The Carolina Panthers will hire a third head coach since David Tepper bought the team in 2018.
He hired and fired Matt Rhule from 2020-2022, then hired and fired Frank Reich in less than one season this year.
Now, Tepper will add a new coach this offseason and reportedly has already circled one name on a list of candidates, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini: Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
Panthers owner David Tepper has been self-reflective, blaming himself for almost all the mistakes made this season, a league source told @DMRussini.
“He’s incredibly accountable.”
Now he’s ready to find a coach that can help him make it right https://t.co/ie9WNbvYWi pic.twitter.com/fVpC0YLJlB
— The Athletic NFL (@TheAthleticNFL) December 23, 2023
Johnson was one of the Panthers’ top head coaching candidates this past offseason too, but he decided to remain with the Lions as their offensive coordinator.
Since his return, the Lions have become one of the best offenses in the NFL.
Detroit is 10-4, at the top of the NFC North, and has the fifth-best scoring offense in the league that averages 27.3 points per game.
Johnson helped quarterback Jared Goff put together another solid season where he ranks third in passing yards and passing touchdowns and seventh in completion percentage.
The Lions also have the second-best rushing game with rookie Jahmyr Gibbs and veteran David Montgomery both approaching 1,000 rushing yards.
Johnson will undoubtedly be one of the top head coaching candidates this hiring cycle, but it might take a lot for him to pick the Panthers over any other team that’s interested in him.
The Panthers have the 29th-ranked offense behind rookie Bryce Young, no first-round pick despite the worst record in the NFL, and not a lot of talent among it’s skill-position players.
So unless Johnson likes a fixer-upper or has some ingenious plan to turn Young into a Pro Bowler overnight, it might take a lot for Tepper to hire him.
The post Panthers Reportedly ‘Have Their Eye’ On 1 HC Candidate appeared first on The Cold Wire.