4 Carolina Panthers coaches who could get promotions in 2022
Phil Snow – Carolina Panthers DC
Phil Snow grew a lot from Week 1 to Week 17 last season. He did not have a normal offseason and it showed at the beginning of the campaign.
Towards the middle of the year, the defensive coordinator began to come into his own.
Snow also had a gem in Jeremy Chinn – the No. 64 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft – who was the definition of versatile in 2020.
The Carolina Panthers used him everywhere on the defense. He played linebacker, slot cornerback, and safety. Chinn eventually became the runner-up for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and his play shocked the world.
Carolina brought in many big names to help Snow succeed. The experienced coach now has three key veterans in Haason Reddick, A.J. Bouye, and Denzel Perryman within his arsenal, which could make a huge difference.
The list goes on and on, but he has talent everywhere on the depth chart. A full offseason can truly help Snow and this defense. A unit that some believe can be top-10.
Snow’s mindset is to use the talent that is given to him, according to David Newton at ESPN.
"The big thing is, I’ve got to utilize the talent here… So, we do some things different than we did a year ago. So, we’ve added some stuff, thrown out some stuff. So, this is a fun time.”"
With no offseason last year, Snow was forced to adjust his defense on the fly, and it worked.
For example, in Week 15 Snow ran a 3-5-3 against Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, holding him to 143 passing yards and one touchdown.
Rodgers also got sacked five times by the Panthers’ young defensive core.
Carolina put up a good fight against the Packers, but ultimately lost the game 24-16. As the contest went on you could see the defense adjust and bottle up the 2020 NFL MVP.
Must Read. 4 potential mistakes the Carolina Panthers made this offseason. light
Another plus for Snow, the defense is incredibly young, and they can grow together. This defense can stick together and dominate for many years to come and it might lead to some head coaching interest for the coordinator next year.