Panthers officially announce returns of 3 key coaches

Even before Frank Reich took a podium for the first time as Carolina Panthers head coach, he endeared himself to fans by keeping around a few favorites. And now, those moves are official.

As announced by the team on Wednesday afternoon, special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, offensive line coach James Campen and assistant offensive line coach Robert Kugler have been retained. Joe Person of The Athletic was first with the news (if it’s even new anymore) two weeks ago back on Jan. 30.

Tabor was initially brought on by former head coach Matt Rhule prior to the 2022 campaign. He’d go on to lead one of the top overall units in the NFL, as the Panthers finished fourth in Rick Gosselin’s 2022 NFL Special Teams Rankings.

Carolina got standout seasons from both of their legs in kicker Eddy Piñeiro and punter Johnny Hekker. Piñeiro, a late summer addition courtesy of Tabor, booted through 94.3 percent of his field goal tries while Hekker landed a franchise record and league-best 39 punts inside the 20-yard line.

Campen also joined the organization in 2022. He and Kugler helped fortify the best offensive line the Panthers have fielded in quite some time, as the group finished 15th in Pro Football Focus’ final rankings.