If it wasn’t already clear that Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown has the respect of his peers, it certainly is now.
With the regular season coming to a close, the NFL Players Association asked over 1,700 players to rate the coordinators they’ve worked under in 2023. The results, or at least the very top portions of them, were made public on Thursday—and Brown comes all the way in at No. 2 on offense:
Noted Dolphins Frank Smith ranks No.1 in NFLPA OFF coordinator survey & how it should help his head coach chances.
Intriguing Panthers OC Thomas Brown is ranked No.2. Impressive sign that NFL-worst team record has not dissuaded Panthers players for loving being coached by Brown. pic.twitter.com/g73yu3CB3J
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) January 4, 2024
Brown has faced quite a bit of adversity in his first season as an NFL offensive coordinator. From playing hot potato for the play-calling duties with former head coach Frank Reich to having to make lemonade out of a myriad of personnel issues throughout his unit, the 37-year-old has rolled with numerous punches this year.
Unfortunately, his highly-rated efforts haven’t resulted in a highly-rated offense. With one week to go, the 2-14 Panthers rank last in total yards per game.
Nonetheless, there’s nothing lowly about the admiration Brown’s players have for him.
