Mailbag: Why did Panthers interview Dwayne Haskins, and when will they hire a new GM?

The Panthers’ 2020 season is over after a 5-11 season.

With that comes the departures of free agents and some coaches. The Panthers also pick No. 8 in the 2021 NFL draft, and there’s a general manager search going on. Naturally, you had a lot of questions for this week’s mailbag.

@young_thuggha asks: Why are the Panthers hemorrhaging staff after a 5-11 finish?

I think what you’re seeing is these coaches getting better opportunities and moving up the ranks. I suspect that was their desire all along when they joined the Panthers’ staff — to use their positions with the Panthers to move up the ladder.

As you saw with Joe Brady moving from LSU’s passing game coordinator to the Panthers’ offensive coordinator, he used that position at LSU and his success there to become Carolina’s play-caller. He obviously wants to be a head coach soon, and that’s what many assistant coaches aspire to be.

Jake Peetz was the quarterbacks coach at Carolina before heading to LSU to be the offensive coordinator. That’s a step up, and perhaps he can be an offensive coordinator for an NFL team or a head coach of a college team if that’s what he desires.

Same thing with defensive passing game coordinator Jason Simmons, who interviewed for the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator position.

Matt Rhule hired some quality young assistants and it was inevitable that they would interview elsewhere.

“As long as guys are honest with me, and mention things to me, I’m excited for them if it’s a good opportunity,” Rhule said. “Whether it’s a chance to be a head coach, whether it’s a chance to call plays, I think those are valuable, valuable opportunities that guys have to at least look at.”

-Jonathan M. Alexander

Many of you asked when to anticipate news on the general manager search.

The new general manager is expected to be announced this week with initial interviews now over. The second round of interviews will include shifting to some in-person conversations, after first conducting interviews largely virtually. Teams can have follow-up in-person interviews with candidates from teams who have finished their seasons, but there are more restrictions in place for those currently employed with teams still in the playoffs. Those candidates must be coming for a second or subsequent interview, live outside the city where his current team is located and not planning be near his team or the facility.

The Panthers interviewed a total of 15 candidates to start, including Nick Caserio, who was hired by the Houston Texans as their GM. Indianapolis Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds also withdrew from the search.

The team has taken the time to do an expansive search, interviewing candidates from many teams and with diverse backgrounds. San Francisco 49ers vice president of player personnel Adam Peters has become a name closely associated with the job. Peters was coached by Rhule at UCLA for one year. Other names to keep an eye on who have been identified by as candidates for second interviews include Tennessee Titans director of player personnel Monti Ossenfort and Seattle Seahawks vice president of football operations Scott Fitterer. More names could be added for the team to talk to additional times.

-Alaina Getzenberg

@carteer716 asks: What’s the backup plan to Joe Brady?

I think running backs coach/offensive assistant Jeff Nixon has a great chance to replace Brady, if Brady takes a job elsewhere..

Nixon has known Rhule since their days at Penn State. He was Baylor’s co-offensive coordinator, where he called plays for three years from 2017-2019.

He helped Baylor to an 11-win season, where the offense averaged 431.2 yards per game and 35.2 points per game. The Bears’ scoring offense was ranked 17th in the FBS in 2019.

Before Baylor, he spent 10 seasons in the NFL with the Eagles, 49ers and Dolphins, serving in various positions, including running backs coach, tight ends coach and offensive and special teams assistant. Nixon seems to be next in line.

-JMA

@coachstokey asks: Why bring in Dwayne Haskins? Will they take a QB in the draft?

Dwayne Haskins visited the Panthers on Monday and left without a contract. That does not mean the team won’t sign him down the line. If Carolina was to add him to the team, that would not mean the team couldn’t take a quarterback in the draft.

The quarterback position is very much under evaluation and taking a look at someone like Haskins shows that the Panthers will not be leaving any stone unturned. The biggest question in terms of Haskins is if he fits with the culture that Rhule is trying to build, but the harm of bringing him to compete for a backup job on a minimal deal is minor outside of that. Even with his performance in his first two seasons being less than stellar, sometimes a change of scenery or a new scheme can help players.

Drafting a quarterback with the eighth overall is in play. The benefit of being tied to Bridgewater for at least another year is that he gives a young quarterback someone to learn behind and won’t force Rhule to start a potential rookie QB before he is ready. But the team has shown no indication that there is a belief that the long-term answer or a “franchise” quarterback is already on the roster between Bridgewater, P.J. Walker. Will Grier and Tommy Stevens.

-AG

@F3_Triad asks: Why is Joe Brady such a hot commodity?

While Brady didn’t have as much success in his first season in Carolina as he had hoped, there’s an overwhelming sentiment that he has potential. At 31, he’s moved up through the ranks pretty quickly.

