The Carolina Panthers drew themselves one heck of a hand this offseason, having picked and plucked some of the game’s very best minds in assembling a royal flush of a coaching staff. But it seems like one of their most useful cards has gone a bit overlooked.
In a discussion with The 33rd Team, former defensive back and current NFL analyst Charles Davis spoke about the importance of coaching up 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young. After hyping up the likes of head coach Frank Reich and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, Davis mentioned a pretty valuable piece to the team’s well-constructed offseason puzzle.
“And here’s the best wild card they have—Jim Caldwell as an offensive assistant,” he said. “Former head coach in the league, successful, took the Colts to a Super Bowl, the Lions to the playoffs, is a quarterback guru/whisperer from way back.
“This young man will benefit from this coaching staff in a big way. So the answer is not just Bryce Young, but it’s how are they gonna coach Bryce Young and what they put around him for a chance to be successful.”
Caldwell, who has over two decades of experience on the NFL sidelines, was actually one of the first interviewees for Carolina’s head-coaching vacancy earlier this year. Although he didn’t get the job, the 68-year-old hopped onboard as a senior assistant under the man who did.
Reich, the eventual choice, previously worked under Caldwell in Indianapolis as his quarterbacks and wide receivers coach from 2009 to 2011. And while the roles are somewhat reserved, the goal of orchestrating a lethal, finely-tuned offense remains the same.
