Five thoughts on Panthers at the bye: Play-calling switch is about more than just offense

The Panthers made it to the bye week, albeit with several bumps and bruises to their roster ... and the organization’s collective ego.

“Winless at the Bye” sounds like a romantic teen comedy from the 80s, starring the lesser-revered members of the Brat Pack. But in reality, it’s the Panthers’ season to this point — a cinematic (or game film) blend of frustration, confusion and agony (especially for the Carolina faithful).

Still, this pause was needed for all involved. An early bye gives the Panthers room for reflection, self-scouting and change, as Monday’s play-calling handover from head coach Frank Reich to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown illustrated.

The Panthers have 11 games left. The playoffs aren’t mathematically eliminated for them just yet because the woeful NFC South is comparable to an ill-conceived pop-up carnival in a random parking lot. But the postseason should be far from Carolina’s mind.

Instead, as proof with the duties exchange from Reich to Brown, the rest of the campaign should be about righting the ship and doubling down on the development and growth of rookie quarterback Bryce Young and the future of the organization.

The Panthers have a fairly manageable schedule coming out of the bye, and if Young can continue to progress and show off his potential in a handful of wins, the organization will be better off for it.

Also, with the Oct. 31 trade deadline looming, the front office will need to pick up the slack as well, as the organization faces another crossroads — though the size of the divide has yet to be determined — ahead of what will be another busy offseason, no matter how the Panthers finish this campaign.

Here are five thoughts on the Panthers at the bye:

Panthers’ play-calling exchange isn’t just about offense

At 0-6, something had to give with the Panthers. Instead of firing a relatively inconsequential coach as a scapegoat or immediately trading away an under-performing player — as most teams in this situation do — Reich played the one obvious card he had left in his hand.

As The Observer reported back when Reich was hired in January, the head coach was always to willing to eventually give up play-calling. Reich confirmed as much at his introductory press conference and then on Monday when the deed was done. Reich and Brown had never worked together before, and Reich had been the head coach and primary offensive play-caller in Indianapolis for five-plus years prior to his arrival in Carolina. Reich holding onto play-calling made sense to start his second stint as head coach, but ultimately, the result were terrible, to be polite, and not just because of the offensive output.

While the loss to Miami last week was a good sign of improvement with pre-snap penalties — Carolina’s offense avoided them — this entire operation looks lousy through six weeks. And really, that’s more of the obvious reason to hand over play-calling than an 18.7 points per game average (tops in the NFC South, by the way).

The team spent the past two weeks talking about simplifying the offense for its sharp but overwhelmed rookie quarterback. But the results have made it appear that Reich is overwhelmed as well, and should have a lighter load on game days. With Brown anchoring the offense, Reich can now focus on the big picture elements of the practice week and game-day operations.

The Panthers’ defense — albeit with half the starters dealing with injuries — has been a disaster over the past two weeks, offering up 42 points in each of the past two contests. The pre-snap penalties, while avoided against Miami, still linger and it’s on Carolina to prove that cleanliness wasn’t a fluke in a blowout that was dominated by the Dolphins in the second half.

Reich can work on in-game adjustments, attack plans and personnel decisions on Sundays. He can also spend more time helping the defense, which has been over-matched against the opposing rushing attack all season.

The bye week was always the right pressure point for this move. Now, it’s time for Reich to get things in order as he enters a crucial evaluation stretch of his first year with the Panthers.

Thomas Brown is impressive, but can he fix this offense?

Brown will inherit play-calling duties ahead of the Week 8 matchup against the Houston Texans. Poetically, the Texans were the lone team to give Brown a head coach interview this offseason before he was ultimately hired by Reich and the Panthers.

While defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero received the majority of the fanfare when it came to the coaching moves in the offseason, Brown has impressed a lot of people in the building since arriving. Wideout Adam Thielen, the team’s most productive offense player, was early to praise Brown as the most impressive person he met when he came to Carolina. Reich has praised Brown’s offensive mind and play-design acumen. Offensive linemen Bradley Bozeman and Ickey Ekwonu have given Brown kudos for his communication skills.

As a former player, Brown knows how to speak to his unit. He has coached running backs and tight ends and been a collegiate offensive coordinator, adding to his range of knowledge and experience. On paper, Brown is intriguing, both as a play-caller and as a potential future head coach. With the play-calling duties now in place, Brown could provide a breath of fresh air for a middling offensive attack that seemingly can’t get out of its own way when it matters in games.

The playmaking personnel — outside of Young and Thielen — lacks any sort of pulse.

DJ Chark and Miles Sanders — two coaching staff-influenced free-agent additions — have come up lame to begin their respective first seasons in Carolina. Tight end Hayden Hurst — who seemed like a perfect match for what Reich did in Indianapolis — has become an afterthought, which seems to be a shared outcome by the player and staff at this point. And unfortunately, a pair of second-round picks, Terrace Marshall and rookie Jonathan Mingo, have failed to pick up the veteran slack.

