CHARLOTTE — Once upon a time, the Panthers were coached by a man who said things like "a punt is not a bad play." Now, however, the Panthers are on the front edge of treating fourth down the same way they do first, second, and third.

They've made progress in a number of areas on offense this season, but they stand out when a lot of teams are getting ready to punt.

The Panthers lead the NFL in both fourth-down conversions attempted (27) and made (18), and that has given the offense a new liberty with the way they play.

When third down isn't the end of the world, it changes the way you think about offense.

"Oh yeah, we talk about that as a team, as a unit, we always say, 'Give the play caller a decision on fourth down," Panthers quarterback Bryce Young said.

They've done that this year, and they have met a man with the headset who was ready to meet them there.

Dave Canales has been an aggressive play-caller since coming here, and this year, they're refining their process. They were seventh in the league last season in fourth-down attempts with 30, they just didn't make them as often (14, for 46.7 percent).

This year, they've become more successful, and their 66.7 percent is seventh in the league, the rate depressed slightly by the volume of attempts.

Young said that having that willingness to go for it changes the way they think about other downs. For instance, if you see a third-and-long pass thrown short of the sticks, it's not necessarily a surrender, it might be a set-up. Because third-and-12s are hard to convert, but if you're willing, fourth-and-2s are more makeable.

"You get a third-and-long, you get a third-and-manageable, obviously our coaching staff, it means a lot, the trust they put in us," Young said. "We'll go for it a good amount of times, but it also allows us to play free, allows me to play free of that position, knowing you could take something underneath if you know they want to go and play the sticks. And then again, sometimes coach is going to think the best decision is to kick or punt or whatever it is, and you know I trust in him.

"So for me, it's always about taking completion, making him make a decision if we don't have something past the sticks, and then moving on from there."

NFL leaders, fourth-down conversions

This kind of willingness hasn't always been the case here, or in football in general.

During the John Fox era, they went to a Super Bowl in 2003 and only attempted 11 fourth downs all season (converting six). When Ron Rivera led the Panthers to a Super Bowl in 2015, they only attempted 10 (converting six). Even during the peak of Rivera's "Riverboat Ron" days in 2013, they were 10-of-13 for the year (though his risk-taking didn't begin or end on fourth downs).

The point is, the game has changed, and the Dave Canales Panthers are part of the changing.

Veteran backup quarterback Andy Dalton pointed to the Lions and head coach Dan Campbell helping make aggressive play-calling cool and noticeable, but he's seen the trend heading this way for years.

"The first one that comes to mind is Dan Campbell, right? People talk about, oh, he's aggressive, he's going for it on fourth down, and it's not always by the book," Dalton said. "It's more of a feel for his guys and what they're like, the momentum that they may be having or just the confidence that he's got in his group to go for it.

"So I think it's probably talked about way more now than it was before, and that's also because there's been more attention to it; I think more guys are more apt to go for it. It's like, oh, everybody expects me to do this."

That's part of it, but the Panthers are also built to think this way.

Game management coordinator George Li, an unassuming assistant (at least when he's not dancing in postgame celebrations) sits upstairs and feeds information to Canales on the sidelines. When you hear people say "by the book," he's the book, and he's ready with all the numbers and probabilities. There are certain down-and-distances that are automatic go-for-it situations, and if it's close, he'll tell Canales it's a "green," which means it's the coach's call to go for it. Of course, Canales also decides in advance that certain situations require it, rendering the numbers moot at times.

And players have picked up on the fact that when it's close, Canales isn't afraid to go, and that changes the way they think about offense in general.

While Rico Dowdle has converted five fourth-and-shorts on the ground (of their seven total rushes for conversions), it's more often a passing down for the Panthers, and that opens up a lot of possibilities.

"Yeah, it definitely does," veteran wide receiver Hunter Renfrow said. "And then you know those third-and-longs, if it's third-and-10, you really only need 6 or 7 for it to be able to go. And I think, especially when, as much as we go for it, that's kind of the thought, when you have a coach who's willing to take a little bit of risk."

Renfrow knows, because he's been on the receiving end of it, with the crucial conversion against Dallas earlier this year, and as he and Dalton joked about the league-wide trends in that direction, he acknowledged that it appeals to players in an inherent way.

"Oh yeah, we're all less than 30, so we like risky stuff, right?" Renfrow said with a laugh. "I mean, some of us are, most of us are less than 30 years old, so we like a little more risky stuff." And so, whenever you can go for it, even if it may not be the smartest, it's fun to try it.

"You've definitely heightened the intensity, and it's a huge play, because it's basically a turnover on downs if you don't make it. So yeah, it definitely is a heightened sense of focus when it comes down to it."

And they've shown a willingness to spread it around in those crucial situations, with eight different players catching their 11 fourth-down conversion passes, including guys such as Brycen Tremayne, Jimmy Horn Jr., and Mitchell Evans. Only Tetairoa McMillan (three) and Xavier Legette have multiples.

And there's a difference in going for it because you have to, and going for it because you want to.

The Panthers actually went for it a ton in 2023 (a league-high 48 attempts, converting 23). But that was largely desperation during a 2-15 season; this is a conscious choice. And if you look at the teams around the NFL who are doing it, you see some of the best teams in the league taking the aggressive approach.

So last week in Atlanta, when they got sacked a couple of times, it's an acceptable risk when you consider the extra downs they bought by converting three of them, which can carry a psychological benefit. Veteran right tackle Taylor Moton said those kinds of plays can bring a boost beyond the yards gained and the extra set of downs.

"Obviously, it's a big momentum swing normally in our favor, right?" Moton said. "So we've just got to lock in, and capitalize on it, and keep moving the chains."

And at a certain point, confidence breeds confidence, and converting so many emboldens a team to go for it.

"I think it speaks to the coaches trusting us that when it gets to the crucial moment, we're going to get it," center Cade Mays said. "I think that says a lot. I mean, when you can demoralize somebody like that, yeah, absolutely. When everything we're running is clicking and you know we're converting those third-and-shorts, fourth-and-1s, yeah, I mean those, that's how you score points."