4 reasons Steve Wilks should become Panthers permanent head coach
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers are doing more with less
If Steve Wilks’ job wasn’t hard enough, the Carolina Panthers opted to acquire draft capital rather than move forward with Robbie Anderson and Christian McCaffrey. While these two moves provide salary-cap flexibility and a chance to build for the future, it left the offense without established playmakers during a clear period of transition.
The fact Carolina’s offense has looked much improved despite these trades is a testament to Wilks and offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. They are scheming things much better and getting more people involved, with quarterback P.J. Walker’s performance levels also representing a significant upgrade on anything Baker Mayfield managed to accomplish before his high ankle sprain.
Wilks is doing more with less. Another impressive element to his brief time as head coach and something that shouldn’t go unnoticed by team owner David Tepper when examining potential long-term replacements for Matt Rhule.
As stated previously, there is now a level of professionalism within the Panthers that became an afterthought when Rhule was in charge. It’s not the finished article by any stretch of the imagination, but the fact Wilks is getting the most out of Carolina’s current resources indicates serious progression could come if he’s part of the process beyond 2022.
Despite their 2-6 record, the Panthers are not too far away from becoming relevant, at the very least. And Wilks deserves a tremendous amount of credit for that.