The Carolina Panthers have decided to part ways with head coach Frank Reich, ending his tenure after less than a full season. The team announced on Monday that special teams coordinator Chris Tabor will step in as the interim head coach. Jim Caldwell, previously a senior assistant, will now take on a special advisor role, collaborating with offensive coordinator Thomas Brown.
Carolina made additional coaching changes, letting go of associate head coach and running backs coach Duce Staley, as well as quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, as reported by CBS Sports Lead NFL Insider Jonathan Jones.
𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: #Panthers have fired QB coach Josh McCown and assistant head coach/RB coach Duce Staley, per @TomPelisserohttps://t.co/WNf9kKfZwr pic.twitter.com/w3iQuMw5cF
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 27, 2023
Owner David Tepper expressed gratitude to Reich for his dedication but stated that the decision for change was made. The decision follows the Panthers’ 17-10 loss to Tennessee on Sunday, leaving them with a league-worst 1-10 record this season. The team has struggled across various statistical categories, especially on offense, averaging only 15.7 points per game, ranking 29th in the league.
One significant factor in Reich’s departure was the lack of progress with quarterback Bryce Young, the No. 1 overall pick. Young has faced challenges, completing 62.1% of his passes, averaging 187 passing yards per game, and throwing nine touchdowns and eight interceptions in 11 games.
Reich, who was hired by the Panthers on January 26 of this year, had a brief 11-game run, making it the shortest tenure for an NFL head coach in the last 45 years. The last time a first-year coach was let go this quickly was in 1978.
This marks the second consecutive season the Panthers have fired a head coach in-season, following the dismissal of Matt Rhule last year after a 1-4 start. Under Tepper’s ownership, which began in May 2018, the Panthers have gone through six head coaches, including Ron Rivera, Perry Fewell (interim, 2019), Matt Rhule, Steve Wilks (interim, 2022), Frank Reich, and Chris Tabor (interim, 2023). The team will soon be searching for a seventh head coach, but due to NFL rules, they cannot interview a candidate from another team until after the divisional round of the playoffs in late January.
