The Panthers parted ways with Matt Rhule, after a record of 11-27, and with no sign of progress Owner David Tepper felt it was time for a change. In comes secondary coach Steve Wilks to be the interim coach for the remaining of the season.
There is no doubt the Rhule era will be known as a major disappointment in Carolina, after he was able to rebuild two college programs in Temple and Baylor, he was unable to find similar success in the NFL with the Panthers. There are many areas to point at for the lack of success for the Panthers over the past couple of seasons. The inability to find a franchise QB, being unable to win close games, and the famous Matt Rhule stat of his team being 1-27 in games where the opposing team scored 17+ points. All of this along with the fact that Bank of America Stadium was a sea of Red in Rhule’s final game as a head coach against the 49ers and what Owner David Tepper called “Lack of intensity” It was time to end the Matt Rhule experiment and look toward the future.
So who should be the 8th coach in franchise history, let’s break down potential candidates and who I think the Panthers should target in their upcoming head coach search.
Let’s start with guys who have been head coaches in the National Football League before that should be in consideration for another opportunity.
Steve Wilks
Steve Wilks is a good guy to start this list with for multiple reasons. He is the current interim head coach for the remainder of the season and if he can turn the season around and can put the Panthers in playoff conversation he has to be a serious contender to be the Panther’s head coach going forward. Steve Wilks is in his second stint as a Panthers assistant coach, he was in Carolina from 2012-2017 as the defensive back coach before he went on to Arizona to be the head coach which only lasted a season. Wilks is a local guy attending West Charlotte High School and would go on to play college football at Appalachian State University. Having familiarity with the Panthers franchise and being able to bring back the Panthers Mantra “Keep Pounding” will be vital for him to help revitalize not only the team for the remainder of this season but will also help him bring energy back to a fan base that is at it’s the lowest point since the 2010 2-14 season. As Wilks said in his introductory press conference “We’re at the point in our season that it’s about Keep Pounding. In order for us to turn this around that’s the mindset that we have to have.’ If the Panthers are fighting for a playoff spot come December then they might’ve found their guy in Wilks.
Dan Quinn
Panther fans should be very familiar with Dan Quinn, he was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2015-2020. Quinn had an up-and-down experience with the Falcons. He led them to the Super Bowl in 2016 only to fall short in overtime to the Patriots, and his record with the Falcons ended at 46-44 including playoffs. After his time with the Falcons he went over to the Dallas Cowboys as the defensive coordinator and turned that unit around in just a few short years to being one of the best defensive units in the NFL. Because of the performance of his defense, last season Quinn had 5 head coaching interviews this past offseason, before ultimately deciding to stay in Dallas. He would be a quality option for the Panthers because of his experience with Atlanta and the way he has brought the Cowboy’s defense to life in a short period.
Now let’s dive into guys that have no experience as a head coach, but should be hot names come the offseason.
Ken Dorsey
Ken Dorsey is another name that should be familiar to Panther fans. He was the QB coach in Carolina from 2013-2017 before moving to Buffalo where he is now the offensive coordinator. Dorsey will be a name you will hear a lot this offseason with whatever teams are looking for new head coaches. Dorsey should be a guy that the Panthers bring in for an interview for multiple reasons. For starters, he has worked with two very good NFL quarterbacks in his career, Cam Newton and now Josh Allen in Buffalo. With the Panthers looking for their next signal-caller in this upcoming draft where they will likely have a top 5 pick, Dorsey would be someone you could trust to evaluate the top prospects and know which one has the traits that will best translate to the NFL because he has had a first-hand look of what that looks like with both of the QBs already mentioned. Dorsey has also been very fortunate to see what a winning culture looks like. He was in Carolina for the 3 straight playoff appearance and has now been right in the middle of what Coach McDermott is building in Buffalo. He knows what it takes to rebuild a winning culture and that will be very important for whoever is the next coach in Carolina.
Shane Steichen
Shane Steichen is a name that is heating up quickly in the coaching ranks. He is currently the offensive coordinator of the Eagles. If teams are looking for who could be the next great offensive-minded coach, 37-year-old Steichen might just be what the doctor ordered. Steichen has brought out the best in Jalen Hurts for the Eagles and their offense is a big reason why they’re currently undefeated. The offense that the Eagles run is perfect for today’s NFL and will be very appealing for NFL owners looking for the next Sean McVay. After spending time with the Chargers as their offensive coordinator in 2020 Steichen, like Dorsey has been able to see and develop the next wave of great NFL quarterbacks in Justin Herbert, and now with what he has done with Hurts, pairing Steichen with a rookie QB might just be a recipe for success in Carolina.
Byron Leftwich
It was very surprising at the end of the season last year that Leftwich did not end up as a Head Coach somewhere, and I think he is someone Carolina should bring in to interview for their potential vacancy after the season is over. Leftwich has had the opportunity to learn from one of the best offensive minds in Bruce Arians. The experience that he has gained from working with not only Arians but Tom Brady as well over the last 3 years should help him tremendously when he does get his first opportunity to lead an organization. I think the Panthers should be looking at an offensive-minded coach with this next hire and Leftwich should be at the top of that list.
Liam Coen
If you are looking for the next McVay, then what better place to start than with his current offensive coordinator in Liam Coen. Coen is an interesting and intriguing option for a few reasons. He is only 36 years old, and is in his first season as the Rams OC after spending last year at the University of Kentucky as their offensive coordinator, helping them have the most successful season they’ve had since Bear Bryant was the coach. Coen could be an interesting hire when it comes to the Panthers picking the next QB for this franchise. If GM Scott Fitterer and his scouting department like Will Levis out of Kentucky as an option for them, bringing in his former OC would make a ton of sense. Nonetheless, the McVay tree has produced thus far, just look at what Kevin O’Connell is doing in his first year in Minnesota for reference. Coen might need more experience in the NFL before the Panthers look his way, after all bringing on a guy with no NFL experience in Matt Rhule turned out to be a disaster, and I’m confident Tepper doesn’t want to go the college route again because of it.
If I had to pick a guy right now to be the next head coach in Carolina, I would lean toward an offensive-minded guy like Ken Dorsey. Only time will tell to see if Steve Wilks can turn this season around, however, and prove that this should be his team on more than just an interim basis.
Austin Glasscox
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