The Panthers are making yet another offensive change.
The team announced Sunday that it had fired offensive coordinator Joe Brady during the Carolina’s bye week.
With Brady out, senior offensive assistant Jeff Nixon will coordinate the rest of the Panthers’ games in conjunction with the rest of the offensive coaching staff, the team said. The Panthers (5-7) will face the Falcons (5-6) in a divisional matchup next Sunday.
Brady joined the Panthers as their offensive coordinator last season after serving as the passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach for LSU in 2019, when the Tigers won the national championship. Brady, 32, had five NFL coaching interviews in January after his first season in Carolina.
The Panthers’ offense has been spiraling of late amid injuries and lousy performances in a season when they’ve played multiple quarterbacks.
Former Jets quarterback Sam Darnold, who was traded to the Panthers in April, didn’t seem to be the answer before getting placed on injured reserve last month with a shoulder injury.
Carolina later signed its former No. 1 pick, Cam Newton, who hadn’t played since the final week of the 2020 regular season. He was released by the Patriots in August after one season in New England, losing a 2021 training-camp battle to rookie Mac Jones.
Newton and the Panthers put up 34 points against the Cardinals in Week 10 but lost to the Washington Football Team the following week, 27-21. In last week’s game against the Dolphins, Newton was benched and replaced by P.J. Walker. The Panthers lost, 33-10.
Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey played in just seven games before suffering an ankle injury that put him out for the season. The All-Pro running back played in only three games last season because of injuries after not missing a game his first three seasons in the league.
Entering Sunday’s games, Carolina ranked 24th in the NFL in points per game with 19.7 and 28th in the league in yards per game with 308.7.