For the position of head coach of the Carolina Panthers, the NFL community is largely in agreement on one name. Monday morning marked the dismissal of Frank Reich in his first season with the Panthers following a 1-10 start with rookie quarterback Bryce Young.
This season, Reich made a few attempts to get the offense clicking. Before their game against the Dallas Cowboys, he resumed calling plays. In the two games that Frank has returned to call plays, the Panthers have scored a total of 20 points.
Many observers and supporters believe that in order to keep Young’s career in Carolina, the Panthers will pursue an offensive-minded head coach.
Ben Johnson is expected to take over as coach of the Panthers in the NFL.
Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, was widely predicted by observers and fans to be the Panthers’ next head coach. Owner David Tepper was reportedly a fan of Johnson, according to reports that surfaced during the Panthers’ January search.
Since taking over as offensive coordinator for the Lions in 2022, the 37-year-old coach has had tremendous success with the team’s offense. Johnson is a big part of the reason the Lions are leading the NFC North this season and has helped quarterback Jared Goff’s career take off.
Johnson is expected to take over as head coach of the Panthers, according to fans and commentators on X. These are the greatest predictions made by fans that Johnson will succeed Reich.
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After firing Frank Reich, the Carolina Panthers need to make four moves.
With a 1-10 record so far this season, the Carolina Panthers are widely regarded as the NFL’s worst team. Just 11 games into his first season as the organization’s head coach, Frank Reich was fired on Monday in an attempt to address that by owner David Tepper.
Considering Tepper’s standing in the league and the fact that he dismissed former coach Matt Rhule after just five games of the 2022 campaign, the move was hardly shocking.
One could argue that by firing Reich, Tepper and Co. jumped the gun. However, it’s the decision he made to join Carolina in the midst of yet another disappointing season.
The focus now shifts to the player Tepper chooses to start in Reich’s place full-time, the future of general manager Scott Fitterer, and the prospect status of rookie quarterback Brett Young.
There seem to be more questions than answers for a team that hasn’t had a winning record since way back in 2017. This includes Carolina’s first-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, which will go to the Chicago Bears, and Young’s difficulties as a rookie.
Having chosen to fire Reich just 11 games into his head coaching career, we examine four actions Carolina must take below.
Carolina Panthers are on fire Fitterer Scott
This one appears to be rather clear-cut. Carolina ought to have taken the same course as the Las Vegas Raiders, who earlier in the season fired general manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels.
If you’re not at the table, it’s difficult to understand how trade talks operate behind the scenes. However, Carolina’s choice to select Young with the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft could cause this team to regress significantly.
We are aware that Tepper thought Fitterer should select Young first overall because he was a fan of his. The terms of that trade with Chicago, though, don’t exactly look good for the Panthers in the long run.
Right now, the first-round selection of Carolina that will go to Chicago in the spring will be ranked first overall. In the blockbuster, the team also parted ways with Pro Bowl wide receiver D.J. Moore. In the grand scheme of things, it didn’t make much sense to move a top target like Moore in a trade that returned a rookie quarterback who was expected to start right away.
This could be our take on Monday morning quarterbacking, of course. Without moving off of Moore, Carolina might not have been able to get the number one pick. Bears general manager Ryan Poles needed more reliable passing options for his young quarterback, Justin Fields. Most likely, acquiring Moore was the final goal for Poles and co.
Fitterer’s time as the Panthers’ general manager hasn’t exactly gone as planned, though. That position was given to him back in January 2021. Carolina’s record is 13-32 since then. He has passed up draft picks like Matt Corral (third round in 2022) and Terrace Marchall Jr. (second round in 2021).
The bulk of Carolina’s core group joined the company before Fitterer did. This includes Jeremy Chinn (draft pick, 2020), Brian Burns (first-round pick, 2019), and Derrick Brown (first-round pick, 2020). What specifically has Fitterer done to alter this franchise’s course? It’s just not apparent to us.
