Falcons 'Closely Monitoring' Panthers Coach Steve Wilks for Defensive Coordinator?

There appears to be a new player in the mix for the Atlanta Falcons' defensive coordinator search - Carolina Panthers interim coach Steve Wilks.

The Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator search, prompted by the retirement of Dean Pees, was reportedly hitting the "home stretch" - but there are still some things to handle before a final decision is made.

Among those is seeing how head coach openings around the NFL play out, as some candidates, such as Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and Carolina Panthers interim coach Steve Wilks, are still in the running for the jobs.

And the Falcons have taken a keen interest in the latter, according to Fox Sports Radio 1340, as Atlanta is "closely monitoring" whether Wilks keeps the Panthers job.

Falcons coach Arthur Smith noted before the two team's played in Week 8 that he's "gone against Wilks before in a couple of other spots" and appreciated the toughness he brought to Carolina's defense.

Wilks, who led the Panthers to a 6-6 record after taking over for Matt Rhule following a 1-4 start, was the Arizona Cardinals' coach in 2018, going 3-13 before being fired at season's end.

However, Wilks has had considerable success as a defensive coordinator, which is presumably the role he'd be getting in Atlanta.

He led a top-10 unit with the Panthers in 2017 before going to Arizona and had an adequate one-year stint with the Cleveland Browns in which the secondary was particularly strong, ranking among the league's best in passing yards allowed and interceptions.

Perhaps most importantly, the Panthers rallied around Wilks, illustrating how much his words resonated with the players. After being left for dead, Carolina fought its way back to being in legitimate contention for the NFC South, playing a do-or-die home game against Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers in which it ultimately came up short.

Still, Wilks' coaching job was one of the most impressive throughout the entire NFL - and that alone is a reason for Atlanta to monitor the situation moving forward.

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You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

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