January 24, 2024   3 MIN READ

Change in Green Bay

Packers Fire DC; Panthers Conduct In-Person Interviews; Chargers Interview Former Eagle Executive

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The Green Bay Packers have added themselves to the list of teams needing a coordinator.

Defensive coordinator Joe Barry was officially let go by the organization on Wednesday morning after three seasons.

Joe Barry

GETTY IMAGES: The Green Bay Packers have fired DC Joe Barry after three seasons.

It was an expected move that was complicated by the team’s unexpected playoff run into the divisional round, though most would attribute that to the stellar play of quarterback Jordan Love towards the end of the season. 

But this is nothing new to the Packers, who made their last change at DC following the 2020 season after the team reached the NFC Championship game. 

In-Person Panthers

The Carolina Panthers’ coaching search is beginning to take shape.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ OC Dave Canales and Los Angeles Rams DC Raheem Morris will be interviewing with the team in-person, per NFL Network. 

Out of all eight teams that have had a head coaching vacancy during the offseason, the Panthers are the one who have not had a proven name attached to them, understandable given the current state of the franchise. 

The Panthers, who do not have what would have been the number one overall pick in the 2024 draft thanks to a trade with the Chicago Bears in 2023, fired their coach in the middle of the season for the second year in a row. Frank Reich, former Indianapolis Colts head coach and Super Bowl-winning OC for the Philadelphia Eagles, was given just 11 games into his tenure before being let go. This followed three losing seasons under Matt Rhule, fired after five games in 2022.  

Canales has become a strong candidate thanks to his efforts with Baker Mayfield, leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the divisional round of the playoffs in his first season with the team. Previously, he was the quarterbacks coach for Geno Smith in Seattle during his 2022 resurgence. 

Morris, head coach for the Buccaneers from 2009-11 and interim for the Atlanta Falcons in 2020, has impressed in his three-year tenure as DC for the Rams. They won the Super Bowl in 2021, yet this past season might have been his most impressive coaching job by putting forth a respectable defense despite a lack of name-recognizable talent at most positions.

Chargers GM Search

As the Los Angeles Chargers continue to negotiate with Jim Harbaugh for the head coaching job, they still need to find their 

general manager.

Per NFL Network, the Chargers are looking at Brandon Brown, formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles’ front office.

Brown has spent the previous two seasons as Joe Schoen’s right hand man with the Giants. 

This followed five years with the Philadelphia Eagles under Howie Roseman, working his way from assistant to director of pro scouting and then the team’s director of player personnel in 2021. 

Bengals Go With Pitcher

The Cincinnati Bengals are promoting from within at offensive coordinator.

Per NFL Network, Quarterbacks Coach Dan Pitcher will become their new OC.

Pitcher had been with the team since 2016, overseeing the development of Joe Burrow into a top five quarterback in the league.

With Burrow injured midway through the 2023 season, the Bengals offense still showed signs of life with backup Jake Browning, who completed 70% of his passes with 12 touchdowns to seven interceptions.

– Benjamin Paul is a staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.

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