Are comparisons contributing to Carolina Panthers HC Frank Reich's hot seat?

Are comparisons between the struggling Carolina Panthers and emerging Houston Texans contributing to head coach Frank Reich's hot seat?

Frank Reich is a man under fire right now. That's not normally the case so soon into a head coaching tenure, but the Carolina Panthers languishing at 1-9 with zero cause for optimism currently is leading to widespread speculation about his future beyond the current campaign.

The Panthers opted to keep the status quo rather than sacrifice anybody after another heavy loss at an invaded Bank of America Stadium to the Dallas Cowboys. Reich has almost blind faith that things can start turning around with the current staff in place and team owner David Tepper is not ready to admit defeat on another suspect hire.

Not yet, anyway.

Carolina Panthers struggles are made worse by the Houston Texans

Many respected insiders are now suggesting Reich's seat is the league's hottest. While former Panthers head coach Ron Rivera could hold that particular title with the Washington Commanders, Armando Salguero from Outkick seemed to suggest the success being attained by the Houston Texans isn't doing Carolina's man at the coaching helm any favors whatsoever.

"Tenuous job security goes from being a whisper to full-throated conversation. That’s how it is now for Carolina’s Frank Reich. Reich’s club has the NFL’s worst record at 1-9. And one might think, despite the record, the coach is protected from being fired because it is his first season, he’s got a rookie quarterback, and this was always understood to be a rebuilding project. The problem is league sources insist owner David Tepper is not pleased with what he’s seeing, particularly as the Panthers compare to the Houston Texans. The Texans, you’ll recall, were worse than the Panthers last season, picked quarterback C.J. Stroud after the Panthers selected Bryce Young. And Houston is in the playoff hunt at 6-4 while the Panthers have seemingly regressed from last year’s 7-11 team."

- Armando Salguero, Outkick

In all honesty, this might be a little unfair to Reich. It's Tepper who hired him and general manager Scott Fitterer failed to put the right pieces in place around quarterback Bryce Young, who looks like a rabbit in the headlights behind a porous offensive line and within a bland scheme that isn't fit for purpose in the modern-day NFL.

The head coach carries the can and Reich is running out of games to prove he's the man to lead this franchise long-term. Nobody knows how long the rope is aside from Tepper and his wife Nicole, but if he is removed way ahead of time, it must be a complete reset this time around.

That means gutting the franchise from top to bottom. Starting fresh and from scratch is the only way Carolina can begin forming a stable plan for sustainable success, which should also involve Tepper taking a back seat from football-related matters based on his clear lack of nous in this area.

An interesting few weeks await for Reich. The Panthers have some winnable contests upcoming, which is what the figurehead might be hanging his hat on in pursuit of receiving a reprieve.

Easier said than done with this offense and morale being at an all-time low. But all Reich can do is keep working and hope Tepper sees potential in moving this project into 2024.

However unlikely that might be.