Ex-WFT HC Jay Gruden lands second interview for Panthers OC originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Former Washington head coach Jay Gruden has landed himself a second interview for the Panthers' open offensive coordinator job, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Thursday.
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Carolina head coach Matt Rhule parted ways with former OC Joe Brady on Dec. 5 after their 33-10 loss to Miami during their Week 13 bye. Now he's narrowing down on his candidates with NFL experience, with Gruden seemingly reaching the final stages of the hiring process.
Gruden served as the Bengals OC for three seasons, leading Cincinnati to three consecutive Wild Card finishes before Dan Snyder hired him on Jan. 9, 2014 to replace Mike Shanahan.
As Washington's head coach, Gruden ended a three-year absence from the postseason in 2015 and earned the franchise's first back-to-back winning seasons in 19 years the following year despite not qualifying for the playoffs. He was fired on Oct. 7, 2019 after an 0-5 start.
Most recently, Gruden served as the offensive coordinator for Jacksonville under head coach Doug Marrone. His offense finished 28th in yards per game and 30th in points per game. When the Jaguars ended the season 1-15, Gruden was fired along with the rest of the coaching staff.
Gruden joins Colts running backs coach Scottie Montgomery as the leaders to become Carolina's next OC. Montgomery, who is getting buzz after helping Jonathan Taylor explode for a 1,811-yard, 18-touchdown rushing campaign. Mongomery had a virtual meeting before meeting in-person on Wednesday, per Rapoport's reporting.
