NFL insiders speculate if Panthers will fire HC Frank Reich

NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated suggested that Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper could part ways with head coach Frank Reich after just a single season.

"I would’ve said zero chance a month ago," Breer wrote about Tepper possibly firing Reich this coming January. "I still don’t think it happens, even with the Panthers now playing out the string. But I also know how intense things have gotten in that place the past few years under the leadership of owner David Tepper. So I do think Frank Reich and his staff have to show the owner a little something between now and the end of the season — the continued development of Bryce Young — for me to say the coaches there are completely safe." 

Before the Panthers fell to 1-8, Reich raised eyebrows when he said in October that Tepper "wants to bring a winner to the Carolinas" and "wants it now." Since those comments, Reich and company drafting Young first overall instead of fellow quarterback C.J. Stroud has gone from a questionable decision to one that could ultimately cost people jobs. 

As shown by ESPN stats, Stroud of the Houston Texans is ranked 12th among qualified players with a 62.2 adjusted QBR, seventh with 2,270 passing yards and tied for seventh with 14 passing touchdowns. To compare, Young is ranked second to last among qualified signal-callers with a 33.1 adjusted QBR, and he tossed eight touchdown passes and seven interceptions over his first eight games. 

Per oddschecker, Stroud may already be the uncrowned Offensive Rookie of the Year for 2023. 

On Wednesday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler revealed that "a few people I talked to last week openly wondered whether [Reich] would be on thin ice" by January. 

"I'd be surprised if Carolina moved on from Reich after one year," Dan Graziano of ESPN added. "I wonder a little bit about [general manager] Scott Fitterer, as it can't be sitting well with ownership that No. 2 pick C.J. Stroud looks so much better so far than No. 1 pick Bryce Young, but I have no inside information to indicate that owner David Tepper is upset enough to fire people. We'll stay tuned there, but as of now, I'd say that would be a shocker."