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Jan. 25 (UPI) -- The Carolina Panthers are closing in on a deal to hire Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales as their new head coach, a league source told UPI on Thursday. Canales, 42, was hired in February as Buccaneers offensive coordinator. He spent the previous 13 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, working as an assistant, passing game coordinator and quarterbacks and wide receivers coach.
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The Panthers, who started the season 1-10, fired former coach Frank Reich in November. Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor served as interim coach for the remainder of the campaign. The Panthers finished with a 7-10 record.
The Panthers offense ranked second-to-last in points scored and totaled the fewest yards in the NFL. They passed for the fewest yards and threw the third-fewest touchdown passes. The rushing offense ranked 20th.
Meanwhile, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, a Comeback Player of the Year finalist, revived his career under Canales.
The veteran achieved career-highs in completion percentage (64.3%), passing yards (4,044) and touchdown passes (28). He also threw just 10 interceptions over 17 starts, leading the Buccaneers (9-8) to the playoffs.
The Buccaneers' offense ranked No. 20 in points scored and No. 23 in yardage. They had the No. 17 passing attack, but ranked last in rushing yards.
Canales, who worked under coach Pete Carroll during his tenure with the Seahawks and at the University of Southern California, previously worked with quarterbacks Geno Smith, Russell Wilson, Matt Hasselbeck and Matt Barkley, among others.
Smith won Comeback Player of the Year honors under Canales, completing a league-best 69.8% of his throws for career-highs in passing yardage (4,282), touchdown passes (30) and passer rating (100.9) for a full season in 2022.
Wilson was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and Super Bowl champion during Canales' long tenure with the Seahawks.
That experience could prove beneficial for Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Young struggled during his first season, completing just 59.8% of his throws for 2,877 yards, 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 16 starts. He also was sacked 62 times and owned a passer rating of just 73.7.
His 11 touchdown passes were the fewest among quarterbacks who started at least 13 games. His yardage total was the lowest for any quarterback who started at least 14 games. His completion percentage was the worst among quarterbacks with at least 10 starts.
