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Greg Auman
NFC South Reporter
The Panthers are casting a wide net in their search for a new head coach, with an initial list of nine candidates requested for online interviews that covers both sides of the ball and a broad range of ages and experience.
Carolina owner David Tepper has made two hires in his time in Charlotte: Matt Rhule in 2020 and Frank Reich in 2023. The first was a 44-year-old college head coach who had just one year of NFL experience; the latter was a 61-year-old former NFL quarterback who won a Super Bowl as an assistant and spent the previous five years as an NFL head coach.
Neither one of those hires worked out, of course, and it’s hard to know how their tenures will shape this search and Tepper’s ultimate decision on who can turn his franchise around after a 2-15 record in 2023 and six straight losing seasons.
The NFL will allow only online interviews in the next two weeks, with in-person interviews not permitted until Jan. 22, setting up a thorough process that has teams evaluating a deep group of candidates. Carolina is one of six current openings — with the Titans, Falcons, Raiders, Commanders and Chargers — though it’s possible interim coach Antonio Pierce gets the job full-time in Las Vegas, and also possible other teams like the Patriots add to the list of openings.
One of Carolina’s top priorities will be finding a coach who can develop rookie quarterback Bryce Young, who struggled through his first year with the Panthers. He threw 11 touchdowns against 10 interceptions after Carolina gave up a package of picks and players, including what ended up the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft, to acquire last year’s top pick from the Bears. To no surprise then, there’s an offensive tilt to the initial list, with six of the nine being NFL offensive coordinators, including some of the league’s most coveted up-and-coming offensive minds.
Three of those — the Lions’ Ben Johnson (age…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/panthers-initial-hc-candidate-list-favors-young-offensive-minded-coaches
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Publish date : 2024-01-09 17:50:52
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