Five Reasons Why Frank Reich Will Deliver a Super Bowl to Carolina
Last Thursday, the Carolina Panthers named Frank Reich the sixth head coach in franchise history. Although I believe Steve Wilks deserved the job, Reich is a solid hire. Can he be the guy to leads the organization to its first Super Bowl ring?
Here are five reasons why it can happen.
1. Defense is young and loaded with talent
One of, if not the most, attractive thing about the Panthers job when it came open was the the defense. The unit has playmakers in every level with Derrick Brown and Brian Burns on the defensive line, Frankie Luvu and Shaq Thompson at linebacker, and a secondary filled with Jaycee Horn, Donte Jackson, Jeremy Chinn, and Xavier Woods. They'll have the ability to add to that side of the ball in free agency and truly become a top five defense for years to come. As long as they can keep the core of the aforementioned group together, they'll be in position to make some noise.
2. Offensive line is built
Who knew the Panthers could completely fix the offensive line in one offseason? They did so by drafting left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, moving Brady Christensen inside to left guard, and signing center Bradley Bozeman and right guard Austin Corbett. Those four, along with Taylor Moton at right tackle, started eleven games together and physically imposed their will on the opposition week after week. Christensen and Corbett suffered injuries in the final game of the season but are expected to be good to go by next season. Now that they've found their starting five, it's time to go add some depth to the group.
3. Best roster in the NFC South
Take a quick glance around the division. If you're the Panthers, is there one team that you truly believe has a brighter future than you? I don't see it. Tom Brady seems to be heading elsewhere or perhaps back into retirement. Without him, that team is in serious trouble. New Orleans has a solid defense but the offense is horrific. Michael Thomas can't stay healthy, Alvin Kamara may or may not be a part of their future, and they too need a quarterback. And then there's Atlanta. So, yeah, the NFC is up for grabs and really, it's right there for the Panthers to take. If they hit on a franchise quarterback, the NFC South will run through Carolina.
4. Will draft + develop a franchise QB
Speaking of that franchise QB, the Panthers currently hold the 9th pick in this year's draft. That's not going to get you C.J. Stroud or Bryce Young and depending on how aggressive/desperate teams get, it may not get you Will Levis or Anthony Richardson either. The good thing is Carolina has the draft capital to move up thanks to the Christian McCaffrey trade. If they fall in love with a guy, they have the ability to go get him. Scott Fitterer talked about wanting to get this roster to a point where they could just drop a quarterback in and take off. They're getting pretty damn close to that point, if you ask me. He also mentioned last year that he would like to build with a young QB, but who wouldn't? If you can win with a quarterback on a rookie contract, you're able to spend that money on other areas of your roster. Given what Reich did with Carson Wentz early in his career, you'd like to think he can do a whole hell of a lot more with one of these quarterbacks in this year's draft class.
5. Winning background
The job Reich did with Carson Wentz at the beginning of his career was phenomenal. He had him in the mix for an MVP in just his second year in the league before suffering a torn ACL against the Rams toward the end of the season. That didn't stop the Eagles, though. Reich moved forward with Nick Foles and ended up winning a Super Bowl over Tom Brady and the Pats with a backup under center. During his time in Indianapolis, he had some unfortunate luck at quarterback. Andrew Luck unexpectedly retired which turned things over to Jacoby Brissett, who actually posted respectable numbers throwing for 2,942 yards, 18 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He then won 11 games with a 39-year-old Philip Rivers, who then retired following the 2020 season. Wentz reunited with Reich in 2021 and once again, put up solid numbers (3,563 yards, 27 touchdowns, 7 interceptions). Upper management wanted to go in a different direction, so they traded Wentz to Washington and signed Matt Ryan. Despite the instability at quarterback, Reich still found a way to lead the Colts to three winning seasons in four full years, including two trips to the playoffs.
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