Tag: jim caldwell

Panthers retain 13 assistant coaches, including entire defensive staff

Panthers DC Ejiro Evero will have his entire staff back for 2024.

The Carolina Panthers did more than just roll out the hirings of six new faces on Thursday. They also announced the returns of 13 familiar ones.

In addition to their additions, the team is retaining 13 assistant coaches—headlined by defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. Evero will be joined back by his entire defensive staff.

The group is as follows:

  • Dom Capers (defensive assistant)
  • Todd Wash (defensive line coach)
  • Bert Watts (secondary/safeties coach)
  • Jonathan Cooley (secondary/cornerbacks coach)
  • Peter Hansen (inside linebackers coach)
  • Tem Lukabu (outside linebackers coach)
  • DeAngelo Hall (assistant defensive backs coach)
  • Mayur Chaudhari (defensive assistant)
  • Bobby Maffei (defensive quality control coach)

Carolina will also keep a few offensive minds in senior assistant Jim Caldwell and offensive assistant Mike Bercovici. Game management coordinator George Li will be staying on as well.

Along with Evero, the organization previously announced the hirings of their two new coordinators in Brad Idzik and Tracy Smith—who will lead the offense and special teams, respectively.

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Report reveals braintrust behind Panthers’ GM search

Per CBS Sports, the Panthers’ GM search included owners David and Nicole Tepper, team president Kristi Coleman and senior assistant coach Jim Caldwell.

So, who was in on the Carolina Panthers’ decision to stay local?

On Monday, the organization announced the promotion of now-former assistant general manager Dan Morgan to the president of football operations and general manager posts. And according to CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones, here’s who was included in the braintrust that ultimately landed on the former linebacker:

According to sources, Tepper captained the search for his next GM along with his wife, Nicole, team president Kristi Coleman, Panthers senior assistant coach and longtime NFL head coach Jim Caldwell and Mike Forde, who heads the search firm Sportsology.

ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter reported on Jan. 6 that the Panthers were entering their hunt with Forde and Sportsology. The firm also has past experience with the Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers as well as with Tepper’s head-coaching search for Charlotte FC from last month.

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Former Lions coach Duce Staley among those fired in Carolina

Staley was fired along with Frank Reich and others just 12 games into their first season in Carolina.

Head coach Frank Reich wasn’t the only authority figure shown the door in Carolina. The Panthers organization also axed an assistant coach who was on Dan Campbell’s staff in Detroit in 2022.

Panthers assistant head coach Duce Staley was fired with Reich. Staley held that role in 2021-2022 with the Lions, while also serving as Detroit’s running backs coach. He left the Lions this past offseason to take a position with Carolina that was closer to his ailing mother. Scottie Montgomery took over that role in Detroit under Campbell.

Carolina also fired Josh McCown midway through his first season as the Panthers’ QB coach. McCown played for the Lions in 2006 among his many stops in the NFL.

As of now, defensive line coach Todd Wash remains employed by the Panthers. Like Staley, Wash also left Detroit for Carolina this past offseason. Former Lions head coach Jim Caldwell also remains as a senior offensive assistant to help interim head coach Chris Tabor.

Former Eagles’ great Duce Staley fired as RB coach by Panthers

The Carolina Panthers have fired assistant head coach and running backs coach Duce Staley

The impact of Frank Reich’s firing is starting to trickle down to the coaching staff, as Duce Staley was fired as assistant head coach/ running backs coach according to Tom Pelissero.

A former Eagles running back and assistant coach, Staley left Dan Campbell’s staff in Detroit to join Frank Reich in Carolina.

Panthers owner David Tepper fired Reich on Monday morning, less than 24 hours after the owner left the locker room muttering an expletive following Sunday’s 17-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans in Nashville.

Special teams coach Chris Tabor has been appointed as interim head coach, while offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will assume playcalling duties with help from senior assistant Jim Caldwell.

Tabor and Caldwell made the call to relieve Staley and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown of their duties.

Reich’s tenure at Carolina ended with an NFL-worst 1-10 record — including an 0-6 mark on the road. He also becomes the first NFL head coach since the 1970 merger to be fired in back-to-back seasons after last year’s dismissal from the Colts.

Panthers fire assistant HC Duce Staley, QB coach Josh McCown

After parting ways with Frank Reich, the Panthers also fired assistant HC/RB coach Duce Staley and QB coach Josh McCown on Monday.

Frank Reich wasn’t the only coach to feel the wrath on Monday.

A few hours after announcing they had parted ways with their head coach, the Carolina Panthers have also fired assistant head coach/running backs coach Duce Staley and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown. ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter was first with the news this afternoon.

Like Reich, Staley and McCown were in their first years with the organization. Both were hired in February as part of the franchise’s overhaul of its coaching staff.

Their dismissals come with the 1-10 Panthers continuing to struggle on offense. Carolina is currently averaging the third-fewest yards per game (265.9) and the fourth-fewest points per game (15.7).

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport noted that the decisions on Staley and McCown were made by interim head coach Chris Tabor and offensive assistant Jim Caldwell.

As announced by owner David Tepper earlier this morning, Caldwell and offensive coordinator Thomas Brown have been spared from the chopping block. Brown will resume play-calling duties, which were taken back by Reich two weeks ago, with Caldwell serving as his advisor.

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15 possible HC candidates for the Panthers in 2024

Here are 15 names to keep in mind as Panthers owner David Tepper embarks on his third head-coaching search

Here we are again.

