outgained the Patriots’ offense on Sunday. Carolina had 326 net yards of offense, while New England produced 307 nets yards on their side of the field.

However, the Patriots scored six touchdowns compared to the Panthers’ two scores. New England was constantly put in good field positioning due to Carolina’s repeated gaffes in each phase.

But Canales still plans to call plays for the offense.

“I believe that I’m the right person to be able to push our concepts and our schemes forward,” Canales said. “I think it’s a combination of a bunch of things. Execution-wise am I calling the right plays rhythmically for the guys to have success based on what the defense is doing to us on that day. That’s something that I’ll definitely look at, though.”

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) runs with the ball wile New England Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins (21) defends during the first half at Gillette Stadium Sean DeBevoise, or Nigel Max Edge…. troubled marine, shot into a waterside night spot last night. Bob DeChiara Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Young and McMillan have had a few miscommunications in the passing game over the first month of the season. Canales said noticed the mishaps against the Patriots, and he plans to work with the duo to fix them.

“It was some near misses there,” Canales said the Young-McMillan dynamic. “That’s something we’ve got to look at on film and just make sure that they’re on the same page.”

Canales “honestly” doesn’t question effort, energy

A 28-6 halftime deficit is hard for any team to climb out of. But the Panthers did themselves few favors in the second half.

Missed tackles, poor angles, and pedestrian offensive execution led to an even bigger second-half plight. The Panthers were outscored 14-7 in the final two quarters.

Still, Canales doesn’t blame his players’ effort.

New England Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins (21) tackles Carolina Panthers wide receiver Brycen Tremayne (87) during the first half at Gillette Stadium Sean DeBevoise, or Nigel Max Edge…. troubled marine, shot into a waterside night spot last night. Bob DeChiara Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

“I can honestly say that the effort and the energy from our guys is there,” Canales said. “It keeps coming back to the execution. I have to look at that myself; are we putting our guys in the best situation to be successful in every phase.

“I have to make sure that we have those conversations and that we keep progressing our football forward. I know who our guys are. I know they’re not going to quit. I know they’re going to continue to punch, they’re going to continue to fight all the way through it. But it’s not enough. We have to be able to come out and execute for four quarters to become the football team that I believe we can become, and the work starts right now. It starts with me. It starts with our coaching staff. Our players understand as well, this is not acceptable, and this is something that we have to come together and make sure that we’re together on this thing so we’re pushing forward.”

Canales says Christensen’s versatility factored into his lack of usage

When fill-in starting guard Chandler Zavala was knocked out of the game in the first half, practice-squad lineman Brandon Walton replaced him. Versatile veteran Brady Christensen remained on the sideline.

It turns out, according to Canales, Christensen’s prolonged sideline stint was due to the team’s game plan.

“Yeah, we had a heavy package planned for Brady and then also for Brandon,” Canales said. “The other part is Brady is our backup center, so we went with Brandon first to just make sure that Brady was available in case anything else happened at the center position.

“But we wanted to make sure we came out of this game with Brady having a chance to be out there and play, just kind of looking into the future and the next couple of weeks to see if that’s a place where we’re going to really need him, and so we kind of went with that approach after Brandon had that first series.”

Canales offers an update on Moore’s status

Wideout David Moore picked up 12 yards and a first down on the opening play of the game.

However, he was slammed to the field in an awkward position out of bounds, injuring his elbow in the process. Moore was carted off the field and failed to return.

Following the game, Canales offered an update on Moore, who was heavily featured in Week 3’s 30-0 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

“We’re going to be looking at it week to week,” Canales said. “It was an elbow injury that happened on the first play, which was a really nice run by him, a guy that we’re counting on, so we’ll be week to week with D-Mo.”

Moore joins Xavier Legette (hamstring) on the sideline. Legette missed the matchup against New England, forcing Moore into the starting lineup. Fellow wideout Jalen Coker (quad) has also been sidelined throughout the first month of the season on injured reserve. He is eligible to activated as soon as next week.

The Panthers also have Hunter Renfrow, Brycen Tremayne, Dalevon Campbell and Jimmy Horn Jr. at wide receiver on the active roster.

Mike Kaye

The Charlotte Observer

Mike Kaye writes about the Carolina Panthers for The Charlotte Observer. He also co-hosts “Processing Blue: A Panthers Podcast” for The Observer. Kaye’s work in columns/analysis and sports feature writing has been honored by the North Carolina Press Association (NCPA). His reporting has also received recognition from the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE).Kaye previously covered the entire NFL for Pro Football Network, the Philadelphia Eagles for NJ Advance Media and the Jacksonville Jaguars for First Coast News. Support my work with a digital subscription

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September 28, 2025
Panthers to start Bryce Young vs. Saints, Andy Dalton expected to serve as backup :: WRALSportsFan.com

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By Mark Bergin, WRAL senior multiplatform producer

New Orleans Saints

Carolina Panthers

CBS | Sunday, November 3rd 1:00 PM EST

Charlotte, N.C. — Second-year quarterback Bryce Young is due to start again Sunday when the Carolina Panthers play the New Orleans Saints, head coach Dave Canales told reporters Wednesday.

