While Thomas Brown’s next coaching stop may or may not be in Pittsburgh, a return to Carolina isn’t in the cards. According to a Saturday report by beat writer, Joe Person, Brown won’t be part of new head coach Dave Canales Panthers’ staff.
Canales was hired earlier in the week, replacing Frank Reich, fired midway through last year, and interim head coach Chris Tabor, who also won’t be retained.
Brown interviewed for the Steelers’ vacant offensive coordinator position earlier in the week, the first official interview the team conducted. Since, they’ve interviewed with Houston Texans QBs Coach Jerrod Johnson while requesting an interview with Los Angeles Rams’ Passing Game Coordinator Zac Robinson.
As Person notes, Brown had a difficult 2023 season. Hired away from the Rams as the Panthers’ new OC under Reich, Brown wasn’t the team’s initial play callers. Reich held those duties until midway through the season when he handed them to Brown, who called plays after the bye from Weeks 8 through 10. While Carolina notched their first win of the year, their offense scored only 41 total points over that span and never more than 15 in a game.
Reich took back play calling duties for the team’s Week 11 game against the Dallas Cowboys. Fired three weeks later, Brown became the play caller once again. The Panthers’ struggles continued, held under 10 points in four of their five games, including two shutouts to end the season, with their only bright spot a 30-point outburst in a close loss to the Green Bay Packers, who fired DC Joe Barry after the season.
Despite 2023’s struggles, Brown has gained interest around the league, also interviewing for the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots’ coordinator positions. The Bears hired Shane Waldron, leaving the Patriots and Steelers as two remaining options for Brown. Pittsburgh figures to still interview more candidates before making a decision.
