WATCH: D'Onta Foreman, Marcus Davenport ejected after throwing punches during Panthers vs. Saints game
Carolina Panthers RB D’Onta Foreman and New Orleans Saints EDGE Marcus Davenport were involved in a scuffle during Sunday’s season finale. Both were called for unsportsmanlike penalties and were subsequently ejected after the incident.
After Foreman was tackled on a routine play, the Panthers RB popped up obviously jawing at Davenport. Foreman pushed him, which provoked Davenport to strike him. Foreman would throw a right hand to Davenport’s facemask before the two were separated.
Watch the scuffle below:
The Panthers are looking to complete a second-half comeback against the Saints, and Foreman’s ejection certainly doesn’t help their efforts on offense.
Panthers reportedly interviewing Jim Caldwell, Frank Reich for head coach opening
The Carolina Panthers are one of the teams in the NFL that is in need of a new head coach of their organization and it looks like they could be looking to hire a coach with some experience to take the job. FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer has reported that the Panthers will interview former Detroit Lions coach Jim Caldwell and former Indianapolis Colts coach Frank Reich.
Caldwell has not been a head coach in the NFL since 2017, when he was leading the Detroit Lions. Caldwell went 36-28 in four seasons as the Lions head coach and took them to the playoffs twice, but never made it past the wild card round. Prior to that, Caldwell went 26-22 and made it to the Super Bowl once in three seasons as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. Caldwell last coached in the NFL in 2019 as the Miami Dolphins’ assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach.
Reich was the head coach of the Colts for four full seasons and was in the midst of his fifth season with the franchise in 2022 before he was fired in early November. In his time with the Colts, Reich put together a combined record of 40-33-1 and took the team to the playoffs twice, reaching the divisional round once. But the season did not go according to plan.
The Panthers are currently on the search for a coach to replace Matt Rhule, who was fired earlier this year. Inheriting a franchise that won five games in the year prior to his arrival, Rhule did not make it three full seasons as the head coach of the Panthers. Rhule went 5-11 in his first year and 5-12 in his second season. After starting 1-4 on the 2022 season, Carolina decided to part ways with Rhule, making him one of the hottest names on the college coaching market before he ended up with Nebraska.
Since firing Rhule, the Panthers have been working with Steve Wilks as their interim head coach. Carolina has gone 5-6 since moving on from Rhule. The Panthers entered Week 18’s game against the New Orleans Saints with a record of 6-10.