REPORT: Reich to Retain Two Key Assistants
The Carolina Panthers saw major improvement in its offensive line and special teams unit in 2022 and because of it, new head coach Frank Reich will be keeping OL coach James Campen and special teams coordinator Chris Tabor on his staff, according to a report from Joe Person of The Athletic.
Carolina's offensive line started the same five guys in each of the last 11 games of the season; Ikem Ekwonu, LG Brady Christensen, C Bradley Bozeman, RG Austin Corbett, and RT Taylor Moton. Of that five, only Bozeman is not under contract in 2023. However, GM Scott Fitterer stated a few weeks ago that he would like to bring him back.
The line was a complete and utter mess in 2021, some of which was due to the several combinations they had to throw out there because of injuries. That said, even when fully healthy, it wasn't a group that played very well. That all changed when Campen came to town, helping set the tone with the running game which ultimately played a big part in the Panthers finding their identity during their chase for the playoffs.
As for the special teams unit, well, they made arguably the biggest jump out of anyone in the league. Last year, Carolina was ranked 28th in Rick Gosselin's special teams rankings and finished 4th in this year's rankings. A tip of that goes to Chris Tabor there, a guy who is viewed as one of the best special teams coaches in the league. Punter Johnny Hekker averaged a career-high 48.5 yards per punt and notched his second-most punts downed inside the 20 in a single season (39).
Carolina lost kicker Zane Gonzalez back in August due to a groin injury, forcing the team to bring in Eddy Pineiro. After missing two big kicks in the road game against Atlanta, Pineiro was money. For the season, Pineiro went 33/35 on field goals and 30/32 on extra point attempts.
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