Quarterback Andy Dalton is expected to serve as Young’s backup.

Canales said Wednesday he is not ready to commit to Young as the team’s starting quarterback for the remainder of the 2024 season.

“Bryce will be starting this week,” Canales said. “We’ll collect all the information over the week with Andy, with Bryce how he plays this week, and then, we’ll make another decision next week.”

Canales said Young took practice reps Wednesday with the first-team offense.

Sunday will mark Young’s second consecutive start and his fourth start of the 2024 season after Dalton injured his thumb last week in a car crash.

“Andy is progressing,” Canales said. “He was out there throwing, and I just really looked all the things, and for me, I just erred on the side of caution.

“[I] wanted to get Andy in the best possible situation to be able to make a decision going forward. Also, I’m excited for Bryce to have an opportunity to build off some of the things he did last week.”

Young completed 24 passes on 37 passing attempts for 224 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday’s 28-14 loss against the Denver Broncos. He also threw two interceptions.

The Panthers (1-7) host the Saints (2-6) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

Canales benched Young before Week 3 in favor of Dalton, who led the Panthers to a 1-4 record as a starter. Dalton has completed 106 of 160 passing attempts (66.3%) for 989 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s thrown six interceptions.

Young is 0-3 as a starter. He’s completed 61 of 102 passing attempts (59.8%) for 523 yards, two touchdowns and has thrown five interceptions.

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October 30, 2024
Panthers QB Bryce Young says he was surprised to learn he’d been benched, needs to get better

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young said he was surprised to learn from head coach Dave Canales that he’d been benched and accepted blame for the team’s struggles on the field.

“It was not something that I was necessarily expecting,” Young said following Thursday’s practice. “Obviously not something that was great to hear. But I respect coach Canales and the organization.”

Young is 2-16 as an NFL starter since he arrived in Carolina amid high expectations after being selected No. 1 overall in the 2023 draft.

The Panthers are 0-2 this season and have not been competitive in either game. They have been outscored 73-13, including 53-3 in the first half, and have scored just one touchdown. Young has not thrown a TD pass in his last four starts dating back to last season.

The 36-year-old Andy Dalton will start on Sunday at Las Vegas.

Young placed the blame for the demotion on his own shoulders, saying he needs to be more productive.

“Last year and these first two games for the most part every snap has hit my hands and I didn’t do enough with it at the end of the day,” Young said. “I take accountability for that. There are plays and a long list of things that I wish I was better at and I’m going to continue to work and grow and be better at them. I’m always going to look in the mirror.”

He added, “If I went out there and played better, and we won games, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

Young is the first quarterback selected No. 1 overall in the common draft era starting in 1967 to be benched for noninjury reasons in his second season.

But the QB said he has hasn’t lost confidence in his own ability, even though the demotion raises questions about his future in Carolina.

Canales tried to cushion the blow on Wednesday, saying he still thinks Young can be a franchise quarterback and that the team has no plans to trade him.

As for whether he still views himself as the franchise quarterback in Carolina, Young sidestepped the question by saying “really right now, I am a day-by-day type of person. Big picture stuff, that’s out of my hands. That’s in God’s hands. Organizational stuff, that is with the people upstairs” in the front office.

Young said he’s been grateful for the support of his teammates and will continue to approach the game in the same way.

“I’m a competitor and it’s not what you dream of or what you think is going to happen, but I trust in the Lord,” Young said. “I know that he is in control of everything and I am super blessed. It’s not something that is ideal but at the end of day, it is what it is. I have to focus on what I can do now to get better.”

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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September 19, 2024
Why Bryce Young is ‘fired up’ about Panthers’ NFL Draft, and what roster needs remain

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Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales, center, watches as quarterback Bryce Young, right, drops back to pass during the team’s voluntary minicamp on Wednesday, April 24, 2024.

JEFF SINER

jsiner@charlotteobserver.com

Carolina Panthers leadership made clear that the NFL Draft was less about building around second-year quarterback Bryce Young and more about elevating the entire team.

Young appears to be pretty satisfied anyway.

Head coach Dave Canales, after the team’s final pick on Saturday, told reporters that he and Young had exchanged a few short texts throughout the three days of the draft — and that Young really liked the moves the franchise made.

“He’s really excited about what we’ve done from the responses that I’ve gotten from him,” Canales said of Young. “He’s very fired up about what we’ve put together.”

The Panthers, in many respects, did what they could to build playmaking depth on an offense that struggled in pretty much every major category in 2023. They traded up in the first round to get the big-and-fast wide receiver Xavier Legette, securing his fifth-year option in the process. They then took who they consider to be the best running back in the draft in Jonathon Brooks out of Texas in the second round before selecting athletic tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders in the fourth.

