Steve Wilks will be interviewing for the Carolina Panthers’ head-coaching job on Tuesday, and he won’t be coming underprepared.
According to ESPN NFL senior reporter Jeremy Fowler, Wilks is set to present owner David Tepper with a “strong plan” for his offensive staff. Considering Wilks is the only “defensive coach” amongst the six known candidates, that’s a pretty darn good idea.
Also hearing that Steve Wilks will have a strong plan for his offensive staff that he can sell to owner David Tepper. Carolina’s search sits at six (assuming Frank Reich interviews) and might not get much bigger than that.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 10, 2023
To Wilks’ credit, he already worked wonders with the team’s previously broken offense during his 13-week audition. His 12 games at the helm saw franchise single-game records for total yards (570) and rushing yards (320), a six-week stretch of the NFL’s most efficient passing attack and six wins while sifting through the less-than-ideal trio of PJ Walker, Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold.
Whether Wilks’ future plans includes current offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo is not known. McAdoo was hired by previous head coach Matt Rhule last offseason.
The Panthers finished the campaign ranked 29th in total offense (306.2 yards per game) and 20th in scoring (20.4 points per game).
