CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ The Panthers are taking a risk.
Just a month after owner David Tepper acknowledged the "difficulty of the transition" from the college to professional level, the Panthers will have at least five coaches with mostly collegiate experience leading the team.
With the hiring of head coach Matt Rhule, offensive coordinator Joe Brady and likely defensive coordinator Phil Snow, the Panthers have invested in leadership that has never coached in the NFL at that level. Rhule is also adding Frisman Jackson (wide receivers) and Jeremy Scott (strength and conditioning) to his staff, two coaches who are joining him from Baylor.
But perhaps no risk is greater than the one they are taking with Brady. Ignoring the age of the 30-year-old, Brady has never been an offensive coordinator before or been responsible for calling all of the plays for an offense.
He comes from LSU where he was the passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach for just one season after spending two years with the Saints as an assistant. Brady was responsible for calling plays in the red zone, third downs and a couple of other packages with the Tigers.
Hiring him could be a genius move, adding a coach on the rise onto a team in a time of transition.
But what should be expected from a Brady offense?
At LSU, he helped implement a unit filled with run-pass options that relied on taking advantage of the skill-position players' strengths and abilities. A lot of what he absorbed from his time with the Saints translated on the field with the Tigers.
Prior to Brady's arrival in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, LSU relied on first establishing a running game and using play-action passes to get the ball downfield in 2018. In that offense, 2019 Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow wasn't highlighted and didn't benefit from the scheme.
But Brady adapted the offense to what fit Burrow _ more deep throws, more run-pass options.
It also better fit Burrow's receivers, tight ends and running backs in the passing game, giving them more ability to adjust their routes to whatever changing looks opposing defenses gave them.
What does it all mean for the Panthers?
At Brady's introductory news conference Friday, he took time to emphasize that the offense wouldn't be just his vision. Instead, it would be a system created collectively that best fit the players.
"What we did (at LSU) is we found what our players did well, and we put them in positions to have success," Brady said. "We weren't just running plays to run plays, we were looking to find out what our guys did well and that takes time. We have to find what our guys do well and put them in the best position to have success. Let's find what they do well and do what they do well. If we're not doing that, we're not doing a great job as a coach."
Carolina's offense will change based on who the quarterback is, whether that's Cam Newton, Kyle Allen, Will Grier or someone who is not yet on the roster.
Newton's fate with the team won't be predicated on the hiring of Brady. Newton's accuracy issues, which did improve, and his style of play don't necessarily complement the past schemes Brady has been apart of, but he would attempt to fit the offense to the former NFL MVP. Time will tell on the quarterback situation.
A Brady offense can also benefit running back Christian McCaffrey. After finishing last season with 1,005 receiving yards, it wouldn't be surprising to see him out wide more; four- and five-receiver sets were common at LSU and with the Saints, where Brady was an offensive assistant from 2017-18.
McCaffrey will likely take part in more big plays and run more explosive routes than getting the ball dumped off to him in the flat as often as he did this past year. The hope for the Panthers is that this also should result in him being used in a more selective manner, especially after the wear and tear from his high usage this season (career high 1,039 snaps played).
This offseason, the Panthers will need to add more depth at receiver with the new offensive attack. They have DJ Moore, who is coming off a great season, and Curtis Samuel, who has flashed potential to be explosive but didn't live up to expectations in 2019.
LSU's and the Saints' offenses also show a reliance on the tight end position, as seen in the success of the Tigers' Thaddeus Moss this past year, finishing with the fourth-most receiving yards on the team. Ben Watson and Jared Cook both have had success with the Saints at the position the past couple of years. There will be a big opportunity ahead for Ian Thomas in the Panthers' offense. After years of potential, Thomas, a fourth-round pick in 2018, needs to show this offseason whether he can emerge as a reliable weapon.
Brady offenses also rely on a strong line. The Panthers allowed 58 sacks in 2019, tied with the Dolphins for the most in the NFL. With LSU running four- and five-receiver formations in the spread offense, it leaves fewer blockers to help in pass protection, forcing the line to have even more responsibility. The Tigers won the Joe Moore award in 2019, given to the nation's most outstanding offensive line unit.
The line was already an area Carolina needed to address. Guard Greg Van Roten is a free agent. Center Matt Paradis and rookie Dennis Daley had tough years, and second-round pick rookie tackle Greg Little dealt with injuries throughout the season. The inconsistencies up front played a huge part in Allen's woes the second half of the season. With the hiring of Brady, there will be even more of an emphasis to fix that group.
We'll get a better feel of what to expect from the offense once the Panthers begin to make their offseason transactions and all of the assistant coaches are hired. But there's no doubt this group, and the plays they run, will look significantly different in 2020, no matter who is starting at quarterback.
"Our system is going to be what our players do best," Brady said. "It's all about a vision you have for your players. Each person on the roster on your offense, you should have a vision for and they all have to play a role. When you can find guys that fit the vision and understand their role, that's when you have success."
