Soul Rebel

That home game vs New Orleans will linger. The Superdome is a tough place to get a W….especially versus a heated division rival fighting for a playoff spot. I think the formula to win here is not beat ourselves. That means BY9 plays smart and is the calmer/confident Bryce. Same goes for Dave. If Chuba is the healthier hotter hand right now, ride him. Take what NO gives you and don’t force a square peg in a round hole.

This is where I'm at. Dowdle is a feel good story and glad he's proving his doubters wrong. I just don't see how we keep our OL intact (which is the right move) and spend on another RB after giving Chuba his money. Though the odds are against him, I do think Brooks can still be our RB2 next year..and if he stays healthy, our longterm RB1. Having the full offseason with no pressure to try and come back like last year will help. I'm also happy to see he and TD have been connecting. If this team is smart, they go into next year with Chuba/Brooks/ETN and sign a Dowdle-light version in FA at minimum cost. Chuba is in his prime and a full offseason to fully recharge will only benefit him more. Dowdle is unfortunately a luxury item I don't think we can spend our money on. We still have other areas of need that we have to improve on the defensive side of the ball.

I wonder how long the JT Sanders experiment will go. I know he went in the 4th for a reason, but at the time, I thought he was one of those classic prospects that fell and was a steal on day 3. I’m not out on him, but he has flashed less this year than last and there are games where he seems non-existent. Evans looks like the most promising long-term answer. Tremble will be here until his contract runs out. Sanders could be the new Ian Thomas, though the former has shown more flashes/promise than the latter. Maybe Canales enjoys TE by committee though….i feel like that was the deal in TB and SEA.

I do hope Sonny Styles is available with our pick. Reese will go top-3, but Styles is a beast in his own right. His size next to Wallace would be a heckuva balance and he plays fast. My guess is Styles destroys the combine and goes top-8. Gotta hope the "taking an off-ball LB early" conversation causes a bit of a drop. It did with Campbell in last draft, so here's hoping Styles can last until the late teens/early 20s.

Happy for Chuba and agree that he was brought back too soon. He showed an extra gear and more confidence this past week than he has in previous weeks. I also think Dowdle has been hampered by that groin injury from a few weeks back and isn't 100%. If Canales can continue to balance these two to keep them charged up and whoever has the hot hand, we should be good. The Rams game was a blueprint to how we win. It's Carolina football...always has been, and always will be our calling card. DC has to stop trying to outsmart himself or reinvent the wheel.

This is the answer. My feeling is that they may have rushed Brooks back a bit last year. Hard to say without knowing and different injury types/history/age, but I'd rather have a healthy Hunt for TB or 100% for the start of 2026 vs. re-injuring himself. Corbett at OG is as good as a rusty Rob not at 100%.

I’d take Jayden Maiava with a day 2 pick and sit him for a year or two. I love his potential and make-up. There’s a lot to love there….and also enough that needs polish and time to acclimate. Give me a “Canales” type vet on a 2-year deal to bridge the gap until Maiava is ready to start. IMO, a guy like Geno, Jameis, or Daniel Jones is here this year and we’re more of a 8-4 team than 6-6. I know they both didn’t live in HI at the same time but the respect he and TMac would have for one another could create a wonderful connection long-term.

My question is who fits that bill in FA or maybe via trade? I’m all for moving on from Bryce now, but trying to figure out who DC would pound the table for. Geno? Jameis? Lance? Lets say they go QB on day 2 in the draft, which QB screams Canales’ MO for success?

I wish him the best wherever he ends up….truly. The ATL game last year & this year are the outliers. Last might , New Orleans and Arizona are who he is. That’s your baseline. I’m not expecting 400-yard games each week, but check down Charlie and the inability to keep defenses respectful of a team’s passing game is inexcusable as he closes in on 45 NFL games.

I’m confused….Corbett is healthy and Zavala is in still? Also, what’s the deal with the pop-up ads constantly showing up when I click on replies?

I’d take Lance & a 2nd round pick in the ‘26 draft. That being said, I’m sure Canales has a guy in his mind and will be given first option as to the FA and or draftee of his desire. He inherited BY9 and has given his best effort to turn his game around. His job beyond 2026 depends on getting this right.

I have been the biggest BY9 supporter and am officially done after today. I think the 4th & 2 play was the nail in the coffin. I like him as a person and hope he figures it out. I just can’t in good faith expect him to do what he hasn’t figured out in 2.5 years while watching others with less of a pedigree and draft position hit expectations.

As long as Canales understands that Dowdle is the “hot hand” at RB and feeds him the rock, with Chuba spelling him, we’ll be in it. if Dave forces Hubbard to split it 50-50, I might throw my remote through the tv. Andy just needs to manage the game & not take sacks/throw INTs.

I think Evero has stepped up a bit this year locking in that run defense, beyond just getting DB back from injury. For Jackson, I do wonder if he's playing through a more serious injury and unable to compete at a higher intensity level. Where I'm concerned is in two areas that are pretty telling. We are terrible in forcing turnovers and rarely get sacks. I think a good portion of it is EE's approach but also the fundamentals and angles we take often times look very pedestrian.

For as much as Bryce likes the short intermediate game and checks down quite often, is there a world where Canales creates packages with both of them on the field at the same time? Not frequently, but enough to keep defenses honest and guessing.