Panthers to hire Rams assistant head coach Thomas Brown as OC
Frank Reich is making another addition to his new Carolina Panthers staff in Rams assistant head coach Thomas Brown, who will join the team as offensive coordinator, sources confirmed to Yahoo Sports on Friday.
NFL Media was the first to report it.
He reportedly wowed in two separate interviews and will now work with the Panthers to finalize a deal.
Brown, 36, is a highly sought after coach and landed head coaching interviews during the past two offseasons. He spent the 2021 season as assistant head coach and running backs coach for the Rams. In 2022, he maintained the assistant head coach role and switched position groups, working with tight ends primarily.
"It was really [Rams head coach] Sean [McVay's] idea to be able to have an opportunity for me to move from running backs coaching to tight ends, which I definitely appreciate him for that," Brown said during a team video conference in April.
Brown ultimately decided the move was ideal for his career growth and it appears to have paid off. "Places of comfort are great, but you never grow from places of comfort," Brown said.
"All I can do is prepare myself, do the best I can here," Brown added. "I'm in a great position, a great place, and I'm loving it being here. So if opportunities present themselves in the future, awesome. If they don't, I'm going to continue to kick ass in my role and be the best I can be for the guys around me."
Now, he'll bring that sentiment to Carolina. With former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy reportedly joining the Washington Commanders in the same role, Brown will be one of two Black offensive coordinators in the NFL.
There are just 12 other Black coordinators in the league, all of them on the defensive side.
Reich has built an impressive Panthers staff since his hiring was announced in late January. The move came after he was fired midseason by the Indianapolis Colts. Josh McCown and Dom Capers will both join Reich as assistant coaches. McCown will work as Carolina's quarterbacks coach with Capers as a senior defensive assistant. Both have previous ties to the franchise.
Reich, 61, played quarterback for the Panthers in 1995, the franchise's inaugural year. He transitioned to coaching with the Colts in 2006 and worked his way through the ranks, including a stint as offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles when the franchise won its first Super Bowl in 2018.
