Carolina Panthers hiring Dom Capers as a senior defensive assistant

The Carolina Panthers are bringing home the man that guided them through their expansion season as a franchise. The team announced on Friday evening that they were bringing Dom Capers back as a senior defensive assistant, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The franchise also hired Josh McCown as their quarterbacks coach on Friday.

Capers served as the Panthers’ head coach from 1995-1998, where he guided the franchise to a 12-4 overall record and an NFC Championship Game berth during the 1996-1997 season. The Panthers lost to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game, 30-13, on Jan. 12, 1997.

He earned AP NFL Coach of the Year honors for his work with the Panthers during the 1996-1997 season. Before Carolina, he also served as the defensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1992-1994. Capers has an extensive resume of both college football and NFL coaching experience over the years.

He also served as the head coach of the Houston Texans from 2002-2005, making him the only NFL head coach to lead two different expansion teams during their first seasons.

Dom Capers has an extensive amount of coaching experience

Now he is 72 years old, and will serve as a veteran voice on the Carolina coaching staff under Frank Reich, much like he did when he was with the Denver Broncos. Capers has served as the defensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers (1992-94), Jacksonville Jaguars (1999-2000), Miami Dolphins (2006-07) and Green Bay Packers (2009-17) during his longtime NFL coaching career.

In the college football coaching ranks, Capers has spent time with the Kent State Golden Flashes (graduate assistant), Washington Huskies (graduate assistant), Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (defensive backs coach), California Golden Bears (defensive backs coach), Tennessee Volunteers (defensive backs coach), and Ohio State Buckeyes (defensive backs coach).

Tyler Mansfield also contributed to this article.