The Carolina Panthers parted ways with three assistant coaches Tuesday.
Offensive line coach Pat Meyer, defensive line coach Frank Okam and special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn were let go following a 5-12 season.
Meyer, 49, joined the Panthers on head coach Matt Rhule’s first staff in 2020 following previous stints with the Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears and the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes.
Okam, 36, coached with Rhule at Baylor from 2018-19 and followed him to the NFL. He was the assistant defensive line coach and 2020 before earning a promotion for 2021.
Blackburn, 38, was a holdover from head coach Ron Rivera’s staff. He was Carolina’s assistant special teams coach from 2016-17 before becoming the coordinator in 2018.
Meyer and Okam were dismissed one day after general manager Scott Fitterer said improving line play on both sides of the ball would be a priority during the offseason.
“Our emphasis is going to be solidifying the offensive and defensive lines. We need to get big bodies,” Fitterer said Monday. “We need to get tough, gritty guys up front, so when it comes to December, we can run the ball. When it’s third-and-2, we can count on them getting push at the line of scrimmage to run the ball.”
The Panthers fired offensive coordinator Joe Brady during their bye week in early December.
–Field Level Media
