Three thoughts on Panthers’ promotion of Dan Morgan, and its impact on coaching search
In case there was any doubt, Panthers owner David Tepper all but confirmed Monday that he is sticking former head coach Frank Reich and former general manager Scott Fitterer with the 2-15 bill from last season.
The early evening promotion of assistant GM Dan Morgan to president of football operations and general manager screamed: “It was all the fired guys’ fault.”
Morgan was there for every twist and turn of the unnerving 2023 season, and yet, Tepper not only gave him a pass, but promoted him and gave him a bigger and better title than his predecessor, Fitterer, who is also one of his closest friends and longtime colleagues.
The Panthers are coming off their worst season in more than a decade, and the worst campaign of Tepper’s ownership. His solution, at least in part, was to promote one of the chief architects of that disaster. And while that move understandably has elicited uneasiness and angst from the fan base, it appears Morgan’s ascent within the front office is more nuanced than face value.
The optimistic Panthers fan will say: “Let it play out. Dan understands the history of this team as well as anyone, and he played the game. He has also done some strong work with other organizations.”
The pessimistic Panthers fan will retort: “But, like, he was part of that whole collaboration gone awry last season.”
And the sensible Panthers fan will conclude: “You’re both right.”
The truth is this GM job wasn’t going to be coveted by the top candidates in the field. It’s not a terrible posting but it certainly lacked the appeal of other opportunities on the market.
The Panthers interviewed some solid external candidates, from personnel folks to calculator commandos, and ultimately decided — with the help of advisory firm, Sportsology — that Morgan was at least part of the potential solution for Carolina. And really, that’s fine, in theory, because Morgan does offer intangibles most GM candidates wouldn’t, and a restructuring of the front office has been needed since the fall of the Matt Rhule era.
Now, it’s all about what Tepper, Morgan,and the rest of the brain trust do next.
1. Morgan’s promotion is fine if there’s a true front office restructure
This Kaye’s Takes column has routinely broached the argument that there needs to be a true buffer between Tepper and the personnel department. That buffer needs to be someone who hasn’t been part of the six-year journey of discovery that Tepper has been on during his ownership tenure.
Given Morgan’s extra title of president of football operations, it’s implied that the Panthers will restructure the front office, likely with a salary cap/analytics expert serving as the former linebacker’s Chewbacca — and his replacement as assistant GM.
In order for Morgan to act freely like Han Solo, he needs someone who speaks Tepper’s language of numbers to translate the front office’s thought process on the owner’s terms. For the record, I’m not implying Tepper speaks Wookie, but he is clearly more knowledgeable about resource allocation than he is about the intricacy of defensive line technique.
The Panthers have interviewed a handful of sharp executive candidates with thorough operations backgrounds. The two candidates that really stand out are Ravens VP of football administration Nick Matteo and Chiefs VP of football operations Brandt Tilis. Both execs missed out on the GM gig, but an assistant GM job would still be considered a promotion for either of them.
Tilis and Matteo both come from stellar organizations with long histories of winning and stability. The Chiefs have been a well-run force for more than a decade, and the Ravens have been one of the steadiest fleets in the NFL shipyard for the past 25 years.
Tilis has worked alongside one of the greatest head coaches of all-time in Andy Reid and a sharp GM in Brett Veach for several years. Reid is also one of the few modern-day head coaches who has thrived in personnel evaluation as well. Tilis’s experience with two decision-makers who have repeatedly excelled makes him appealing in that he could bring outside wisdom to the fold.
The same could be said for Matteo, who has learned from longtime head coach John Harbaugh, GM Eric DeCosta and legendary exec Ozzie Newsome throughout his career. While the Ravens aren’t always in the Super Bowl discussion, they are perennial division contenders, and they seemingly never make panic moves. Oh, and they have one of the best personnel departments in the entire league because of Newsome’s longstanding philosophies. Matteo can share that vision with Tepper and Morgan.
