Pep Hamilton would be shrewd OC hire for the Carolina Panthers
By Brian Emory
What Pep Hamilton could bring to the Carolina Panthers
Many talking heads in the media have scrutinized Matt Rhule for originally building a coaching staff that doesn’t offer much NFL experience. A hire such as Pep Hamilton could indicate that the former Baylor man also agrees with that critique.
It’s hard to find many fans that are optimistic about a third year of the Rhule era. But if he does make it a point to hire an offensive coordinator with established NFL experience it could at least show that he’s learned from one of his gravest initial mistakes.
Whether or not this magically fixes all the clear and consistent shortcomings of this regime is an entirely different question.
The pinnacle of Hamilton’s NFL run came from 2013-2015, where he served as the offensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts.
Hamilton was the beneficiary of getting to work with a star young quarterback in Andrew Luck while in Indianapolis. While the offensive coordinator of the Colts, the team had an impressive aggregate record of 33-20 which was highlighted by two AFC titles and an appearance in the AFC Championship Game.
Unfortunately for Hamilton, if he inherits this Carolina Panthers offense it will be a far cry from what he had at his disposal in Indianapolis. Rhule’s seat will assuredly be scorching hot heading into 2022, and the quarterback room is currently composed of Sam Darnold and P.J. Walker.
The disaster of a quarterback situation is amplified by Carolina’s train-wreck of an offensive line.
Following his stint with the Colts, Hamilton has spent time with the Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, and most recently the Houston Texans. His current title is the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
The Texans were one of the more woeful franchises in the NFL this year, only winning four games. However, the record doesn’t tell the full story of the way things unfolded. Houston was universally chosen to be the worst team before the campaign, but they continuously showed fight and improvement throughout 2021.
The development of third-round rookie Davis Mills was one of the NFL’s more unpredictable feel-good stories down the stretch of the season. Seeing what Hamilton did with the Stanford product has to be intriguing for the Panthers, who have a serious crisis at the quarterback position.
If the team invests in a young quarterback this offseason, it could certainly make sense to pair him with someone of Hamilton’s pedigree.