Three moves the Panthers should make after hiring Frank Reich

With an offensive-minded head coach now in the mix, Carolina turns its attention to finding an experienced individual to run the other side of the ball. Longtime NFL defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is an option. However, he’s been more linked to the Miami Dolphins’ opening.

In this scenario, Carolina adds a highly-respected defensive mind who served as a senior assistant for Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh a season ago. Having received some interest as a head coach this cycle, Flores would make a ton of sense.

He technically called plays for the New England Patriots’ defense under Bill Belichick from 2016-18, leading three consecutive units that finished in the top seven in points allowed. As the Dolphins’ head coach from 2019-21, Flores improved that defense leaps and bounds from previous seasons.

Carolina has a ton of anchors on defense, including defensive linemen Brian Burns and Derrick Brown as well as defensive backs Jaycee Horn and Jeremy Chinn. This would be a home run hire.

Trade up, add top running back in NFL Draft

From Melvin Gordon and Ryan Mathews to the likes of Darren Sproles and Jonathan Taylor, there’s been one constant for Reich-led offenses over the years. While he’s a quarterback by trade, Reich loves himself talent at the running back position.

It’s an interesting thing to look at in Carolina. The Panthers traded star running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers back in October. In hindsight, CMC would’ve been a great fit under Reich. Alas, the stars did not align here.

Instead, Carolina uses its second-round pick and at least one of the selections it picked up from San Francisco to move back into the first round for the consensus No. 1 back in the 2023 NFL Draft — Bijan Robinson from Texas.

Robinson is seen as a generational talent at the running back position. He’s a top-10 player in the draft. Unfortunately, backs are not valued at that clip during the annual event. Carolina takes advantage by trading back into the first round for a dude who has gained north of 3,300 total yards and 35 touchdowns over the past two seasons.

Trade for longtime Raiders' QB Derek Carr

Let’s be honest here. Reich likes himself a certain type of quarterback. That is to say, a prototypical signal caller who can make plays from the pocket. Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan are obvious examples of this.

With Derek Carr on the trade block and having already been linked to Carolina, it makes perfect sense for general manager Scott Fitterer to bite the bullet and make a move for Carr. He’s a three-time Pro Bowl performer who got the raw end of the deal in Las Vegas. He has previous history of success.

• Derek Carr career stats: 65% completion, 35,222 yards, 217 TD, 99 INT, 91.8 QB rating

Carr could likely be had for a third-round pick and change. It would be a sweet deal for the Carolina Panthers, making him a perfect fit in Reich’s system. This is a no-brainer.