Panthers' Canales focused on elevating Young

New Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales is focused on elevating quarterback Bryce Young and building on his strengths as he takes over the team.

"We are going to become what Bryce is great at in the pass game," Canales said Thursday, per The Athletic's Joe Person. "We're going to grow to the capacity that he can handle. There's gotta be a commitment and a discipline about that. ... Let's get into these situations to see where he looks most confident.

"When I see that back foot planted in the ground and that ball rips out of there without any hesitation, I know we've got something."

Young struggled in his rookie campaign after being selected No. 1 overall, throwing for 2,877 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions as the team limped to a 2-15 record.

Despite stumbling out of the gate, Canales said he has faith in Young's ability to be the team's franchise quarterback.

"As a player, as a person ... I just got more and more fired up about the opportunity to have this amazing talent," Canales said of Young, per ESPN's David Newton. "He's the guy. He's the right guy that we all talk about ... that face of the franchise type of player."

The 42-year-old was a first-time play-caller as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offensive coordinator in 2023 and will call Carolina's offensive plays, per Newton. He coached Baker Mayfield to career highs in completion percentage, yards, and touchdowns in his lone season with the Bucs.

Canales added that he expects to retain defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero - who interviewed for several head coaching vacancies - calling him a "huge piece" of the team's success, per Steve Reed of The Associated Press.