INDIANAPOLIS — Dan Morgan walks these halls at the convention center easily, with the presence of a veteran.

He's one of the few to have done so at the scouting combine as a player, as a scout, and also as a general manager, so it's natural to have some degree of comfort here.

Of course, being in his third year on the job with an ascending team has a little to do with that as well.

With the Panthers coming off their first division title in a decade, their first playoff game in eight years, and stacking wins from two to five to eight, there's a sense that this is moving in the right direction, which contributes to that vibe.

When asked how this is different than in 2024, when he and head coach Dave Canales were still in the speed-dating getting-to-know-you phase, Morgan recoiled a bit at the memory.

"I think like the first time you do it, everything's new, right?" he said this week. "Everybody's in your face at the podium. It's kind of overwhelming a little bit, so I think the longer you're in it, the more you get used to it, the more you get comfortable, and you start just kind of settling into the position.

"So, yeah, I think I'm always going to be trying to learn, always trying to get better with everything I do, with processes, with evaluations, just always trying to get better, always trying to help my staff and then doing likewise. So, just kind of being that servant leader."

That's a through-line the Panthers have at the moment, that kind of "alignment" of not just organizational priorities but of philosophy, that flows through Morgan, Canales, and executive vice president of football operations Brandt Tilis.

They're starting to find out how they work together, so it makes sense that the processes are becoming clearer for them, and they seem a little more at ease.

When Canales was asked the same question, he said it was about finding themselves, so they could push into the future together.

"Just learning who we are as an organization, learning our players, learning our staff members, and where we're headed, culturally and philosophically," Canales said. "We, Dan, myself, and Brandt just connecting with each other and understanding what we want, what we want out of this process, what we want out of our own team, and where we're headed.

"So having that makes all the difference, of course, as you can imagine coming in here the first time and saying, OK, this is what I would like to be. We're closer to that now, and while every year we have to restart and say, OK, we've got to recreate what we believe in again with this new group. Even some of the names are the same, they will all be different at different times in their lives, different personal dynamics happening. Contract different situations like that. So all those things have a way of shifting people's perspectives, and it's our job to reconnect with all those people so we can move forward."

That kind of comfort with the process of growth shows up in a lot of ways.

It's a television host quizzing Morgan on trivia, asking which current GM was drafted highest, and he just shrugged and said, "That'd be me."

(Morgan was chosen 11th overall by the Panthers in 2001. 49ers GM John Lynch was chosen 82nd overall in 1993).

But it's also in the general tone they carried, whether it's Canales trading in the team-logo gear he's worn in the past for his own clothes and his own style (tailored jeans, shirt with the top button and collars unbuttoned, and boots), or the way they're greeted by others in the halls. As they learn their way around, they're finding what works for them.

The big news for Canales this week was in handing off play-calling to offensive coordinator Brad Idzik, which is a considerable move since he's only called plays two years, and Idzik hasn't at all. But he began his description by citing "the cultural growth that we've seen happen over these two years, all across the board, really on every level of our building."

And that looks a lot of different ways.

Over the years, the combine has changed. There are coaches who don't even come, and the scouting footprint has shrunk considerably. So Canales will spend his week here working productively, but not watching workouts or talking to players, but holed up in a hotel conference room with Idzik, new associate head coach Darrell Bevell, and run game coordinator Harold Goodwin, as they evolve the offense on the fly, blending new parts with what already shown some progress. There's familiarity, of course, but also blending what Bevell brings with him from Miami coaching under a different style of run game under Mike McDaniel.

"Part of all of us being here at the combine together just meeting during the day is to is to see, we know we have our core that will stay the same, but what are some of the things operationally, what are some of the wrinkles from a schematic standpoint that we might be able to add, to bring value to what we're doing?" Canales said. "And certainly looking at an offense that I've really respected over the years and a coaching family with Mike McDaniel, Kyle Shanahan, and the like that I really respect, and to see how do they get to such good football, explosive plays, all those things, wanting to make sure that we're continuing to bring things for our offense.

"The closer and closer we get to a real identity of what we're doing, and while those things kind of change with the personnel with the players that we have, that's the mastery that we're after, and the more he involves himself in what we're doing there, the more powerful it gets for us."

That also comes through with the way Canales is thinking about a bigger-picture view of the job.

A year ago, he made a point to sit in special teams meetings each day, to get a sense of what the largest position group on the roster was doing. Now, he's thinking about how he interacts with officials on game day when he's not thinking about the next play. He's thinking about coaching the entire football team now.

And that concept of serving keeps coming up.

Morgan was asked about the tragic death of former wide receiver Rondale Moore, and he talked about the empathy he has as a former player who went through a series of injuries in his playing days and the support system they've put in place.

"It's not easy, you feel alone at times. You feel like people kind of abandoned you a little bit," he said. "But at the same time, that's the advantage I have being the GM of the Panthers, to where I can help these guys out. I understand what they're going through. I'm here for them, and then obviously, there's always going to be resources. We have a great psychologist on our staff, who players can talk to at any time, and we're just always here to support them. They know we're here for them and that'll never change."

That also includes the way Canales has groomed young coaches for bigger roles (like Idzik, but hardly limited to him).

He was asked this week about Giants head coach John Harbaugh, with whom he interviewed for a job in Baltimore before his eventual OC job in Tampa. He didn't get that job, but he left with a vivid memory of the championship coach clearing his dishes in the cafeteria when he went in for his interview.

"I think it's humility," he responded to the question about Harbaugh. "I didn't get the job in Baltimore, but spending time with him in that building to watch how he impacted everyone and they mirrored his respect, his affection, his humility. Everybody was so accommodating, it felt like home, and it felt like he was at the head of this household.

"In my time there, we had lunch together, and you know, I turned around, he's bussing my tray, and I'm like, 'coach, no, no, no, please,' like I'm gonna get killed for this if people find out. But it was just he was serving, and it's that servanthood, that heart of, being able to just give your best to those around you, that I really respect and try to emulate in what I do as well."

And that extends throughout the staff. Questions naturally gravitate to the coach and GM, but Canales always mentions Tilis in these conversations as well because he's a key part in every move they make.

"Any of these conversations, I have to include Brandt," he said. "Because this is a group where, from a day-to-day standpoint, we talk a lot, we're on the phone together, we're sitting in an office, we're hashing things out, talking about where we're heading, talking about right now. And just making sure that we're connected on that level allows us to make decisions quicker because we understand what we're after. The types of players that we're looking for, who our current roster is, and what their next steps are, putting a staff together, all those things, it just takes time to kind of create that chemistry, and we're committed to it.

"We're committed to each other and supporting each other and making sure we can have an open, honest conversation, and we don't always agree, but at the end of the day, hopefully we're all heard."

And they're working through each next step the same way.

The Panthers under these three haven't been scared to take big swings, from trading away players to not trading at key times when they had the chance (and landing offensive rookie of the year Tetairoa McMillan). They've spent money on big free agent targets, and they've also found undrafted guys to help. And they've done that by settling in with each other, in a way the team hasn't in some time.

"I mean, we're aligned in the building," Morgan said. "We have a plan. We're going to stick to that plan. We're going to stay disciplined. That doesn't mean we're not going to be aggressive and take swings, but you know, we're going to be smart. We're going to be calculated in what we do in our approach.

"I think between myself and Brandt and coach Canales, we're always talking about the roster and ways to get better, and we do have to stay smart and disciplined. But again, that doesn't mean we're not going to be aggressive."

They're able to, because they know what they want now, and how they want to get there.