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Carolina Panthers: Five possible replacements for Ron Rivera

By Luke Tucker

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Ron Rivera of the Carolina Panthers looks on during the first half against the New Orleans Saints during a NFL game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on December 30, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Ron Rivera of the Carolina Panthers looks on during the first half against the New Orleans Saints during a NFL game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on December 30, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 28: San Francisco 49ers Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman walks onto the field during pregame warm ups against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium on December 28, 2014 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Don Feria/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 28: San Francisco 49ers Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman walks onto the field during pregame warm ups against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium on December 28, 2014 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Don Feria/Getty Images) /

Greg Roman

Following the wild success of Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens’ offense, their offensive coordinator, Greg Roman, will be receiving lots of attention from teams searching for a new head coach this offseason. It was actually the Panthers in 1995 that gave Roman his first NFL job. Roman was with the Panthers from then to 2001, and worked in roles such as offensive and defensive quality control, strength and conditioning, and as an assistant with the offensive line.

After spending the first seven seasons of his coaching career with Carolina, Roman spent four years with the Houston Texans, and two years with the Ravens. In 2008, he went all the way down to coaching high school football in New Jersey, before being hired as the offensive coordinator from 2009-2010 at Stanford. Following a successful stint at the amateur levels, Roman worked as the offensive coordinator for the 49ers and Bills from 2011-2016, before ultimately returning to the Ravens in 2017. Since coming back to Baltimore, he has served as not only the offensive coordinator, but also the team’s assistant head coach.

While Roman has never been a head coach at any level, he’s nonetheless a very enticing option for a head-coaching vacancy. Any team looking for a head coach could be drawn to him after the magic he’s worked with the aforementioned Jackson, however, he could be an especially good fit for the Panthers. Like Jackson, Panthers quarterback, Cam Newton (assuming he’s with the team in 2020), is always a threat to run when healthy, and as a result, has been one of the most difficult players in NFL history to defend.

If Newton can come back healthy and Roman could spark up even a fraction of the success he has with Jackson, the Panthers could once again have one of the league’s most dynamic offenses. Newton is a more naturally gifted passer than Jackson is, and despite being forced into mostly traditional-style offenses over the course of his career, he has still found ways to thrive as a runner.

Hiring Roman would certainly be a gamble for David Tepper, however, he truly seems as though he wants to make a splash with his first big hire, and what better way to do so than to hire an offensive guru who already has familiarity with the franchise, and has found success with mobile, superbly athletic signal-callers.

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