New Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich made it clear—in his very first press conference, in fact—that he and general manager Scott Fitterer would be working collaboratively. And according to Jeff Howe, NFL national insider for The Athletic, that’s already the case.
Included in his latest report of the buzz going around this past week at the 2023 Senior Bowl, Howe noted that he’s hearing of a harmonious (and refreshing) partnership between Reich and Fitterer.
“Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer and new coach Frank Reich are on the same page as they take a collaborative approach to roster construction,” Howe writes. “Previous coach Matt Rhule had control over the 53-man roster and didn’t appear overeager to budge on certain decisions. That dynamic will change with Fitterer regaining control while working with Reich for his input.”
Just four days ago, Reich said, well, pretty much exactly that.
“Yeah, it’s balance of power,” he said during his presser on Tuesday. “Scott will have control of the 53. I’ll have control of who’s active, who’s not active. But, ultimately, that’s on paper. In reality, this is 100 percent collaborative. I can already tell that with Scott. We’re gonna work side by side. We’re gonna tirelessly work where we’re gonna have the same vision.”
Since then, Reich and Fitterer have been working to piece together a coaching staff. The Panthers have added Detroit Lions assistant head coach and runnings back coach Duce Staley and requested to interview Jacksonville’s Jim Bob Cooter and Denver’s Ejiro Evero for their offensive and defensive coordinator jobs, respectively.
This type of working relationship is, obviously, a bit different from what Carolina had in former head coach Matt Rhule—whose contract gave him “final say” over roster decisions.
