5 young Panthers players with big opportunities under Steve Wilks
By Dean Jones
Which young Carolina Panthers players find themselves with big opportunities under interim head coach Steve Wilks for the remainder of 2022?
The presence of Steve Wilks as interim head coach seems to be having the desired effect. Things were going from bad to worse under Matt Rhule, whose methods of complete control within the Carolina Panthers are coming under increased scrutiny in the weeks following his departure, so a change was essential to attain some semblance of respectability from 2022.
Wilks is a leader of men. Someone that players gravitate towards and are fighting hard for after he was unfairly treated as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
A new regime – albeit temporarily initially – represents new chances for many to establish themselves within the set-up. Especially considering the Panthers opted to trade Christian McCaffrey and Robbie Anderson to give them better hope of a stable long-term plan.
With this in mind, we picked out five young Panthers players with significant opportunities under Wilks in 2022.
Player No. 1
Marquan McCall – Carolina Panthers DT
The rise to prominence of Marquan McCall has been a feel-good story to remember. The Carolina Panthers picked up the formidable defensive tackle in undrafted free agency and he deserves endless credit for fighting his way onto the 53-man roster as a useful rotational piece during a promising rookie campaign to date.
Derrick Brown and Matt Ioannidis are the confirmed starters on the interior. But there is a good chance McCall can establish himself as the primary backup despite the presence of Bravvion Roy and Daviyon Nixon.