After taking a big step forward in the 2024 season, the Carolina Panthers enter the offseason with more certainty and less chaos than in previous years. Head coach Dave Canales and GM Dan Morgan earned themselves more time with their performance in their first year together.
While Canales retained his main coordinators, there have been changes in the coaching staff. After the season, key assistants like safeties coach Bert Watts, outside linebackers coach Tem Lukabu, and defensive assistant Bobby Maffei were let go. Per The Athletic's Joe Person, the Panthers continued reshaping their coaching staff.
The Panthers have moved on from head strength and conditioning coach Jeremy Scott and plan to hire Vikings director of performance Josh Hingst in the same role, according to a league source.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) February 17, 2025
Panthers Hire New Head Strength & Conditioning Coach
On Monday, the Panthers reportedly moved on from head strength and conditioning coach Jeremy Scott. Scott has been with the team since 2020 when he joined Matt Rhule's staff. He had previously worked with Rhule at Baylor and Temple. Scott will be replaced by Josh Hingst, who was with the Minnesota Vikings previously.
Hingst has been the director of player performance for the Vikings for the past four seasons. He was previously the head strength and conditioning coach with the Philadelphia Eagles, winning a Super Bowl there. In 2013, he was credited with playing a big role in implementing one of the NFL's first data-driven training systems.
Earlier in the offseason, the Panthers previously announced the hiring of Buffalo Bills associate athletic trainer Denny Kellington as the VP of player health and performance. Kellington was credited with helping save Damar Hamlin's life in January 2023.
Dave Canales and Dan Morgan are seemingly building the staff they envisioned when they took over last year. That said, whether these changes produce on-field results that the fanbase has been hungry for remains to be seen.