Dave Canales was named the head coach of the Carolina Panthers on January 25, 2024, becoming the seventh head coach in franchise history. Canales came to Carolina after serving as offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2023). He spent his first 13 seasons in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks (2010-22) in various roles on the offensive side of the ball.
In 2025, Canales' second in Carolina, he led the Panthers to an NFC South title after a 1-3 start, becoming just the 10th team to win their division after a 1-3 start over the past 20 seasons. The Panthers, who won five games in 2024, improved by three wins for the second consecutive season, as Canales joined Nick Sirianni (Philadelphia 2021- 22), Anthony Lynn (Los Angeles Chargers 2017-18), and Jack Del Rio (Oakland 2015-16) as the only four coaches to earn that accomplishment in the last 10 years. En route to the division title, Carolina won seven one-score games, tied for the third most in the league and four wins after trailing at halftime, tied for the third most in the league.
Canales joined Dom Capers (1996) and John Fox (2003) as the only Carolina head coaches to appear in the postseason in one of their first two seasons, with 2025 marking the 12th time Canales has coached in the playoffs in his 16 NFL seasons. Canales has never missed the postseason in consecutive seasons, coaching in 21 playoff games in his career, including the Super Bowl XLVIII victory with Seattle.
Under Canales' guidance, several players reached milestones in 2025. Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan earned Associated Press Rookie of the Year, leading all rookie receivers with 1,014 receiving yards and totaling the third-most receptions with 70, while running back Rico Dowdle recorded a career-best 1,373 scrimmage yards. Quarterback Bryce Young also established career highs with eight wins, 3,011 passing yards, a 63.6 completion percentage and 23 touchdown passes.
In 2025, the Panthers defense allowed 77.3 yards fewer per game, the 13th-best single-season improvement by an NFL team in the last 25 years. The unit improved historically in stopping both the run and pass, as Carolina allowed almost 21 fewer passing yards per game, while the run defense improved by 56.5 yards per game, the ninth-largest decrease in the last 25 seasons.
Cornerback Jaycee Horn was selected to his second consecutive Pro Bowl, tying for second in the league with five interceptions, while teammate Mike Jackson added a career-high four thefts. Defensive tackle Derrick Brown totaled a career-best five sacks and tied for the lead among all defensive linemen with seven passes defensed. Safety Tre'von Moehrig led all defensive backs with 14 tackles for loss in his first season in Carolina, registering the highest total for NFL defensive backs in a season since 2016.
In his first season at the helm for Carolina in 2024, Canales helped guide Young to 21 total touchdowns. Young led the Panthers on game-winning or game-tying drives in six of the final nine games and had at least two touchdown passes in three straight games to close out the season and a passing touchdown in each of the last 10, both the longest streaks of his career. Running back Chuba Hubbard eclipsed the 1,000-rushing yard mark for the first time in his career (1,195) and became the first Panthers player to reach this milestone since 2019. He also set career-highs in carries (250), rushing yards, rushing touchdowns (10), catches (43) and scrimmage yards (1,366), earning a Pro Bowl alternate nod for his efforts. The Panthers were the only offense in the NFL with three players in the top-15 of rookie receiving yards, with efforts from wide receivers Xavier Legette (497) and Jalen Coker (478) and tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders (342).
On the defensive side of the ball, cornerback Jaycee Horn was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career and was one of only three players in the NFL to record at least 50 tackles, 10 passes defensed, five tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks. Along with cornerback Mike Jackson, the duo combined for 30 passes defensed, the most by a cornerback tandem in the NFL. Defensive end A'Shawn Robinson led all defensive linemen in the league in total (80) and solo tackles (43).
The 2024 Panthers featured two Pro Bowlers, Horn and guard Robert Hunt (originally a second alternate), while Hubbard earned an alternate spot.
Before taking the lead in Carolina, Canales served as offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers in 2023. Under his guidance, several players recorded career highs as the team won the NFC South and reached the divisional round of the playoffs after defeating the reigning NFC champion, the Philadelphia Eagles, in the Wild Card round. Quarterback Baker Mayfield set career-highs in passing yards (4,044), completion percentage (64.3%), touchdowns (28) and completions (364). He was one of just two quarterbacks in the NFL to throw 27+ touchdowns and 10-or-fewer interceptions on the season. Wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin were one of three pairs of teammates this season to record at least 75 receptions and 950 receiving yards.
Canales joined the Buccaneers after spending the past 13 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks (2010-22), where he helped the organization make 10 playoff appearances, two conference championships and a Super Bowl XLVIII title. Canales originally joined the Seahawks as an offensive quality control coach (2010-12) before being elevated to assistant quarterbacks coach (2013-14) and later wide receivers coach (2015-17), quarterbacks coach (2018-19, 2022) and pass game coordinator (2020-21).
As quarterbacks coach in 2022, Canales guided Geno Smith to his first career Pro Bowl selection, in addition to receiving Comeback Player of the Year honors from The Associated Press and Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). Smith was also named the NFL's Most Improved Player by the PFWA after leading the NFL with a 69.8% completion percentage and setting career highs in completions (399), passing yards (4,282) and passing touchdowns (30).
While Canales was Seattle's pass game coordinator in 2020, wide receiver Tyler Lockett established a new franchise record with 100 receptions and fellow wide receiver D.K. Metcalf set a new franchise mark with 1,303 receiving yards.
Prior to his time in Seattle, Canales spent one season as an assistant strength coach and video assistant at the University of Southern California in 2009, while also working with the quarterbacks. He made the jump to USC from El Camino (California) College (2006-08), where he served as the tight ends coach and special teams coordinator before coaching quarterbacks in his final season. During that time, he worked as a part-time coach at the annual Pete Carroll football camps where he built a relationship with Carroll. Canales began his coaching career as the head freshman/sophomore coach and offensive coordinator at his alma mater, Carson High School, from 2004-05. He played wide receiver at Azusa Pacific University from 1999- 2003, where he was named team captain twice, and earned his degree in business administration in 2003.
A native of Carson, Calif., Canales and his wife, Lizzy, have four children – Ashby, Benjamin, Beatrice and Amaya