Pairing either Tilis or Matteo with Morgan, a longtime franchise flag-bearer, is logical. This team needs to find a new identity while still respecting its pre-Tepper existence. Melding those two outlooks together could be advantageous, especially when it comes to setting boundaries within the front office.
Morgan’s background is football. A potential assistant GM with a cap/analytics background could focus heavily on operations. That combination can do the job of the GM together, as the position goes well beyond picking and paying players.
On Tuesday, the Panthers announced Samir Suleiman, who served as the team’s VP of football administration and led contract negotiations, was no longer with the team.
As football has evolved, so have the jobs around it, and that lack of understanding has seemingly been a fatal flaw (or at least one of them) within the Panthers’ organization. It’s time to hire people to do specific jobs and let them cook within their stations.
One would think Sportsology, the team’s outside consulting firm for this offseason, clued Tepper in on that.
2. The ‘buddy system’ can’t be what drives this coaching search
Morgan has a background with a few different candidates within the Panthers’ head coach search.
He worked with defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero last season, and he has worked alongside special teams coordinator Chris Tabor for two years. He was also in Seattle with Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales.
Morgan needs to be in lockstep with his new head coach, but that doesn’t mean he has to use the “buddy system” to find the right guy. Yes, a background with a candidate can clue someone into how they think and operate. The devil you know is typically better than the one you don’t have a clue about. But sometimes going beyond your comfort zone can lead to good or great results.
Lions GM Brad Holmes had never worked with Detroit head coach Dan Campbell before they linked up. Eagles GM Howie Roseman had never worked with Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianni before they were matched. The same could be said for Colts GM Chris Ballard and Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen.
Yes, the Fitterer/Reich pairing led to disaster, but that doesn’t mean the approach can’t work when done properly.
However, if the Panthers feel like Evero, Canales or Quinn can make for an effective tag-team partner for Morgan, then they should really dig deep into what they want their organizational pull to look like. Morgan needs to be able to pick players that fit the new head coach’s scheme and the staff needs to be able to get juice out of the players that the personnel department identifies.
Instead of the new head coach demanding specific players, he needs to explain what he is looking for in each role. From there, the personnel department needs to search for traits and technique that matchup with the staff’s desires. There can’t be a lot of “Hey, I worked with (or against) this guy and we’ve got to have him” conversations.
If Quinn, Evero and/or Canales are capable of escaping those chats, and Morgan and Tepper think they can elevate the talent on the incumbent roster, then they are worthwhile candidates. Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris — who reportedly has a second interview planned for this week — is also in that discussion, despite not having a background with Morgan.
The Panthers reportedly interviewed Evero in person on Monday, and Canales is expected to interview in person this week. If the Panthers are willing to wait it out — and they should be — for Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and Baltimore offensive coordinator Todd Monken, the process will be a legitimate enterprise.
3. If Evero doesn’t land a head coach job, Carolina needs to retain him
Evero has reportedly lined up second interviews with the Seattle Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons for their head coach openings. Those chats are warranted, as Evero is one of the major up-and-coming coaches in the NFL.
He should be viewed as a legitimate candidate in both cities as well as in Carolina.
However, if Evero were to miss out on all three jobs, the Panthers should retain him as defensive coordinator. The team already blocked him from interviewing for the same job with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and rightfully so.
While everyone is chasing after the next great mind on offense, Evero is one of a handful of surging, young defensive minds in the league. Evero, along with Macdonald, has made a name for himself with the consistency and long-term viability of his scheming.
Yes, Evero is likely to leave next year for a top job if he doesn’t get one this offseason. But that is all the more reason to hang onto him, as the Panthers would be compensated with two future third-round picks for his eventual promotion to head coach elsewhere.
Evero changed the Panthers’ scheme last offseason, and keeping him in the fold this year will only help pay off that transition. Evero is a proven problem-solving play-caller, and the Panthers should want to keep that type of person in their program.
This story was originally published January 23, 2024 at 1:32 PM.
