Is there blood in the water over at 800 South Mint Street?
CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones emptied out his notebook on the current state of the Carolina Panthers on Sunday morning. Included in his report, one that highlights the team’s mounting offensive struggles, Jones writes the following about the job status of head coach Frank Reich:
To be clear, no source that has spoken to CBS Sports anticipates or believes Reich would be fired after Sunday’s game regardless of outcome. But an embarrassment, at home, in a lost season, in what is another losing season under Tepper’s ownership, coming in a year where Carolina promised to compete for the division crown, surely won’t sit well with an owner who has grown a reputation for being impatient.
Jones then adds that one league source told him “some sharks are out here wanting this job.”
After an offseason where owner David Tepper and company dished out the dollars for an “all-star” coaching staff and moved heaven and earth to get to the top of the 2023 NFL draft, there’s no doubt that the 1-8 Panthers are amongst the most disappointing stories of the campaign. Headlining this nightmare is their anemic offense, one that now ranks 30th in total yards and 29th in scoring.
According to Jones, Reich—who has reclaimed play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Thomas Brown—has dug into Bryce Young’s Alabama archives this week to find a spark for his rookie quarterback. So, hopefully for Carolina, they’ll have a little Crimson Tide to counter the navy blue wave that’ll be crashing down at Bank of America Stadium this afternoon.
And if they don’t, the sharks may continue to circle.