Latest on Panthers’ coaching staff, front office and Greg Olsen at the Super Bowl
The Senior Bowl is over and everyone is back in Charlotte, which means the Panthers are fully in offseason mode.
With the calendar about to turn to February, the new coaching staff is almost complete allowing Carolina to get down to business, making plans for the 2020 season.
Most coaches were hired and present last week in Mobile, Alabama, but the Panthers are still rounding out the final pieces of their staff. Specific titles of some coaches are still unclear, and there are now at least six coaches (not including head coach Matt Rhule) coming straight from Baylor, and at least two more who had previously spent time in Waco.
The only two coaches that have been retained from the 2019 staff up to this point are special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn and former running backs coach Jake Peetz, as reported by The Observer last week. NFL Network reported that the Panthers may move Peetz to quarterback coach.
Peetz has experience coaching quarterbacks, doing so with the Raiders from 2016-2017, as well as being an offensive assistant/assistant quarterbacks coach with the Jaguars in 2012. He had two stints at Alabama as an offensive analyst (2013 and 2018), helping with quarterbacks and assisting in 2018’s run to the national championship game with Tua Tagovailoa.
ESPN is reporting that Pat Meyer (Chargers offensive line coach and run game coordinator) is expected to become the team’s offensive line coach, and Jason Simmons (Packers defensive back coach) is likely to become the Panthers’ defensive backs coach. The two hires bring some NFL experience to an offense that is being led by first-time offensive coordinator Joe Brady.
The Panthers are yet to formally announce any coaching hires outside of Rhule and the three main coordinators (Brady, defensive coordinator Phil Snow and special teams coach Chase Blackburn).
An updated look at the Panthers’ reported coaching staff for 2020, 11 of whom are coming directly from the college ranks. Eight spent last year on an NFL team:
- Head coach Matt Rhule
- Offensive coordinator Joe Brady (most recently LSU’s passing game coordinator)
- Defensive coordinator Phil Snow (defensive coordinator at Baylor)
- Special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn
- Offensive coach Jake Peetz (Panthers running backs coach)
- Tight ends coach Brian Angelichio (tight ends coach at Washington)
- Wide receivers coach Frisman Jackson (wide receivers/passing game coordinator at Baylor)
- Offensive line coach Pat Meyer (offensive line coach and run game coordinator for Chargers)*
- Offensive coach Matt Lombardi (quality control coach for the Dolphins)
- Offensive assistant Damiere Shaw (wide receivers coach at Fordham)
- Offensive assistant Jeff Nixon (co-offensive coordinator/running backs coach at Baylor)
- Offensive assistant EJ Barthel (running backs coach/recruiting coordinator at William & Mary)
- Defensive coach Mike Siravo (linebackers/special teams coordinator at Baylor)
- Defensive backs coach Jason Simmons (defensive backs coach for Packers)*
- Defensive coach Mike Phair (defensive line coach for the Colts)
- Assistant secondary coach Cedric Whitaker (pass defense coordinator/corner and nickel backs coach at Houston Baptist University)
- Defensive coach Al Holcomb (Browns run game coordinator/linebackers coach)
- Assistant defensive line coach Frank Okam (defensive line coach at Baylor)
- Head strength and conditioning coach Jeremy Scott (director of football athletic performance at Baylor)
- Assistant special teams coach Ed Foley (analyst at Baylor)
* Per ESPN
Other notes for the week:
Front office. Per multiple reports, the Browns have hired Andrew Berry to be their new general manager and executive vice president of football operations.
Berry, 32, will be the youngest GM in the NFL and will reportedly have final say over roster decisions. He served as the Eagles’ Vice President of Football Operations in 2019 and was in Cleveland as the team’s Vice President of Player Personnel from 2016-2018.
The Panthers submitted a request to interview Berry for their open executive vice president job. However, the Eagles denied that request as Berry would not have had final say over Carolina’s roster, something he also did not have in Philadelphia.
The power to make roster decisions remains with Panthers general manager Marty Hurney, for now.
Olsen on your TV. Look out for Panthers tight end Greg Olsen on your screen during Super Bowl Sunday. Olsen, who worked as a NFL analyst for FOX in the past, will be appearing on the network’s Super Bowl Kickoff show from 1-2 p.m. and the Super Bowl pregame show from 2-6:30 p.m.
Olsen has yet to announce if he will retire this offseason. The 34-year old has one year left on his contract with the Panthers and handled the team’s final regular-season game as if it were his last.
Keep pounding. Former Panthers linebacker Sam Mills is up for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. This is his first year as a finalist. All of the candidates will be voted on Saturday and must receive at least 80 percent of votes from the selection committee. The 2020 Hall of Fame class be revealed on NFL Honors Saturday night at 8 p.m. on FOX.
This story was originally published January 28, 2020 at 9:49 AM.
