The Carolina Panthers are forming a coaching staff for the ages, with the latest hire being offensive coordinator Thomas Brown. Brown, the former assistant head coach for the Los Angeles Rams, is widely considered to be one of the better young offensive minds in the league. But, don’t take my word for it, as a recent report by The Athletic‘s Jourdan Rodrigue shows just how much Sean McVay will miss his former pupil.
Sean McVay did not want to lose Thomas Brown, regarded as one of the best teachers he has worked with and a rising offensive mind. But he couldn’t block Brown from a great opportunity like this, either, because OC in Carolina is a promotion.
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) February 17, 2023
Sean McVay Didn’t Want to See Thomas Brown Join Panthers
This report should sound like music to the collective ears of Panthers fans. After surviving three years of the Matt Rhule Era, the Panthers desperately need a coach that can effectively scheme to the strength of their players.
Sean McVay has excelled at this throughout his Rams tenure, saving Jared Goff’s career after a miserable rookie season and bringing Matthew Stafford to the Super Bowl after just one year together. While the 2022 season didn’t go well for Los Angeles, McVay is still one of the best coaches in the league, and his opinion should count for a lot.
With Thomas Brown officially on board, the Panthers have suddenly assembled one of the best coaching staffs in football. Frank Reich was a great head coach during four of his five years in Indianapolis and likely was used as a scapegoat by Jim Irsay and Chris Ballard. Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, meanwhile, had a phenomenal year transforming the Denver Broncos defense into one of the best units in football, and he should be able to put together similar results in Carolina. Add in a few big-name positional coaches, and the Panthers are only one piece away from having the foundation for sustained success.
The Quarterback
Having great coaches sets a floor for the Panthers, but an above-average quarterback can turn a good team into a great one. For what feels like the 100th year in a row, the Panthers are going to spend the offseason trying to find the long-awaited heir to Cam Newton. After trying and failing with veteran quarterbacks, most expect Carolina to turn to the NFL Draft to find their franchise savior.
This is where Thomas Brown will become an invaluable member of the coaching staff. Carolina probably won’t have a chance to draft Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud, but they could easily end up with a high-upside prospect like Anthony Richardson. Richardson is one of the most polarizing players in the league, and if he pans out, he’ll be a top-five quarterback. However, if he can’t fix his poor mechanics and accuracy, he probably won’t start for more than two or three years.
These low-floor, high-upside prospects can make or break a franchise. Just look at what Josh Allen did for the Buffalo Bills and, on the completely opposite end of the spectrum, look at what happened to Mitchell Trubisky and the Chicago Bears. The Panthers need to do everything they can to put their next quarterback in a position to succeed, and Thomas Brown appears to be the right man for the job.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
