Dating back to his days as the running backs coach at Wisconsin, Thomas Brown has worked with some of the better collegiate ball-carriers we’ve seen in recent years.
A former NFL running back himself, Brown now heads to the Carolina Panthers to be their next offensive coordinator under new head coach Frank Reich. The move comes after he spent the past three seasons as an assistant under Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams.
This hire is pretty big time for Reich and Co. given his expertise working with quarterbacks and the passing game at the professional level. While it’s unknown who will be the full-time play-caller in Carolina, these two working with one another will change the dynamics big time.
As we already know, the quarterback position will be the primary focus of Reich and general manager Scott Fitterer in Carolina. But creating balance on that side of the ball can go a long way in the Panthers’ returning to relevance following the failed Matt Rhule era. Brown will help in that regard and is seen as an up-and-coming coach.
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Thomas Brown’s extensive profile heading to the Carolina Panthers
A former sixth-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons back in 2008, Brown starred as a running back under Mark Richt with Georgia. He also played with Matthew Stafford. Interestingly enough, Brown ended up coaching the former Georgia quarterback for two seasons with the Rams.
What we know about Brown’s experience on the sidelines dating back to his days with Wisconsin back in 2014, running backs have had a ton of success under his leadership.
| Year | Player | Team | Stats |
| 2014 | Melvin Gordon | Wisconsin | 2,587 rushing yards, 29 TD |
| 2014 | Corey Clement | Wisconsin | 949 rushing yards, 9 TD |
| 2015 | Sony Michel | Georgia | 1,136 rushing yards, 8 TD |
| 2015 | Nick Chubb | Georgia | 747 rushing yards, 7 TD |
| 2016 | Mark Walton | Miami (F) | 1,117 rushing yards, 14 TD |
| 2017 | Travis Homer | Miami (F) | 966 rushing yards, 8 TD |
| 2018 | Travis Homer | Miami (F) | 985 rushing yards, 4 TD |
| 2018 | Deejay Dallas | Miami (F) | 617 rushing yards, 6 TD |
The crazy thing here is that all of these running backs made it to the professional ranks via the NFL Draft. Gordon and Chubb morphed into Pro Bowl performers at the next level with four other running backs on this list still contributing in the NFL.
Reich’s plan in hiring Brown is relatively clear. He wants to have a strong running game, much like what the new Carolina Panthers head coach had in Jonathan Taylor with the Indianapolis Colts. Unfortunately, Carolina dealt away Pro Bowl running back Christian McCaffrey months before Reich and Brown were brought on.
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What to expect from the Thomas Brown, Frank Reich pairing in Carolina
Carolina got some solid production from veteran journeyman D’Onta Foreman following the McCaffrey trade a season ago. He ended up tallying 914 rushing yards and four touchdowns at a clip of 4.5 yards per touch.
Foreman’s younger counterpart, 2021 fourth-round pick Chuba Hubbard, was also good. The former star at Oklahoma State averaged a healthy 4.5 yards per attempt, too. With Foreman set to hit free agency, we’re expecting the Panthers to consider bringing him back. If not, Hubbard is going to get a nice look heading into the 2023 NFL Draft in April.
With that said, we fully expect Carolina to use an earlier-round selection on a running back. The team made it clear this will be a focal point by hiring Thomas Brown as Reich’s top assistant.
Zach Charbonnet (UCLA) and Jahmyr Gibbs (Alabama) are two names to consider on Day 2. Brown has worked with all types of running backs in the past. However, he does like to have somewhat of a committee approach. Due to no fault of his own, this was the case with the Los Angeles Rams.
The 220-pound Charbonnet is someone who excels after contact. Being able to get that yardage between the hashes could loom large if the Panthers are also expecting to feature Hubbard as a ball-carrier in 2023.
As for Gibbs, he’s more of your lightning rod back. That is to say, someone in the mold of Deejay Dallas who continues to do his thing in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks after working with Brown at Miami.
This is all an early look at what the Brown hiring means for his new Carolina Panthers team. Again, it’s going to be all about the quarterback moving forward in the offseason. But Reich made it perfectly clear that the running game will be a central focus by hiring Brown away from Los Angeles.