Carolina Panthers add assistant coach to staff

The Carolina Panthers on Monday announced a key hire under head coach Matt Rhule, as the franchise added James Campen, who will serve as the offensive line coach.

Campen, 57, is coming off a one-year stint with the Houston Texans, where he served as the offensive line coach prior to David Culley’s firing. Campen comes to Carolina with plenty of NFL coaching experience, having held roles at four different NFL teams since he first got into the professional ranks in 2004.

Before his time with the Texans, Campen held two different one-year-long positions; in 2020, he served as the Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive line coach, and in 2019, he served as the Cleveland Browns’ offensive line coach and assistant head coach.

The longest stint of Campen’s career came with the Green Bay Packers, where he got his first job in 2004, as the assistant offensive line and quality control coach, and stayed until 2018. Campen was promoted in 2006 to assistant offensive line coach, then again to offensive line coach in 2007, a position he held until 2017. Campen received one more promotion with the Packers in 2018, when he was named Green Bay’s offensive line coach and run game coordinator. He was an integral part of the coaching staff that helped lead the Packers to a Super Bowl XLV victory.

Campen will reunite with Ben McAdoo in Carolina. McAdoo, who served as a consultant with the Cowboys in 2021, was hired by Rhule to be the Panthers offensive coordinator heading into the 2022 season. McAdoo has plenty of NFL experience — including recent stints as the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterbacks coach, New York Giants head coach and Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach, to name three of his more recent experiences — and coached alongside Campen in Green Bay. Campen was with the Packers from 2004 until 2017; McAdoo was first hired by the Packers as a tight ends coach in 2006, then in 2012 moved over to become the quarterbacks coach.

Campen one of several offseason moved for Panthers

The Carolina Panthers made a big promotion public on Wednesday, announcing the elevation of Samir Suleiman. Suleiman previously served as director of player negotiations and salary cap manager. He is now the vice president of football administration in Charlotte.

Suleiman joined the Panthers and general manager, Scott Fitterer, in 2020.

“Samir’s been instrumental for us over the past year,” Fitterer said. “From signing Haason Reddick and other free agents last offseason, he has done a great job for us. We rely on him and his ability to manage the salary cap every day. He’s a big part of what we do here.”

According to the Panthers’ leadership, Suleiman will continue to play a pivotal role. Specifically, his role will expand in “the budgeting and finance function” of the football operation.

Prior to joining the Carolina Panthers, Suleiman was with the Pittsburgh Steelers for eight years. He has also worked for the Jacksonville Jaguars and L.A. Rams.