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After firing Matt Rhule and promoting Steve Wilks, the Carolina Panthers have finally officially hired Frank Reich as their next head coach.
According to Darin Gantt, he will be the Panthers' first-ever offensive head coach:
"The team agreed to terms with Frank Reich to be the sixth head coach in franchise history on Thursday, which will make him the first coach here with an offensive background. And that background, as both a player and a coach, made him an appealing choice."
UPDATE: The Panthers fired Reich 11 games into the season after just one win all year.
The team interviewed a host of offensive candidates and, of course, interim head coach Steve Wilks. Wilks did a phenomenal job coaching the Panthers, who traded Robby Anderson and Christian McCaffrey, to the precipice of the playoffs.
Ultimately, Wilks' defensive leanings made him a slightly less preferred candidate despite the terrific job he did. It remains unclear what role he will take with the Panthers if he stays.
Reich was fired from the Indianapolis Colts midseason with a 3-5-1 record and was replaced by ESPN analyst Jeff Saturday.
Gantt also mentioned:
"He also won a Super Bowl ring as offensive coordinator with the Eagles in 2017, and spent the last five years as head coach of the Colts, going 40-33-1 in five years. He's coached quarterbacks from Peyton Manning to Philip Rivers to Andrew Luck."
That knowledge and experience will help as the Panthers will more than likely be looking at a new, probably rookie quarterback for 2023.
Why the Panthers chose Frank Reich
The Panthers interviewed a ton of candidates for their vacant head coaching spot, including:
- Kellen Moore, Dallas Cowboys OC
- Mike Kafka, New York Giants OC
- Ken Dorsey, Buffalo Bills OC
- Ejiro Evero, Denver Broncos DC
- Shane Steichen, Philadelphia Eagles OC
- Frank Reich, ex-Colts HC
- Steve Wilks, interim HC
- Jim Caldwell, ex-Lions HC
Clearly, the team favored offensive coaches. As mentioned, they've never had one before as Rhule wasn't an offensive specialist and Ron Rivera and John Fox before him were defensive coordinators.
While Wilks did an astonishingly good job with a very poor roster, it wasn't quite enough to sway ownership away from an offensive coach. The majority of head coaches hired today have an offensive background as the NFL continues to shift in that direction.
