3 OC candidates the Carolina Panthers could target under Frank Reich
By Ricky Raines
Carolina Panthers could target Mike McCoy
There are reasons to like the prospect of Mike McCoy coming on board as the offensive coordinator. He is no stranger to the Carolina Panthers franchise after serving as an assistant coach in some capacity for the team from 2000 to 2008.
McCoy left Carolina to become quarterbacks coach for the Denver Broncos in 2009 before being promoted to offensive coordinator, which lasted from 2010-12. He somehow turned a Kyle Orton-led offense into the league’s seventh-best passing attack.
Orton himself ranked No. 4 in passing yards per game that season. Then they drafted Tim Tebow.
Nobody was going to squeeze similar statistics out of that former Florida Gator. McCoy did, however, adapt accordingly and guided the Broncos’ offense to the top rushing attack in the entire NFL.
Reich became San Diego Chargers quarterbacks coach in 2013 under the guise of McCoy. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2014 after Ken Whisenhunt was poached away to be Tennessee Titans head coach.
McCoy gave the new Panthers coach his first opportunity as a play caller in the NFL. He helped solidify Reich’s offensive philosophies that have followed him throughout his career.
That familiarity and chemistry would be invaluable in getting a rookie quarterback comfortable. Both coaches have a proclivity for developing productive players under center.
Another patriarch of the Reich coaching tree, Doug Pederson hired McCoy to join the Jacksonville Jaguars staff in 2022 as quarterbacks coach. Trevor Lawrence bounced back in a major way under their leadership en route to a surprise playoff berth.
McCoy isn’t without criticism. But he does have an NFL pedigree and a history of working very well with quarterbacks.
That’s an appealing prospect after years of trying to implement suspect college methods on a professional football team under Matt Rhule.