Dave Canales Talks Lavonte David Impact
April 8th, 2026
So Joe asked Panthers head coach and 2023 Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales what the NFL world needs to know about Lavonte David.
Joe got private time with Canales last week at the NFL annual meeting Phoenix and asked him to reflect on working with the Bucs legend. (No, Joe and Canales were not holding hands and gazing at the mountains.)
“Command,” Canales replied. “Just what he commanded from the group, not just the [Bucs] defense, but the team. A professionalism about him. An ease in the way that he connected with his teammates is what I saw. And for me being there for one year and just being received by guys like Lavonte, and Vita [Vea]. But just speaking about Lavonte, just how natural the game came to him, it just seemed like he always knew where the play was going.
“If it was a screen, he’s somewhere around the back — somewhere around the ball. If it was a run play, you know, he’s screaming over the tops of blocks. And in the pass game, just making an impact whether it was blitzing or dropping into coverage and showing different looks. Watching Todd’s defense and knowing how versatile and multiple they can be, it really requires guys to be on the same page and between Lavonte and Antoine [Winfield] getting guys on the same page and understanding the looks that go into the week — to know where you’re supposed to be. He was the heart and soul of that whole thing.
“And certainly Lavonte was a special player in the locker room with things that might have happened, like a lot of it never got to the coaches because Lavonte would handle a lot of that stuff — and have conversations and just keep guys on the right track.
“I know he’s a guy they’re certainly going to miss there and certainly somebody I was really fortunate to be around for a year.”
Joe will share more reflections on David from other NFL coaches in the coming days.
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