Ever since a horrific Week 5 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the Carolina Panthers have been cleaning house.
It started with them firing head coach Matt Rhule following that loss to the 49ers, and it continued when they traded star running back Christian McCaffrey to San Francisco for four draft picks.
Now, offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo is reportedly out.
Ben McAdoo will not be returning as Panthers offensive coordinator, per sources.
— Will Kunkel (@WillKunkelFOX) February 9, 2023
I’m not gonna lie, Ben McAdoo wasn’t as bad as some of y’all made him out to be. You could argue this offense was the best part of our team down the stretch. Not to mention we broke some all time Panther records during his time at OC.
Anyways, Matt Corral lost his last ally. 🤷♂️ https://t.co/sJg0QslCUf
— 👑C3KingCodais (@CodyLac) February 9, 2023
Ben McAdoo will end up in Buffalo
— SalesMan (@95KeepPounding) February 9, 2023
The Panthers came into this season hoping they could be competitive in perhaps the weakest division in the NFL.
They had acquired the talented but mercurial Baker Mayfield from the Cleveland Browns, and there was a glimmer of hope that a change in scenery could resurrect his career.
But Mayfield played poorly, and after he sprained his ankle in Week 5, he lost his starting job to P.J. Walker.
Late in the schedule, Mayfield asked to be released, and Carolina granted him his wish, allowing him to finish the year with the Los Angeles Rams.
The Panthers have lots of questions to answer, starting at the quarterback position, but they do have a couple of prospects.
D.J. Moore appears to be a solid wide receiver and D’Onta Foreman did well at running back after McCaffrey’s departure and Brian Burns is a promising defensive end.
The team also hired Frank Reich to be its new head coach, and he will bring the experience of being the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator when they won the Super Bowl five years ago.
Reich said recently he may end up calling offensive plays himself depending on how things shake out this offseason.
