The Panthers’ offensive coordinator search initially centered on former head coaches, with Bill O’Brien and Jay Gruden first popping up to succeed Joe Brady. This process has moved to lower-profile coaches.
Colts running backs coach Scottie Montgomery will interview for the Carolina OC role, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. Montgomery will follow former Eagles OC Mike Groh and Vikings OC Klint Kubiak in doing so. The Panthers also reached out to Texans QBs coach Pep Hamilton, a former OC.
Matt Rhule said recently he would like an experienced coordinator, preferably one who has done that job in the NFL. Montgomery is the only member of this group that has not yet risen to the OC level in the league, but the former Broncos wide receiver has extensive experience in college and in North Carolina. Montgomery, 43, served as East Carolina’s head coach from 2016-18 and also worked as Duke’s OC in the mid-2010s. Ahead of his 2021 move to Indianapolis, Montgomery spent two seasons as Maryland’s OC.
At the NFL level, Montgomery may now be best known for being Jonathan Taylor‘s position coach — a position that recently involved HBO screen time. The second-year back rocketed to an All-Pro perch in 2021, winning the rushing title by nearly 600 yards. That certainly stands to help those around him. Montgomery also has prior NFL experience, having coached an acclaimed group of Steelers wide receivers — Antonio Brown, Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders among them — from 2010-12.