Who Will Have Control Over the Panthers' 53-Man Roster?

Matt Rhule had a lot of power when it came to the team's 53-man roster during his time as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers. Once the decision was made to fire Rhule, team owner David Tepper knew that things needs to be a little different with its next leader.

"I think a balance is probably more appropriate between the head coach and the GM. A better balance."

That "better balance" appears to be the plan between GM Scott Fitterer and new head coach Frank Reich. When asked how the two will work together, Reich had this to say:

"It's a balance of power. Scott will have control of the 53. I'll control who's active and who's not active. But ultimately, that's on paper. In reality, this is 100% collaborative. I can already tell that with Scott. We're going to work side by side. We're going to tirelessly work to where we're going to have the same vision. We'll have disagreements. We'll have different ideas. But ultimately, we'll come together as one and decide who are the best players on this team and how to build this team. I look forward to that. I can already tell with Scott, that partnership is going to be a highlight for me and looking forward to getting to work as soon as we possibly can."

This is how it should be. Allow the coach to coach and the GM to GM. A head coach in the NFL already has enough responsibility and problems to deal with. If he's spending time looking at potential free agents/trade options during the midst of a season, it takes away from what he should be focused on. The head coach should have a say in every "significant" roster move. At the end of the day, it is his team. But being too involved in that side of it can lead to a lack of preparation and ultimately, poor results on the field.

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