The Carolina Panthers have become intimately familiar with their (now former) interim head coach Steve Wilks. He was able to inspire a floundering team, one that traded off their best player while sitting at 1-5, to the brink of an improbable playoff berth.
Now, he’ll have to inspire owner David Tepper and the front office to keep him—with his résumé, his vision and a clear path into the future.
Wilks has, of course, been in this position before—having run through the interview process in 2018 after six successful seasons with the Panthers. He was eventually hired by the Arizona Cardinals, in what would turn out to be a doomed and disastrous campaign.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have much to work with, as he was saddled with a talent-barren roster anchored by a bust of a first-round quarterback. Following the 3-13 season that ensued, Wilks was promptly ousted and never really given a chance to develop his own squad or leave his imprint on the franchise.
His first stint in Carolina, one that spanned from 2012 to 2017, gave us a tiny taste of what we’d get out of a Wilks-led squad. Whether he was serving as a secondary coach, assistant head coach and/or defensive coordinator, Wilks made an impression on his players and an impact on what was one of the NFL’s most consistent defenses.
Then, we got a better taste this past season, when he relieved Matt Rhule. His men clearly fought for him the entirety of the season, which was evident through schematic changes, attitude and physicality when he was in charge.
Wilks has garnered the support of many former and current players, who have eagerly endorsed him to be the full-time head coach. His hiring would signal a similar resolution to last year when he took over—a physical and motivated squad pushing for wins each and every week.
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