David Tepper’s execution may have completely missed the mark, but his plan to stabilize his failing franchise will probably remain the same.
On Monday, the team announced the firing of head coach Frank Reich—who departs after just 11 games at the position. Reich, now the first coach to be fired in back-to-back seasons since the 1970 merger, leaves the Panthers with a league-worst 1-10 record and one of the least productive offenses in the organization’s history.
So Tepper, whose search had centered around finding an offensive-minded head coach, will likely try to seek out another acclaimed play-caller. Joe Person of The Athletic wrote the following this morning:
While special teams coordinator Chris Tabor takes over as interim, Tepper again is expected to focus his search on an offensive-minded coach with the hopes of coaxing more out of Young than Reich and his staff did. The Panthers traded their 2024 first-round pick, two second-round selections and wide receiver DJ Moore to acquire the No. 1 pick from Chicago to take Young, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner from Alabama who has ranked among the league’s worst passers statistically all season.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero also noted that Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who will be a hot commodity this offseason, should once again be a target of Tepper’s. Johnson, one of the favorites for the position earlier this year, withdrew his name from consideration to remain in his current role up north.
The Panthers currently rank 30th in total yards per game and 29th in points per game.
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