For the second time in as many years, the Carolina Panthers are in the market for a new head coach. Monday morning’s firing of Frank Reich, who lasted a miserable 11 games in Charlotte, now opens the door for yet another leader for this unstable franchise.

So, who will that leader be?

Well, it’s still too early to tell. But here are 15 possible candidates that could be of interest to owner David Tepper and company:

David Tepper releases statement on firing of Frank Reich

Panthers owner David Tepper issued a statement on his decision to part ways with HC Frank Reich.

When Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper angrily left the locker room after yesterday’s loss to the Tennessee Titans, he probably left with a major change in mind.

That change was made on Monday morning, as the Panthers announced the firing of head coach Frank Reich. Tepper, through the team’s Twitter account, issued the following statement on the decision:

I met with Coach Reich this morning and informed him that he will not continue as head coach of the Carolina Panthers. I want to thank Frank for his dedication and service, and we wish him well. Effective immediately, Special Teams Coordinator Chris Tabor will serve as our interim head coach. Senior Assistant Jim Caldwell will be a special advisor to Offensive Coordinator Thomas Brown, who will take over play calling duties.

Tabor will now be the sixth head coach, including interims, in Tepper’s six-year run of owning the franchise—a run that has yielded an overall 30-63 record.

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NFL analyst: Jim Caldwell is Panthers’ ‘best wild card’

Senior assistant Jim Caldwell will be playing a key role in developing the Panthers offense and, perhaps to a greater degree, rookie QB Bryce Young.

The Carolina Panthers drew themselves one heck of a hand this offseason, having picked and plucked some of the game’s very best minds in assembling a royal flush of a coaching staff. But it seems like one of their most useful cards has gone a bit overlooked.

In a discussion with The 33rd Team, former defensive back and current NFL analyst Charles Davis spoke about the importance of coaching up 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young. After hyping up the likes of head coach Frank Reich and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, Davis mentioned a pretty valuable piece to the team’s well-constructed offseason puzzle.

“And here’s the best wild card they have—Jim Caldwell as an offensive assistant,” he said. “Former head coach in the league, successful, took the Colts to a Super Bowl, the Lions to the playoffs, is a quarterback guru/whisperer from way back.

“This young man will benefit from this coaching staff in a big way. So the answer is not just Bryce Young, but it’s how are they gonna coach Bryce Young and what they put around him for a chance to be successful.”

Caldwell, who has over two decades of experience on the NFL sidelines, was actually one of the first interviewees for Carolina’s head-coaching vacancy earlier this year. Although he didn’t get the job, the 68-year-old hopped onboard as a senior assistant under the man who did.

Reich, the eventual choice, previously worked under Caldwell in Indianapolis as his quarterbacks and wide receivers coach from 2009 to 2011. And while the roles are somewhat reserved, the goal of orchestrating a lethal, finely-tuned offense remains the same.

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Panthers to have 4 representatives at 2023 GM Forum and QB Coaching Summit

The Panthers will have four representatives on hand for this year’s Ozzie Newsome General Manager Forum and Quarterback Coaching Summit.

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The Carolina Panthers will have a strong contingent on hand for the 2023 Ozzie Newsome General Manager Forum and the Quarterback Coaching Summit.

This year’s events, which’ll be the third annual meeting for the former and the sixth for the latter, are set to take place between Wednesday, June 21 and Friday, June 23 at the NFL Los Angeles office. Set to represent the Panthers are Vice President of Football Administration Samir Suleiman, offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and senior offensive assistant Jim Caldwell.

Per Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer, the three Carolina coaches will play a part in putting on the Quarterback Coaching Summit. Their roles are as follows:

  • Brown (Thursday): Panelist for “How to Interview for an Offensive Coordinator Job” breakout session
  • Evero (Friday): Host of “Role of the Defensive Coordinator” session
  • Caldwell (Friday): Speaker for welcoming session

The symposiums, in partnership with the Black College Football Hall of Fame, offer “peer-to-peer professional development and networking opportunities” and “interactions with select club executives” in the NFL’s ongoing efforts to cultivate a more inclusive workforce.

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The Panthers sent an absurd amount of reps to watch C.J. Stroud throw at Ohio State’s Pro Day

The Panthers are doing a horrible job of hiding their love for Stroud.

When they traded up to the No. 1 overall pick, the safe assumption was that the Carolina Panthers wanted a young quarterback prospect. And with the top selection, the world was their oyster in a promising 2023 NFL Draft class.

But if the Panthers had designs on drafting anyone but C.J. Stroud next month, it’d be rather surprising. Well, at least according to the contingent they sent to Ohio State’s Pro Day on Wednesday. While the Buckeyes have a bunch of promising building blocks at other positions, the Panthers were there to presumably watch Stroud.

Such plans seem obvious when you note a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero stating the Panthers met with Stroud in advance.

Seriously. Why else would Carolina send at least 11 different people, including owner David Tepper and his wife Nicole, GM Scott Fitterer, and head coach Frank Reich?

I don’t want to read too much into things, but if Josh McCown and Jim Caldwell are present as objectively lower-level people in the Panthers’ hierarchy, they may as well be telegraphing their desires for Stroud.

Only time will tell what decision the Panthers ultimately make about their future in April. But, after seemingly sending everyone to watch him throw, it seems abundantly clear Carolina will have a concrete idea about where it stands with Stroud.