Reich Gives Analysis On the Talent He Inherits

Frank Reich is tickled to be back in Charlotte full-time, a place his family has called home for years. Not only does he get to be in the same state as his daughters and grandchildren, but he gets to do it while leading the NFL franchise that he quarterbacked during its inaugural season in 1995. 

It's a pretty cool full circle moment for the Reich family but aside from that, this was a very attractive situation for the 61-year-old head coach. 

Over the last handful of years, the Carolina Panthers invested heavily in rebuilding the defense and did so successfully drafting DE Brian Burns, DT Derrick Brown, CB Jaycee Horn, and S Jeremy Chinn. You could even throw in CB Donte Jackson, who the team drafted back in 2018. 

Along with that crop of young players they've hit on through the draft, the organization has done a marvelous job identifying talent across the NFL bringing in guys like LB Frankie Luvu, C Bradley Bozeman, and RG Austin Corbett.

The defense is built to win now and with the additions of Bozeman (pending free agent), Corbett, and Ikem Ekwonu, you could say the same about the offensive line. Assuming Carolina elects to bring back RB D'Onta Foreman, they'll have a nice one-two punch in the backfield with he and Chuba Hubbard. They do need to find someone to compliment DJ Moore on the outside, but because of moves made in recent years, they'll be able to address that this offseason. And then you can't forget about the special teams unit, which may be one of the best in the entire league, headlined by P Johnny Hekker and K Eddy Pineiro. 

For the most part, this roster is in a really good spot. Scott Fitterer and co. have positioned themselves to make a splash at the quarterback position and if they do so, they have a great opportunity to take over the NFC South division, hence why the job was so attractive to Reich and others.

"I think the defense has obviously been a real strong suit, been a top-level defense. But we're always looking to get better," said Reich during his introductory press conference on Tuesday. "Here's what a top five defense gives you an opportunity to do...a top 10 defense is going to give you a chance in every game, but a top five defense is really what can elevate you as a team. That you can not only be in every game, but you can find a way to win every game when you've got a top five defense. We understand we're in a league that is offensively driven in many ways, but kind of the secret sauce is create and build upon the momentum we have - the players, the roster that we have here on defense. Get the right coaches so we have the right scheme that accentuate their gifts. And then offensively, I was really encouraged as I watched kind of the second half of the season and dig into the tape a little bit. There's so much to build on. The offensive line, the running game. We've got receivers that can get vertical down the field. The running backs were strong. [D'Onta] Foreman looked strong at the end of the year. That's going to be really important for us to get the ball vertically down the field."

If all goes right with the quarterback position, Reich will have the opportunity to say he took the first snap in franchise history, threw the first touchdown pass in franchise history, and win the first Super Bowl in franchise history. 

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