The rise of Dan Morgan: NFL execs explain linebacker’s journey to Panthers’ GM job
Dan Morgan stared into his computer screen as he awaited his turn to speak.
The COVID-19 pandemic had forced all 32 teams to use virtual draft rooms during the 2020 NFL Draft, and the selection process was nearing its end. The Buffalo Bills’ front office, led by general manager Brandon Beane and assistant GM Joe Schoen, polled the personnel department, which included Morgan, on a Zoom call about who they should select with the 239th overall pick during the seventh and final round.
When it was Morgan’s turn, Schoen — now GM of the New York Giants — remembers that the then-Bills director of player personnel was swift in his judgment.
He wanted University of Pittsburgh cornerback Dane Jackson.
“He was convicted,” Schoen recalled of Morgan’s opinion in a phone interview with The Observer.
Beane and Schoen took the former Carolina Panthers linebacker’s suggestion and selected Jackson. Despite nearly going undrafted, Morgan’s guy, Jackson, recently completed his four-year rookie contract with 152 career tackles, 28 career pass breakups and three career interceptions in 52 games (28 starts).
“Dan listened, he understood, and he went and identified talent,” Beane said about Morgan’s time in Buffalo’s front office. “And he was very good, very confident. He would state his case. Some guys, they do the work, but they don’t really want to put their stones on the line when the head coach, the GM, the owner or somebody is in the room, and Dan never wavered. Even if he was one on 10, he wouldn’t back down.”
Morgan’s eye for talent — and the resolve that’s come with it — helped him climb the NFL executive ladder. And after several twists and turns — including Carolina’s disastrous 2023 campaign — the 45-year-old executive is now in charge of the football team that he once gave his body, mind and soul to during his playing career.
Morgan, who was promoted to the Panthers’ president of football operations and general manager last month, has gained a reputation for being a workhorse in the film room. His work ethic and lack of ego have made him a respected evaluator in three different NFL front offices.
Those who have worked with Morgan during his two separate NFL careers believe he has made it to the top of the Panthers’ organization because of his humility and adaptability — along with his skillset.
“He came up the right way,” Schoen said. “Pro scout, eventually a pro director, and then (the Bills) hired him as the director of pro personnel. And he has tremendous relationships around the league, with not only former players that are now coaching, but agents. The lack of ego, I think, really stands out.”
Flipping the switch
Morgan arrived in Charlotte as the Panthers’ top pick in the 2001 draft. After a stellar career at the University of Miami, he came to town with considerable hype.
But according to Schoen — who served as a scout for the Panthers at the time — Morgan, a future member of the College Football Hall of Fame, was as humble as an undrafted rookie during his early days with the franchise. Morgan’s stellar work ethic became his calling card around the facility.
“As highly touted as he was — he went hard all the time,” Schoen said.
During the following offseason, the Panthers drafted Julius Peppers with the second overall pick. Peppers quickly noticed that Morgan had two sides to him.
While Morgan was mild mannered and polite off the field, he could turn himself into something else when he stepped onto the field.
“It was like a whole new person that you see — that’s really fierce, really passionate about the game,” Peppers said.
Morgan’s ability to flip the switch on the gridiron led to 390 tackles, 7 sacks, 17 pass breakups and 5 interceptions during his career. His best season came in 2004 when he was named to his first and only Pro Bowl.
While injuries limited his career to just 59 regular-season games, he still made his mark on the franchise during his seven seasons as one of the Panthers’ top defenders.
“He set the tone for our defense,” said Beane, who worked in the Panthers’ front office throughout Morgan’s career. “And the tenacity that we had — we won a lot of games because of our defense, and he was the quarterback of that (group).”
‘Who am I?’
Morgan was released by the Panthers in 2008 after a litany of injuries limited him to just 17 games in his final three years with the organization.
While he attempted to make the New Orleans Saints’ roster on two separate occasions, Morgan’s intense playing style finally caught up to him. His NFL playing career was over at 30.
“You try to figure out the next step — ‘Who am I?’ — because you reach your goal at such a young age, and then you’re left retired, and you’re like 30-something years old, and you’re like, ‘What am I going to do with the rest of my life?’ It’s not like you can go into the corporate world, and just get a job,” Morgan said. “So, for me, it was about getting back into what I know best, which was football.”
The Seattle Seahawks hired Morgan as a scout in 2010. He arrived with little fanfare and worked for a fraction of his player salary but still displayed his trademark work ethic.
From picking up players at the airport to spending countless hours per week in the film room, Morgan showed the Seattle front office — led by GM John Schneider — that he was willing to do anything to make it in the second phase of his NFL life.
“Dan wanted to come in and learn personnel from the grassroots up,” said John Idzik Jr., who worked as the Seahawks’ VP of football administration before leaving for the New York Jets’ GM job in 2013.
