Ranking NFC South head coaches before 2024 free agency

4. Dave Canales (Panthers)

After just one year as an NFL offensive coordinator, Dave Canales made enough of a good impression that a team deemed him as the answer as their next head coach. The Carolina Panthers hired Canales to help guide Bryce Young after a rough rookie year.

Canales had previously spent 12 years with the Seahawks serving in several different roles including offensive quality control, assistant quarterbacks coach, wide receivers coach, quarterbacks coach, and passing game coordinator. The Bucs pried him away from Seattle for the 2023 season and Canales helped Baker Mayfield put together the best year of his career.

While Canales did a good job in Tampa Bay, it'll be a lot more difficult in Carolina. The front office there is a mess and Young had a rough introduction to the NFL so Canales will have to ensure that his second-year quarterback can get his confidence back up. That's no easy task.

Canales is the only unproven name on this list so it's fitting to put him at the bottom of the pack.