Three Reasons Why the Panthers Should Pursue Mike Vrabel
One name that has yet to officially be linked to the Carolina Panthers is former Tennessee Titans head coach, Mike Vrabel.
For whatever reason, the Titans decided to go in a different direction after one bad year, putting a really good coach on the market. Vrabel went 54-45 in six years as the head man in Nashville, including three playoff wins.
Vrabel will undoubtedly be a head coach in the NFL again and perhaps get another job this offseason. I'm here to give you a few reasons why the Panthers should at least give him an interview.
Identity created
Since the day Frank Reich was relieved of his duties as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, I've said the next hire needs to have an alpha mentality. Someone that can control a room, create a culture and identity. Someone that sets a standard in the building and holds everyone accountable when they fall short of that standard. And if we're being honest, this is something that the organization has lacked since Ron Rivera, Cam Newton, Luke Kuechly, Greg Olsen, and co. left.
Defensive stability
One of the biggest concerns this coaching cycle is losing defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. The Panthers can block other teams from speaking with Evero about other DC jobs but they are not permitted to block a head coaching interview. If Evero stays put, he won't be in Carolina for long. He's going to be a head coach one day.
Vrabel ran a 3-4 in Tennessee which is what Evero coordinated this year in Carolina, leading to a breakout season for Derrick Brown. Putting those two defensive minds together could be interesting. This would allow Vrabel to have a CEO approach at the beginning and taking over the play-calling once Evero gets his head coaching gig.
Connections to make offense work
If you're worried about hiring a defensive-minded coach while trying to surround Bryce Young with a strong support system to help with his development, I've got a proposal that might make you feel a little better in this scenario.
Hear me out.
Typically when a head coach gets a new job, he likes to bring guys in he's worked with in the past. Also, when a head coach gets fired, most revert back to coordinator jobs and it just so happens that Arthur Smith, Vrabel's former OC in Tennessee, is available. No one is going to hire Smith as a head coach right now and I understand he's not a top-notch name but he has had success in the past. He did disappoint while in Atlanta, but sometimes a guy just might be better served as a coordinator. Look at what he did with Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee, for example. The combination of Smith-Vrabel won a lot of games for the Titans and could do so again in Carolina.
The other piece of this is the connection to running back Derrick Henry, who is set to be a free agent. Tennessee appears to be ready to move in a different direction and with Henry entering his age 30 season, he should be fairly affordable. Reuniting Henry with Smith and pairing him with Chuba Hubbard for a couple of years should form a strong ground game.
By signing Henry and hiring Smith, you can get back to the ground and pound offensive approach that this offensive line had a ton of success with at the end of the 2022 season. It also takes a ton of pressure off of quarterback Bryce Young.
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