Carolina Panthers 2022 end of season superlatives: Who made the cut?

Steve Wilks – Carolina Panthers interim HC

• Honorable Mention: Chris Tabor, James Campen.

It was extremely hard to pick between Steve Wilks, special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, and offensive line coach James Campen. But I gave the honors to the interim head coach for bringing life and hope back to the Carolina Panthers after two years of utter malpractice.

After what looked to be yet another wasted and lost season, David Tepper finally made the decision to send former head coach Matt Rhule packing and promoted Wilks to be the leader of this franchise for the rest of the season.

The Wilks-led Panthers almost immediately turned the season around to finish just one win away from being division champions. This represents an incredible change of pace for a team going nowhere fast with Rhule mismanaging all areas of the franchise.

Wilks did not get a fair shake as Arizona Cardinals’ head coach. That’s been abundantly proven since his return to Carolina.

He is a man who fuels the culture and represents everything the Panthers need in a head coach, as well as what the communities in the Carolinas hope for. Wilks’ tough coaching and the respect commanded in the locker room by current players and past legends prove that he has all the tools to lead this franchise moving forward.

Whether Tepper goes down this route rather than a hot offensive mind remains to be seen.