Carolina Panthers Head Coach Reich Expects to Call Plays

Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich has settled on an offensive play caller to open the 2023 season: himself. Speaking with reporters at a press conference Tuesday, Reich revealed he intended to call plays for the offense next season before eventually handing off the duties.

Frank Reich: I will call offensive plays to start, will hand it off at some point. https://t.co/Hk6SxxZj1E
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) February 21, 2023

Reich has extended experience and success as an offensive coordinator and head coach; he served as play caller for the 2018 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles, coaching backup quarterback Nick Foles to a Super Bowl MVP. Reich also led quarterback Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts to the fifth-most points in the league in 2018, his first year as the team's head coach.

Reich's decision comes as a bit of a surprising vote of no confidence in the Panthers' recently hired offensive coordinator Thomas Brown. Brown most recently served as quarterbacks coach for the Buffalo Bills for the 2022 regular season but has never called plays. At only 33 years old, he'll likely grow into the role and take over play-calling duties once he has earned the trust of the organization.