When the Colts fired Reich during the 2022 season, it was safe to expect him to attract interest from other clubs in need of a new coach. Carolina didn’t waste much time, hiring Reich and giving him the tools necessary to build a staff that would arrive in Charlotte with enough experience to guide the Panthers from irrelevance back to contention.
Such a process isn’t as simple as hiring a strong group of coaches, of course, but Carolina certainly has reason to feel optimistic about its future. Reich arrives with five years of head-coaching experience gained in Indianapolis, where he led the Colts to two playoff appearances despite near-constant turnover at quarterback, and he’s made sure to fill out his staff with lieutenants who possess bright futures.
That group includes Caldwell, Brown, and former Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, who turned Denver’s unit into a stifling group in 2022. With this trio of assistants (and others), Reich believes he’s assembled a well-rounded group that shouldn’t struggle with blind spots.
“Just a diversity of thought,” Reich said when asked about the experience of his staff. “Guys with that kind of experience have been in a bunch of different systems, they’ve been through the wars, they’ve been through the ups and downs, they’ve learned how to solve problems, they’ve learned how to work with players of all types, work through issues, it’s a long season. Guys who know how to collaborate together, work through issues as a staff, as a team. Strong conviction, but no egos. I think experience brings that.
“Sometimes I think that’s a little undervalued. Sometimes I think it gets a little undervalued. But really happy to have great experience on this staff.”
As always, the offseason is peak optimism season. The narrative can change if the on-field product doesn’t match Carolina’s current sunny outlook. But it won’t be without effort — and this time around, Tepper, Reich and the Panthers will hope experience leads them to where potential couldn’t.