The Carolina Panthers became the first NFL team this cycle to hire a head coach, naming Frank Reich as the full-time replacement for the fired Matt Rhule.
Owner David Tepper and Co. go back to the offensive side of the ball with their latest hire after the failure of the Rhule tenure in Carolina.
With that said, Reich brings a lot more to the table than his counterpart. We’re talking about a former NFL quarterback who has worked under the likes of the legendary Tony Dungy and Doug Pederson in the past.
Reich, 61, got his first head coach job with the Indianapolis Colts back in 2018. He led the team to two playoff appearances in four-plus seasons before being fired nine games into the 2022 campaign.
Reich is seen as a stellar offensive mind dating back to his days leading that unit with the then-San Diego Chargers (2014-15) and Philadelphia Eagles (2016-17).
Coming off another losing season, there’s several things the Carolina Panthers must do in order to regain league-wide relevance. Hiring Reich was a start. But here’s a look at three moves Carolina must make this offseason in order to return to playoff contention.
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Carolina Panthers hire Brian Flores as defensive coordinator
With an offensive-minded head coach now in the mix, Carolina turns its attention to finding an experienced individual to run the other side of the ball. Longtime NFL defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is an option. However, he’s been more linked to the Miami Dolphins’ opening.
In this scenario, Carolina adds a highly-respected defensive mind who served as a senior assistant for Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh a season ago. Having received some interest as a head coach this cycle, Flores would make a ton of sense.
He technically called plays for the New England Patriots’ defense under Bill Belichick from 2016-18, leading three consecutive units that finished in the top-seven in points allowed. As the Dolphins’ head coach from 2019-21, Flores improved that defense leaps and bounds from previous seasons.
Carolina has a ton of anchors on defense, including defensive linemen Brian Burns and Derrick Brown as well as defensive backs Jaycee Horn and Jeremy Chinn. This would be a home run hire.
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Carolina Panthers trade up, add top running back in NFL Draft
From Melvin Gordon and Ryan Mathews to the likes of Darren Sproles and Jonathan Taylor, there’s been one constant for Reich-led offenses over the years. While he’s a quarterback by trade, Reich loves himself talent at the running back position.
It’s an interesting thing to look at in Carolina. The Panthers traded star running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers back in October. In hindsight, CMC would’ve been a great fit under Reich. Alas, the stars did not align here.
Instead, Carolina uses its second-round pick and at least one of the selections it picked up from San Francisco to move back into the first round for the consensus No. 1 back in the 2023 NFL Draft — Bijan Robinson from Texas.
Robinson is seen as a generational talent at the running back position. He’s a top-10 player in the draft. Unfortunately, backs are not valued at that clip during the annual event. Carolina takes advantage by trading back into the first round for a dude who has gained north of 3,300 total yards and 35 touchdowns over the past two seasons.
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Derek Carr heads to Carolina in a trade
Let’s be honest here. Reich likes himself a certain type of quarterback. That is to say, a prototypical signal caller who can make plays from the pocket. Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan are obvious examples of this.
With Derek Carr on the trade block and having already been linked to Carolina, it makes perfect sense for general manager Scott Fitterer to bite the bullet and make a move for Carr. He’s a three-time Pro Bowl performer who got the raw end of the deal in Las Vegas. He has previous history of success.
- Derek Carr career stats: 65% completion, 35,222 yards, 217 TD, 99 INT, 91.8 QB rating
Carr could likely be had for a third-round pick and change. It would be a sweet deal for the Carolina Panthers, making him a perfect fit in Reich’s system. This is a no-brainer.