Brown doesn’t have the ideal parts, but he could put them in better position to show positive results. While Reich called plays against Miami, tight end Tommy Tremble and running back Chuba Hubbard flashed big time with additional opportunities. Perhaps the play-calling switch could lead to some younger players getting more looks, and in turn, a build toward the future can take place in earnest.

The Panthers signed a bunch of middle-of-the-road veterans to bring wisdom, experience and proven playmaking ability to an offense led by a rookie quarterback. So far, Thielen is the only one to live up to the billing, so Brown has a choice: continue to play the older guys and help improve their output, or make way for plays for the younger guys.

Bryce Young is making progress regardless of numbers

The transition from Reich to Brown comes at a worthwhile time for Young, who has made progress seemingly with every game he’s played in. Young did a really nice job of getting the ball out quick and avoiding turnovers against the Dolphins on Sunday. He looked like he was in control of the offense instead of having a head swimming in pre-snap clutter.

Some of Young’s throws against Miami mirrored his standout plays at the University of Alabama. He was able to launch perfect strikes in busy pockets, and his comfort and control when targeting Thielen is sensational. No, Young isn’t perfect, and yes, he’s looked less impressive than No. 2 draft pick, Texans quarterback CJ Stroud, but it’s been easy to see major tangible growth over the past two games in spurts.

At 37, Brown is young and has worked with college talent as recently as Young’s redshirt freshman year. The offensive coordinator knows how to speak with his rookie quarterback, and perhaps making Brown the primary voice in Young’s ear will clear out further distraction ahead of the play.

This season has always been about figuring out Young, and with an 0-6 start and an offensive play-caller change, the Panthers are doubling down on that assessment.

Reinforcements are on the way

The Panthers need reinforcements, but that help probably won’t come from a trade-deadline deal. The team has been banged up at an astonishing rate this season, but the majority of the injured players are expected back in the coming weeks.

Right guard Austin Corbett — arguably the team’s best offensive player last year — is on the cusp of a return from the physically unable to perform list. The Panthers’ guard situation has been an utter mess, but Corbett’s return will be a welcomed fix for the offensive front.

Cornerback Jaycee Horn (hamstring) has an open-ended return timeline from injured reserve, but he is expected to be back at some point. Safeties Xavier Woods (hamstring) and Vonn Bell (quad), who both missed the Miami loss, are also likely to return at some point after the bye. Sanders (shoulder) isn’t expected to be out for a long-term stint, either, according to Reich.

The defense was always a top-heavy unit, and the results over the past few weeks are the fallout of having a limited depth chart. The offense just desperately needs better blocking in the trenches, and Corbett could be the medicine that the line needs.

Hopefully, when a lot of these injured players return, they’ll be able to take advantage of a mediocre lineup in the schedule upon return from the bye.

Trade deadline should be about long-term asset replenishment

The Panthers need talent, but at this point, acquiring veterans with big contracts for long-term, cost-controlled assets makes little sense, especially with the team lacking premium draft picks over the next two offseasons.

The Panthers don’t have a first-round pick next year, and their current class looks sluggish at best through six weeks. Carolina’s front office has taken understandable and fair criticism for its lack of success in identifying late-round talent in the draft. But the reality of the situation is — and this year’s veteran free-agent haul has proven — that good teams balance out their salary cap with cheap, young players who can fill roles or better. The Panthers, to my understanding, are interested in adding to their draft haul next year, instead of parting with picks.

Would a veteran wideout help Young? Absolutely, but the cost of trading for a premium wideout is astronomical. Broncos wideouts Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton are “fine” starters, but they aren’t going to move the needle the way a Tee Higgins or Justin Jefferson would. Trading for a high-priced wide receiver who isn’t a bona fide star makes little long-term sense, and really, the future outlook is the only outlook the Panthers should have at this point.

A defender like Donte Jackson won’t yield a major return, but it’s fair to wonder if he is in the Panthers’ plans for the future. Jackson’s poor performance and his long-term contract could lead the Panthers to strongly consider moving him in a trade with injured players set to return. But if the Panthers want to gain notable draft assets, pass rusher Brian Burns — who has yet to agree to a contract extension — might be the golden ticket. Signing anyone to a lavish deal at this point would be malpractice, and Burns, despite his solid (but not spectacular) start to the season, could help push a playoff contender over the Super Bowl edge.

If the Panthers have the opportunity to get out of any of their 2023 veteran free-agent contracts on offense (outside of Thielen), they should consider those deals as well, even if the return value is rendered close to meaningless. Lightly used holdovers like Marshall and Tremble could be added to that group as well. It’s time to rip this band-aid off and focus on internal improvement to build up a program for 2024.

Regardless of the job security of general manager Scott Fitterer or Reich, the Panthers have to operate in the best interest of the franchise’s long-term goals. So far, the product hasn’t been good enough in the short term, and really, they are logically past the point of making major additions in 2023.

UPDATE: An earlier online version of this story suggested defensive back Jeremy Chinn as a potential trade candidate. Following the stories original publish time on Tuesday, a league source confirmed that Chinn suffered a quadriceps injury against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. According to ESPN, which had the initial report, Chinn could miss up to six weeks with the injury. That recovery timeline would push him well past the Oct. 31 trade deadline.