Have the Panthers hopes of landing Brian Johnson diminished?

Have the Carolina Panthers’ hopes of landing Brian Johnson as offensive coordinator diminished after Shane Steichen departed the Philadelphia Eagles?

Even though Frank Reich has made an outstanding start to forming his coaching staff, a key appointment remains. One that needs to get confirmed at the earliest possible opportunity.

The Carolina Panthers are still searching for a new offensive coordinator with Ben McAdoo out of the picture. Many names have been interviewed for the role without an official announcement one way or another, which led many to believe Reich was waiting for permission to speak with Brian Johnson above all else.

Johnson’s worked with Reich before and represents an up-and-coming coach worthy of such an opportunity. His work in developing young quarterbacks is something else that could assist the Panthers given their desire to draft and develop a top prospect from the college ranks.

Carolina Panthers could miss out on Brian Johnson

This move would be met with widespread approval, one suspects. However, the chances of Carolina landing Johnson took a hit after Shane Steichen was named Indianapolis Colts head coach on Tuesday morning.

Steichen worked wonders with the Eagles’ offense in 2022, which turned Jalen Hurts from a promising signal-caller into an NFL MVP contender for good measure. They fell short at the final hurdle, but this had more to do with Phialdelphia’s defense rather than any offensive complications on the biggest stage of all.

While Steichen leaves a big hole for Philadelphia, head coach Nick Sirianni can maintain continuity at an important time by promoting Johnson from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator. This is an opportunity he’d likely snap up with both hands.

This leaves the Panthers out of luck if they did identify Johnson as their guy. Although recent moves suggest it’s a situation they’ve already contemplated and reacted to accordingly.

The Panthers are interviewing Thomas Brown for a second time this week. He hails from the Sean McVay coaching tree and would be a superb addition to Carolina’s staff.

Carolina also brought in Jim Caldwell as a senior assistant to Reich, who comes with supreme credentials and proven qualities when it comes to molding inexperienced quarterbacks into productive starters. So as far as coaching appointments go, the Panthers are nailing almost every hire to date.

In truth, any dreams the Panthers had of landing Johnson were probably extinguished once Steichen decided to take the Indianapolis gig. But they are not without multiple options remaining that can work alongside the high-quality offensive minds already in the building.

And besides, Reich could end up calling the plays himself when push comes to shove.

Johnson would have been the icing on the cake. However, the moves from David Tepper and Reich so far outline plenty of confidence they can make their offensive coordinator hire count from the available options.

If they can accomplish this, then the Panthers have a chance to make an immediate statement under Reich. Although finding the correct man under center is another significant factor to any genuine progress in 2023.

Things are coming together nicely for the Panthers. There is now experience and potential across the staff thanks to Reich, even if that might not include Johnson if he gets a well-deserved promotion in Philadelphia.

Building on this positivity will be crucial. Something Reich and other influential figures look more than capable of based on the small sample size we’ve seen this offseason.