3 Head Coach Candidates for Carolina Panthers

The Panthers fired their head coach, Matt Rhule, after a 1-4 start to the 2022 season. He amassed a record of 11-27 in two-plus years as Carolina’s head coach. Former one-and-done Cardinals coach Steve Wilks has replaced Rhule in the interim, but it is unclear whether or not he’ll remain past this season.

Past holding on to a few stars, like D.J. Moore and Brian Burns, the Panthers have little-to-no direction going forward, so they’ll need a head coach with vision for the future. Here are three possible head coaching candidates for the Carolina Panthers.

Steve Wilks

The easiest option for the Panthers is not a sexy one. Keeping Steve Wilks as the head coach, regardless of record, makes a lot of sense for a few reasons.

The first of those is listed above; the team has no real direction outside of looking forward to the draft right now. This isn’t likely to be a highly sought after position. They have a man in the building who’s already doing the job, so why not keep him until he either proves himself, or they find a new direction better suited to someone else down the road?

Speaking of proving himself, Wilks was unfairly seen as a failure of a head coach in Arizona. The team rolled out Josh Rosen (and sometimes Mike Glennon) at quarterback without giving him real chance to succeed. Then, with higher draft capital due to a mismanaged roster, the front office chose Kyler Murray and hired Patrick Mahomes’ former college coach for two reasons; he coached Mahomes (to a losing college record) and he said in a press conference that Murray should be the first overall pick.

No one really knows what Wilks could do with a few seasons of job security to utilize. It makes sense to at least give him a shot at it while the team rebuilds a bit. He could very well earn this job if given some pieces and some time with which to work.

Leslie Frazier

After the Panthers decided to keep Brian Burns it became clear that they might aim to rebuild this team to become defensively-minded. Especially considering their next quarterback will have to be a draft prospect, who will probably take time to develop. A talented defense and a defensive coach led them to a 15-1 record and a Super Bowl appearance, with some help from Cam Newton, after all.

Frazier’s three-plus year tenure in Minnesota was not super inspiring, as he finished with a 21-32 record. That stain is currently being washed away as the Bills defense continues to be brilliant. Buffalo is, in most cases, the odds-on favorite to win the Super Bowl. A championship as a defensive coordinator might sway Frazier to hear head coaching offers to claim his own. He’ll need a lot a of support on the offensive side of the ball, both by coordinators and players, but this could be a sneaky good deal for both parties.

Eric Bieniemy

Any reader of these kinds of lists is getting tired of seeing Eric Bieniemy’s name. Every time there is a head coaching vacancy, he is brought up without fail. He’s never managed to seal the deal, though, and remains the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator through every cycle.

Is this the job that could lure Bieniemy out of Kansas City? It doesn’t seem like it on paper, but NFL fans know he is gifted at play design, and the ability to rebuild an offense instilling what he’s learned from Kansas City has to be somewhat attractive. Also, who better to lead the quarterback they’ll take in the draft than the guy who helped build up Mahomes? He’ll get a job eventually, and if he wants an offense built for and by him, this is the team to jump to in 2023.

Stay tuned for more breaking NFL content, including preseason moves, contract updates and more news from every team.

Featured image courtesy of Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images

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