The Carolina Panthers' circle of ineptitude under new owner David Tepper continues with yet another coaching firing. David Tepper bought control of the Panthers back in 2018. Excluding interim head coaches, the Panthers will be on their fourth head coach in six years after the announcement on Monday that head coach Frank Reich got fired as the team's head coach.
It wasn't too hard to piece the puzzle together as to how or why David Tepper came to the conclusion to fire Frank Reich. Tepper has a history of meddling with the team's football decision-making. Frank Reich said as much in a press conference earlier this season.
That isn't all. There were reports that Reich and the coaching staff wanted to draft CJ Stroud, but the owner wanted Bryce Young, and that is what prompted the Panthers to give up everything they traded to draft Young. Tepper and the Panthers had plans to build a new $170 million practice facility, but that was left to be abandoned and later demolished. Panthers fans deserve better.
No one will feel sorry for Frank Reich. The Panthers signed him to a four year $36 million contract just over a year after he got that same deal in an extension with the Indianapolis Colts. Reich will land on his feet again in no time if he wants another coaching gig in some capacity, but he surely doesn't need it anymore. Now, the Panthers have to move on and find a new head coach. There are plenty of intriguing candidates across the NFL. Who could the Panthers pursue?
Thomas Brown
Thomas Brown garnered a lot of interest during the last coaching cycle. Brown was an assistant head coach, a running back and tight ends coach during his tenure with the Los Angeles Rams. He interviewed for the Houston Texans' head coaching vacancy a year ago before the Texans ultimately hired DeMeco Ryans.
Thomas Brown was a running back with the Atlanta Falcons for a year, then with the Cleveland Browns for two years before transitioning into coaching. Brown has a lot of respect around the league and could possibly take over for the Panthers. He won't be the interim head coach, but being in the building and having an offensive background can't hurt his chances.
Ben Johnson
Ben Johnson has been the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions for the past two seasons. In 2022, Johnson's first season as offensive coordinator, the Lions ranked sixth in EPA per play on offense. This season, the Lions rank eighth. Only the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, and San Francisco 49ers have scored more points than the Lions this season. Johnson has helped revitalize Jared Goff's career and could be the perfect coach to get Bryce Young's career on proper footing as well.
Ben Johnson will have plenty of offers and should have his picking to choose from. The instability from within the Panthers' organization could be what holds him back from accepting this job. But, Johnson is from Charleston, South Carolina, and he played high school and college football in the state of North Carolina. Coming back home could be very tempting for him.
Dan Quinn
Dan Quinn's head coaching tenure in Atlanta was very successful. He posted a record above .500 with the Falcons, and that is a bit skewed from how his tenure there ended. He took a franchise with more of a reputation for losing than winning to the Super Bowl, where his team was up 28-3. Quinn was a very solid head coach.
He's also probably too overqualified to be a defensive coordinator. His defensive acumen helming the Legion of Boom in Seattle is what prompted the Falcons to hire him to be their head coach in the first place. He's doing the same thing now as the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas ranked second in the NFL in EPA per play allowed last season, behind only the San Francisco 49ers. This season, they rank third behind only the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens. Quinn needs to be a head coach somewhere. Maybe the Panthers bring him back to the NFC South.
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