Panthers Make Surprising Move With Top Assistant
The Carolina Panthers are still picking up the pieces after finishing with a 2-15 record, which was the worst mark in the NFL this season.
They traded for the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft, which yielded them quarterback Bryce Young, and because of that trade, they will not have the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft.
They have turned their attention to their coaching staff, as they hired former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales to be their new head coach, and on Friday, they released Chris Tabor, who had been their special teams coordinator, as well as their interim head coach after they fired Frank Reich at midseason.
Joe Person noted that just recently, Carolina prevented Tabor from taking an interview with the New York Giants.
Panthers recently blocked Chris Tabor from interviewing for the Giants’ ST job (since filled) and then let him go with two years left on his contract.
Tabor voted the league’s No. 2 ST coord. in @NFLPA player survey. https://t.co/gWIlMJEgxI— Joe Person (@josephperson) January 26, 2024
The team has been a laughingstock in recent years, as they haven’t made the playoffs since the 2017 season, and their Super Bowl appearance at the end of the 2015 campaign now seems like a distant memory.
They have had something of a coaching carousel over the last few years — they fired Ron Rivera in 2019, then hired Matt Rhule for the following season, only to fire him early last season.
Assistant Steve Wilks, who is now the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator, took over as interim head coach for the rest of 2022 before Reich took over for this season.
The Panthers have many needs, starting with better play from Young, who was considered by many to be the best QB prospect in the 2023 draft, only to look like chopped liver compared to C.J. Stroud, who was the No. 2 pick by the Houston Texans.
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Details Emerge About Dave Canales’ New Contract With Panthers