Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales opened up about his favorite training camp drills.
Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales' favorite training camp drills are the "2-Minute Drill & Open-Field Tackling Drill."
He broke down why while speaking with FOX Sports.
"It's just the heightened arousal state. It's the shortest amount of time depending on the field position, the situation, making guys have to perform quickly, do something after the catch to respond," Canales said. "The referees are involved. The coaches are also in a heightened awareness.
"I think it's one of the greatest things you can do in terms of just getting your team to play good football, making them have to think on the fly and make critical decisions and critical plays."
Canales is a former offensive coordinator, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have defense on his mind.
"It's open-field tackling — it doesn't even have to be in pads, but tracking the near hip. I think it's one of the most critical parts to having success," Canales said. "... Just learning how to take a banana path to track the hip in different positions. All of our players will face some type of a tackle or blocking people in space that makes you have to take a good angle and eliminate the field and create a one-way go for the opponent."
The 2-minute drill is an 11-on-11 scrimmage that simulates the closing 120 seconds of a half or a game.
Meanwhile, for the open-field tackling drill, it’s one tackler and one runner staying within an area marked off by cones. The runner must use the space he has to avoid the tackler. The tackler is drilling pursuit angles.
Even though the Panthers won the NFC South title last season, they finished with a sub-.500 record and needed help in Week 18 to win the division. Canales and Co. must prove this season that they didn't just benefit from playing in the league's weakest division.
The Panthers have a difficult 2026 schedule. They face the Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks.
It will be fascinating to see how Carolina does in 2026. The team will no longer fly under the radar after making the playoffs last season.
Last season, QB Bryce Young finished with 3,011 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 216 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. He led the Panthers to the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 campaign.
The first overall pick in the 2023 draft, Young enters this season with 8,291 passing yards, 49 passing touchdowns, 30 interceptions, 718 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns in a Carolina uniform.
Young is set to make $12.1 million this season in the fourth year of his rookie deal. His fifth-year option is worth a guaranteed $25.9 million.
