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The Carolina Panthers have fired Frank Reich after 11 games, owner David Tepper announced Monday morning. Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor will serve as interim coach.
The Panthers also later fired quarterbacks coach Josh McCown and running backs coach Duce Staley, a league source said.
– Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) 27 November 2023
Reich’s dismissal came two weeks after taking over play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Thomas Brown – three games after turning over the responsibilities to Brown in Week 8. Carolina fell to 1-10 on Sunday in a 17-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
Tepper said Brown would resume offensive play while serving as a special advisor with senior assistant Jim Caldwell.
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At 11 games, Reich’s tenure is the second shortest for a head coach in NFL history who coached a regular season game. The San Francisco 49ers fired Pete McCully after a 1–8 start to the 1978 season.
(Two head coaches did not attend the regular season; Bill Belichick resigned as coach of the New York Jets after one day in 2000, while George Allen was fired by the Los Angeles Rams after two preseason games in 1977. )
The Panthers hired Reich in January and selected Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft in March. However, under Reich, Young has posted a 74.9 passer rating, the worst of the three QBs selected in the first round. The Panthers rank 30th in the NFL with 265.9 yards of offense per game.
Reich replaces interim coach Steve Wilks, who was promoted after Carolina fired Matt Rhule following a 1-4 start to the 2022 season. The Panthers have the worst record in the NFL after going 7-10 in 2022.
Carolina traded its 2024 first-round pick to the Chicago Bears, acquiring Young.
Reich previously went 40–33–1 in four-plus seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, reaching the playoffs twice and winning one postseason game. He was fired after a 3–5–1 start to the 2022 season.
The Panthers are the second team to make a coaching change this season, joining the Raiders, who fired Josh McDaniels after eight games.
What was the fall of the Reich?
Tepper was sold on Reich’s offensive credentials and his ability to bring in a big-name staff that included former coaches (Caldwell, Dom Capers) and several up-and-comers. The idea was that Young would have a building full of QB whisperers. Except it didn’t take.
The Panthers ranked near the bottom in the league offensively, Young has struggled and the offense has not improved even after Reich received play calling from Brown again. Reich looked defeated after Sunday’s loss at Tennessee, where Tepper dropped an F-bomb and shook his head after leaving the locker room. – Joe Person, Panthers staff writer
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The only option – due to the Panthers’ weak offense and 1–10 record – was to fire Frank Reich.
Who will Tepper target?
Monday’s announcement did not include any discussion about the future of general manager Scott Fitterer, whose position is believed to be untenable due to failing to provide Young with enough playmakers. Hopefully Tepper will once again go after an offensive-minded coach.
Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was their top choice last winter, before Johnson removed himself from consideration. Tepper will almost certainly make another run at Johnson and don’t be surprised if he tries to make a splash with Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh or someone like Belichick.
But Tepper’s history of firing coaches and being pragmatic may give accomplished coaches pause. – Person
Why were McKeown and Staley also let go?
Before considering that question, it is important to note that Reich’s ability to assemble a supposedly all-star staff was a big reason why Tepper hired him. Now after 10 months all this is being blown up. Tabor decided to move on from McCown, who was in his first year as an NFL assistant, and Staley, who had worked with Reich in Philadelphia. With Caldwell taking a more active role, Tabor wanted to streamline the process and put fewer voices in Young’s ears.
As for Staley, he was overseeing the NFL’s 29th-ranked offensive attack and had a hand in the decision to sign former Eagles back Miles Sanders, who was unproductive in his first season in Carolina. – Person
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