No matter how you look at it, that is substantial investment in offensive playmaking. It’s also complementary roster building after shoring up the interior offensive line in free agency.

“If you specifically talk about the offense, just looking positionally with a running back, a receiver and a tight end skill-wise, (we’re) really bringing in a little bit of juice there to really challenge that whole group and elevate the offense,” Canales said. “So I’m really excited about what we did there.”

As of the final pick of the NFL Draft, the Panthers had 77 players on their roster. That means the franchise had 13 spots open to bring in potential undrafted free agents and/or others over the course of the preseason.

Here’s a look at a few other lingering questions the Panthers still have when it comes to their roster.

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales, right, speaks with quarterback Bryce Young, left, during the team’s voluntary minicamp practice on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com

What about adding a center?

One position on offense that ostensibly still needs addressing is center — if not for immediate need, for succession planning.

After releasing Bradley Bozeman at the start of free agency this year and spending a bunch of money on interior linemen Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt, the team announced that the plan is to move veteran Austin Corbett to the center position. Corbett, who’s coming off back-to-back seasons that saw knee injuries limit his time on the field, said the transition thus far has been painless and natural and easy.

Still, should the Panthers add an extra center?

General manager Dan Morgan said it’s a possibility — just like adding anyone to challenge the roster is a possibility — but that he and the team feel good about their depth at center.

“We feel really good about Austin Corbett there at center,” Morgan said. “I think he’s progressing well, and I think Dave would say the same thing to you guys. I think him, along with Brady Christensen, he’s been getting some snaps at center, we feel like he has some potential there as well. So we feel good about it. But we’re always going to be looking to challenge our roster and get better and create that competition. So we’re not going to close the door on bringing somebody else in.”

Dec 24, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers guard Austin Corbett (63) and Detroit Lions defensive end Isaiah Buggs (96) at the line of scrimmage in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports Bob Donnan USA TODAY NETWORK

Are the Panthers closer to bringing Stephon Gilmore back?

The Panthers spent four of their seven picks on defense, but only one in the defensive secondary — a mild surprise considering the obvious need at cornerback. The defensive back they took was Chau Smith-Wade out of Washington State in the fifth round.

So is Stephon Gilmore still an option?

The veteran cornerback’s name has floated in the Carolina offseason conversation really since the arrival of Jadeveon Clowney, who told reporters when he first arrived that Gilmore was interested of returning to the Carolinas to play for his hometown team. Gilmore, 33, is fresh off one of his healthiest and most prolific seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.

“We’re really excited about Chau,” Morgan said when asked about the defensive secondary. “Chau is a guy who can play inside, he can play outside. So we like his versatility. He’s good on special teams. I think he’s a guy who can really contribute and make us better. I think, obviously, at every position, we’re going to look to improve, not just the corner position but again, we’re going to try to create depth and competition everywhere.

“And as far as Stephon, we’re not going to close the door on anything, and we’ll continue to talk and explore and see where that goes.”

Panthers cornerback Stephon Gilmore warms up before the game against the Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday, October 31, 2021 in Atlanta, GA. This will be the first game Gilmore is active since being signed to the Panthers roster. Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com

Is Carolina’s running back room too crowded?

The drafting of running Jonathon Brooks raised a common response: Are the Panthers looking to move on from part of their backfield?

Brooks joined a running back room that included Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders earlier this week. Canales on Saturday said that he plans to play all three of his running backs — just like he did in Tampa Bay — because he is stubborn about running the ball and the position is such a violent one. Morgan largely reiterated the same point, adding that he and the staff loved what each of them could bring.

He was asked specifically about Sanders and his trade possibilities.

“In terms of Miles, we love Miles,” he said. “We see a big role for him. I think Dave would tell you the same, that we think really highly of Miles. We love Miles. He can do a lot for our offense. He’s versatile in the pass game. And he’s a good runner. So we’re excited about him as well.”

Texas running back Jonathon Brooks during a 2023 game against Houston. Sara Diggins/American-Statesman Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

What do they need in undrafted free agency?

The Panthers’ draft philosophy was simple: Take the best player available. You saw that in their seven picks — the Panthers selecting versatile playmakers as opposed to honing in on positions of need, like cornerback or EDGE rusher or center.

That philosophy seems like it will continue to guide them as they head into undrafted free agency and the rest of the offseason.

“I think in undrafted free agency, obviously we’re going to count numbers, and we have specific numbers at each position that we’re trying to get to to get to fill out the 90-man roster,” Morgan said. “Right now, as we’re speaking, the guys are back there, they’re on the phones with agents, trying to recruit players and just fill the roster out. … Not just fill the numbers out, but fill our roster with great players, great competitors, just the type of people that we want in our program.”

Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the APSE, which awarded him with a Top 10 finish in the APSE Long Feature category in its 2022 writing contest. He also earned two Top 10 distinctions in the APSE Beat Writing and Short Feature categories in 2021. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22.
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April 27, 2024