“So, he came in and was basically like, ‘I’ll volunteer — I just want to learn this stuff,’” Idzik continued. “He came in as basically an intern, and just rolled up his sleeves … and paid attention to everything, asked a lot of questions, was very thorough, was in the office early and late just to soak everything up, and he did.”
During Morgan’s Seattle days, he was stationed in an office down the hall from the Seahawks coaching staff, which included future Panthers head coach Dave Canales.
As Morgan and Canales grew in their respective jobs, the pair developed an admiration for each other.
Said Canales: “What I remember about Dan in those times was just his conviction, his belief. … Right off the bat, just as a former player, he comes in and … he could just see it, he could just tell what a good football player was.”
On the rise
After working in Seattle for eight seasons, Morgan reunited with Beane and Schoen in Buffalo in 2018.
Beane — who had left Carolina for the Bills general manager job in 2017 — hired Morgan, whom he had scouted and helped select in 2001, to be one of his top lieutenants in the personnel department.
And while Morgan — who was listed as 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds during his playing days — is more physically imposing than most NFL execs, Schoen believes his every-man nature made him approachable and easy to collaborate with in the war room.
“You will never, ever hear this guy talk about his playing days unless you ask him,” Schoen said.
Morgan’s three-year stop in Buffalo gave him another opportunity to learn on the job. He was also able to show off his evaluation skills, especially in the later rounds of the draft and undrafted free agency.
While he arrived shortly after Pro Bowl quarterback Josh Allen was selected in the first round of 2018 NFL Draft, Morgan was able to help supplement the roster — in subsequent offseasons — by identifying cost-effective role players. Filling major roles with less expensive but worthwhile talent helped the Bills sign Allen to a six-year, $258 million deal in 2021 and still stay competitive.
“Dan does have a good eye for talent,” Beane said. “He puts the work in. I tell people all the time, there’s no magic eye. I just don’t believe that. It’s reps, it’s learning, it’s listening, it’s finding out what fits your team, your coaches — however you’re trying to do things and what your organization is doing. And Dan has that adaptability.”
No skipped steps
Morgan returned to the Panthers in 2021 as the assistant general manager under Scott Fitterer. The pair of execs had developed a tight bond in Seattle, and Morgan served as Fitterer’s right-hand man in Charlotte.
But the results of that partnership — regardless of the franchise’s inner-workings — were grim, as the team went 14-37 from 2021 to 2023.
The Panthers fired head coaches Matt Rhule and Frank Reich in the middle of back-to-back seasons, and Fitterer was let go in January after a miserable 2-15 finish to the 2023 campaign.
Morgan was a key figure during the Panthers’ fall into the NFL basement. Still, owner David Tepper, who has watched the franchise falter up close, decided to promote Morgan to Fitterer’s former post.
“He knows the locker room, he knows the guys, and he’s a Panther,” Peppers said. “So, I think he will take great pride in doing the job and doing it well.”
And while the move has been polarizing among fans and critics, execs who have worked with Morgan say he was the right choice for the top job.
“He’s been around some really good people,” Schoen said. “I think he’s going to do a fantastic job. He’s a great evaluator, a tireless worker, and (he) understands how to build a team and evaluate talent. And I think he will be a good leader for the organization.”
Idzik — whose son, Brad, was recently named Canales’ offensive coordinator in Carolina — believes Morgan’s journey to the position of general manager is what separates him from others in the role.
“Too many people, I think nowadays, want it so quickly that they may skip some steps,” Idzik said. “Dan did not do that. He learned it from the grassroots, and I think he’s better off as a result.”
Stepping up
Morgan, along with Canales, will need to create a winning culture in Carolina.
During his introductory press conference as general manager, Morgan said the Panthers needed to make opposing teams fear their logo. That starts, Morgan said, with identifying “dawgs” to put on the roster.
“We’ve got to get guys who are passionate about football, love football, that want to come out every day and compete — on the practice field, in the weight room,” Morgan said. “We need competitors.”
And as Morgan and Canales attempt to usher in a new age of success for the Panthers, both leaders will need to work in lockstep to find the results that have eluded Carolina during Tepper’s turbulent ownership tenure.
While Morgan’s slate isn’t completely clean after the past three years of lousy results, his promotion (and the subsequent restructuring of the front office) signals a new beginning of sorts for the franchise.
“Dan understands collaboration,” Beane said. “I know the guys in Seattle — John Schneider and that crew — were very collaborative. So, that’s really what he’s been around. I don’t know everything that happened the last couple of years in Carolina, but I would imagine there was intent to be collaborative. I know that he believes in that approach … He’ll listen, but he’s ultimately going to understand and make the best decision for the Panthers.
“And if I’m a Panther fan, I know that he’s going to step up and he’ll make the tough decisions, even if the owner or the head coach or someone else high up disagrees.”
This story was originally published February 26, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
