Panthers expected to express interest in Ben Johnson for head coach position

The Carolina Panthers (1-10) have a head coaching vacancy to fill this offseason after team owner David Tepper relieved Frank Reich of his duties Monday.

While a host of candidates will be of Carolina’s interest, one name is already getting some play. According to Josina Anderson of CBS Sports, Detroit Lions (8-3) offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is expected to receive interest from the Panthers. Johnson, 37, has spent the past five seasons in Detroit, the last two as the team’s offensive coordinator. He reportedly declined a second interview with Carolina for the same opening last offseason, paving the way for the team to hire Reich.

Johnson is the mastermind behind a Lions offense which ranks No. 2 in the league in yards per game (405.5) and seventh in points per game (26.7). In addition to the Panthers, Johnson is widely expected to be among the most popular candidates for any team that has a head coaching vacancy.

The Panthers are the first to have an opening following the dismissal of Reich after the 17-10 Week 12 defeat to the Tennessee Titans (4-7) this past Sunday. Reich, tasked with fixing Carolina’s offense and developing quarterback Bryce Young, whom the organization parted ways with four draft picks and star wideout D.J. Moore to take with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, failed to get his side of the ball going.

Panthers’ David Tepper says former head coach firings won’t make it harder to hire next one

The Panthers rank 30th in yards per game (265.9) and 29th in points per game (15.7). In the two games after Reich took back the play-calling duties from Brown, the offense scored just 20 points combined. Young has struggled, throwing for 1,877 yards, nine touchdowns and eight interceptions on 61.7% passing. His 32.0 QBR is second to last among starting quarterbacks. Young has been under duress all season as Carolina has surrendered 43 sacks, fourth most in the NFL.

Reich notably became the third head coach to receive third prize since Tepper took over as owner in 2018. Despite the revolving door of head coaches in recent years and the perception that he’s not patient enough to give those in charge enough time, Tepper believes the team will have no problem in finding candidates interested in taking the job.

“I’m not going to get into it here, but I think that there are different reasons why different things happen in each case,” Tepper said Tuesday. “Everything is out in the field, everything is known over time and I think people know it, the league knows it and people in the league know it. If everything was perfect, it wouldn’t be the case. If everything was good, it wouldn’t be the case. It’s not as if it’s not known out there.”