He had a lot of success as LSU’s passing game coordinator. He helped produce a Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 pick. And LSU won a national championship.

The Panthers’ offense wasn’t bad this past season. They had four players — Robby Anderson, DJ Moore, Curtis Samuel and Mike Davis — achieve 1,000 yards from scrimmage.

What you’re seeing across the league is offensive minded assistants getting head coaching jobs more often than defensive assistants. Everybody wants the next Sean McVay, who was 30 when he was hired to be the head coach of the Rams.

At the time, McVay was able to transform the Rams’ offense into one of the best in the league. Many think Brady has that potential.

The Panthers’ biggest issue this past season was scoring. I think that is the thing that hurts Brady, and the fact that the Panthers had trouble establishing the run.

Christian McCaffrey’s absence played a factor.

But the Panthers did not have a player rush for 100 or more yards in a game all season.

-JMA

@canawupass asks: With the possible abundance of assistant coaches leaving, does this set us back?

It’s possible. It’s obviously better to have continuity within your coaching staff. In the past, you’ve seen the Panthers often took a dip in their production when they had to change coordinators.

When former defensive coordinator Sean McDermott left to become the Bills’ head coach after the 2015 season, the Panthers’ defense dropped from sixth to 26th the following season.

Any time a team has to learn a new system, that typically occurs.

But it gets better with time. The key, though, is picking the right person for these openings — particularly coordinators.

At the same time, you want coaches who are desired by others. That often means they are doing a good job, and hopefully they’ve groomed another person to replace them.

-JMA

@bowenyoung18 asks: What are your thoughts on who the Panthers should take at No. 8 in the NFL draft?

It’s early to tell who the Panthers will pick. But they do have some clear needs: Quarterback, linebacker, cornerback, an offensive tackle, a three-technique defensive tackle and a pass-catching tight end.

The Panthers should pick the best available option at one of those six positions.

After drafting all defensive players in 2020, the Panthers will likely draft an offensive player in the first round. Rhule said he wants to get a little younger on offense and add some experience on defense, perhaps through free agency.

Florida tight end Kyle Pitts would be a good pick. He was one of the best pass catchers in college football in 2020. He’s has great size, can run routes and had 12 touchdown receptions in eight games.

He had seven catches for 129 yards and a touchdown against Alabama in the SEC Championship game. Alabama won a national championship Monday.

Pitts would give the Panthers’ offense a red-zone threat, something they were missing in 2020 with the struggles of tight end Ian Thomas, who finished with 20 catches for 145 yards and one touchdown. The Panthers were 28th in the league in red zone touchdown percentage at 50.9%.

I know most Panthers fans want to see them draft a quarterback, but I think the only sure quarterback in this draft is Trevor Lawrence and probably Justin Fields.

But the Panthers should go with the best available player at one of those six positions listed above, even if that is on the defensive side of the ball.

-JMA

Jim Morton asks: What has the staff done well? What does it most need to improve? What is your assessment of its ability and willingness to appraise itself critically and take its own next developmental steps?

The biggest thing that Rhule’s coaching staff has done well is adapting to the players that are on the roster. Brady’s offense in 2020 was designed around benefiting the players that were out on the field. Critique Teddy Bridgewater all you want, but that offense was designed to suit him with short passes that allowed the offensive weapons to use their legs and gain yards after catch. Look at Samuel. He had his best season yet, and was used in a variety of ways, as he should have been more often in the first three seasons of his career.

That’s evident on the defensive side of the ball, as well, especially with how coordinator Phil Snow had Jeremy Chinn playing all over the field.

In terms of improvements, in-game adjustments stand out. Rhule needs to designate one or two people specifically who assist him on replays. There were multiple times when a challenge was missed or a play should not have been challenged, like in Week 17 vs. the Saints. Communication during games also needs to be addressed. Too many times, misunderstandings between Rhule, Brady and Bridgewater, or not being on the same page, caused mistakes. That can’t happen, no matter who the offensive coordinator and starting quarterback are in 2021.

The coaching staff has the ability to correct what went wrong in 2020, and Rhule seems to have the ability to lead a deep review of the team to assess how to go forward.

“We know the areas where we fell short this year, be it schematically, be it preparation-wise, be it just roster-wise, so we’ll attack our roster and player acquisition. player retainment,” Rhule said. “At the same time, we’ll improve the things we’re doing schematically, we’ll improve the things that we’re doing preparation-wise, process wise and globally take a step forward into year two.”

Even with losing assistants, this staff is comfortable with each other and has seen improvements and adjustments take place under Rhule. With a full offseason, they will certainly be able to address what went wrong, and a fresh set of eyes from a new GM will only help.

-AG