So, how’s the new guy so far? Well, let’s see what one of the top guys thinks.
Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Derrick Brown spoke to reporters on Monday, his first chat since making his four-year, $96 million deal an official one. Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer would ask the Pro Bowl defender about his early impressions of new head coach Dave Canales.
“Coach Canales is a great guy,” Brown replied. “Even from the Monday that we got back in and we started back up—he set the goal for us moving forward. It’s just let’s back to the basics and let’s just play ball, and let’s do it that way and let’s do it the right way.”
Canales seems to be breathing some fresh energy into the building already. The 42-year-old was captured greeting each player individually as they met up for the first installment of the offseason workout program on Monday.
Brown also touched on a few coaches he’s already familiar with, including defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.
“Getting Coach E back was a huge thing for me,” he later added. “Also having Todd Wash back as our D-line coach. This is the first time in my career I’ve had the same D-line coach two years in a row. So, just being able to have familiarity around the building and being able to stay in the system and know the system and just keep going within the system, I think that’s been awesome.”
Under Evero and Wash, Brown posted 103 tackles in 2023—setting a new single-season NFL record for a defensive lineman.
