4 Carolina Panthers players who could be benched after Frank Reich's firing
Could these Carolina Panthers players have their roles reduced down the stretch?
By Dean Jones
Which Carolina Panthers players could be demoted after the franchise fired head coach Frank Reich following a 1-10 start to the season?
After another dismal offensive performance at the Tennessee Titans, team owner David Tepper pulled the trigger on yet another head coach firing. Frank Reich was relieved of his duties on Monday, which probably came as a relief considering he was lacking ideas and inspiration to take the Carolina Panthers forward.
Chris Tabor has been installed as the interim, working closely alongside Jim Caldwell. They immediately made their presence felt by firing quarterbacks coach Josh McCown and assistant head coach Duce Staley, which was done with a view to improving coaching cohesion according to the special teams guru.
This is just the start, one suspects. With nothing much to play for other than pride, some individuals within the locker room could be nervously looking over their shoulders unless significant improvements are made.
With this in mind, here are four Panthers players who could be benched after Reich's firing.
Brett Toth - Carolina Panthers OL
Frank Reich revealed Brett Toth as his big secret to replace injured right guard Austin Corbett in Week 12. Sadly for the head coach, it was another grave error in judgment.
Toth looked like a lost sheep - something stud defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons identified as a weak link immediately. With the Carolina Panthers bringing in free-agent interior presence Gabe Davis for a visit this week, all signs point to the former undrafted free agent out of Army's time as the starter being extremely short-lived.
Ensuring rookie quarterback Bryce Young comes through the next six games unscathed is one of Carolina's biggest remaining priorities. Having Toth taking prominent snaps jeopardizes that considerably.