It hasn’t even been a full week since the Carolina Panthers fired Frank Reich following a 1-10 start and a frontrunner to replace him has already emerged.
According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the expectation is that the Panthers will target Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to be their next full-time head coach following the 2023 season. Panthers owner David Tepper had attempted to recruit Johnson to Carolina for the team’s head coaching vacancy last offseason, with the 37-year-old assistant ultimately opting to remain in Detroit for another year.
Writes Russini:
The expectation in the Panthers building is Tepper will try to lure Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to Carolina after trying to hire him last season. Johnson decided to stay in Detroit last hiring cycle, but a league source told me Johnson is ready for a head coaching job now.
It’s likely, however, that the Panthers could have some competition for Johnson, who has engineered one of the NFL’s most dynamic offenses during his time in Detroit. Entering Week 13, the Lions rank seventh in scoring (26.7 points per game) and second in yardage (405.5 yards per game) while laying claim to an 8-3 record.
But while Johnson is expected to be one of the top coaching candidates during the next hiring cycle, the Panthers could have a personal appeal to the Charleston, South Carolina, native and University of North Carolina alum who grew up in Asheville, North Carolina. The biggest question might be how the current Lions assistant feels about being linked to Carolina quarterback Bryce Young, who is currently in the midst of a disappointing rookie season after having been selected with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.
In the meantime, Chris Tabor will serve as the Panthers’ interim head coach with Carolina set to face the 4-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
