The Carolina Panthers have hired their new permanent head coach! So what are they gonna do now?!?
Well, they’ll have to hire the rest of their coaching staff first. But after that, they really have to find themselves a quarterback.
Following Frank Reich’s introductory press conference on Tuesday, general manager Scott Fitterer spoke with reporters about the current state of his roster—one he’ll have more control over this time around. When asked how he wants to finally solve the conundrum under center, Fitterer said the options are open, but he does have a clear preference.
“I don’t think you ever wanna box yourself in—just say, ‘Hey, we’re going strictly draft,'” he stated. “I’ve always said, ‘Hey, that’s the proper way to do it—to draft and develop from a cost-effective standpoint.’ But if we don’t believe that guy is there this year—and we haven’t even started the process, our scouts have—we’ll look at all options. But, in an ideal world, we would be draft and develop.”
As he alluded to, we’re still quite early in the process—so pinpointing favorites may be a fruitless task for the time being. The likely options for Carolina in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft should include Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s CJ Stroud, Kentucky’s Will Levis and Florida’s Anthony Richardson.
But with the Panthers holding the ninth overall pick, a position that could be too far away from at least three of those prospects, another decision may have to be made in trading up to get their guy. We’ll just have to wait and see who, if any, are worth the investment.
