Panthers hire Thomas Brown as offensive coordinator, continue to fill out Reich’s staff

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - New Coach Frank Reich is continuing to build his first staff since being hired by the Carolina Panthers last month, most recently hiring Thomas Brown to fill the team’s offensive coordinator vacancy.

The 36-year-old Brown was a former college football star at the University of Georgia, finishing his career as the school’s fifth-leading rusher all-time.

After graduating, he spent the past 12 years in various coaching roles, including three in the NFL.

Brown coached the past three seasons under Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams, most recently serving as the assistant head coach and tight ends coach in 2022. He was a part of the Rams’ Super Bowl victory two years ago.

He will now take over a Panthers offense that struggled to throw the ball throughout much of the 2022 season, and will almost certainly look to the NFL Draft or free agency to solve its quarterback woes.

Brown joins recently hired Josh McCown and Parks Frazier on Carolina’s offensive staff, along with former Lions assistant Duce Staley and returning offensive line coach James Campen.

On the other side of the ball, the Panthers hired Ejiro Evero as the defensive coordinator, and made a splash by bringing back the team’s first-ever head coach, Dom Capers, as a senior defensive assistant.

Reich also managed to lure in former NFL head coach Jim Caldwell as a senior assistant.

The 2023 free agency period opens on March 15, and will offer the new Panthers staff its first opportunity to bring new players in for the upcoming season and beyond.

Even sooner than that, the NFL Combine runs Feb. 28 through March 6 in Indianapolis, giving coaches an up-close, in-depth look at some of the top prospects in this year’s draft.