Candidates the Panthers Should Consider for the Head Coaching Job

Now that the last page of the 2022 season has been turned, the Panthers will open the book on the most important off-season in franchise history.

The Panthers brought life into a dying fanbase with a stretch of football that we haven't seen in Charlotte in years. Carolina won six of their last twelve games, which isn't impressive compared to other teams, but winning games in November/December had been unheard of since 2020.

Carolina was playing meaningful football games down the stretch for the first time since 2018 and now they have a decision to make. Who will be tasked with leading the franchise in 2023 and beyond?

When Matt Rhule was fired, we detailed a few candidates who could replace him. That list included Sean Payton, Dan Quinn, Steve Wilks, DeMeco Ryans, Shane Steichen, and Ken Dorsey. At the time that felt like a solid group of candidates, but we have more information now. This list will include some of those names, but a few new ones will be added too.

Here are six candidates to take over the head coaching job in Carolina.

The Known Quantities

Steve Wilks

How about that for an audition? Steve Wilks led the Panthers to a 6-6 record in his time as the interim coach, and stamped his name at the top of the list for the potential next coach of the Carolina Panthers.

Wilks is a bonafide leader of men, and the locker room has his support.

Wilks' 6-6 record is impressive because he did it with Matt Rhule's roster and Matt Rhule's coaching staff. Carolina's turnaround was one of the best stories of the second half of the NFL season and Wilks led the charge.

In order for him to become the head coach, he will need to have a solid plan on offense. Wilks is primarily a defensive coach, and there is a sense that owner David Tepper wants a young offensive mind to lead the team. With the way the NFL is going, that thought makes sense. However, if Wilks can bring a sharp offensive mind alongside him, Carolina may have a pairing that can take them to heights they haven't seen in a while.

Jim Caldwell

Caldwell's name has come up a bit recently, and according to Josina Anderson of ESPN, he is interviewing for the job today.

Caldwell's resume speaks for itself. He was the quarterback's coach and assistant head coach in Indianapolis during Peyton Manning's prime years. Manning had this to say about Caldwell: "Jim Caldwell has meant a great deal to me in my career, I felt like once he got to Indianapolis and became my quarterback's coach, that my game really improved. It took a step up, and I thought Jim had a great deal to do with that."

Caldwell briefly took over the head coaching gig in Indianapolis and led the team to Super Bowl XLIX in his first season.

From Indianapolis, Caldwell became the offensive coordinator (after one season as the quarterback's coach) in Baltimore and won the Super Bowl in his only season in that role.

Caldwell went on to become the head coach of the Lions where he led the team to their most successful run in decades. Caldwell is the only Lions head coach who left the team with a winning record since 1950.

Jim Caldwell isn't the first name you think of when you hear "offensive guru," but he has a proven track record and would be a good fit in an ascending Carolina offense. I would absolutely trust Caldwell to draft and groom the next franchise quarterback in Carolina.

Frank Reich

Reich was fired by the Indianapolis Colts in November, but he would be at the top of my list of coaches I would want in Carolina if I were the GM.

Reich is another offensive-minded coach that could bring a spark to Charlotte on the offensive side of the ball.

Zac Keefer of The Athletic penned an article this week that detailed the disfunction in Indianapolis from the top down, and any blame for Reich's failures should be directed away from him. The lack of stability at quarterback did doom Reich's tenure with the Colts, but even with a carousel of aging, mediocre quarterbacks, Reich always found a way to lead an above-average offense.

Like Caldwell, Reich wouldn't be a sexy hire, and he comes with some question marks, but it would be a cool full-circle moment for him and his career. Reich threw the first touchdown pass in the history of the Carolina Panthers in 1995.

The Up and Comers

Shane Steichen

Steichen is currently the offensive coordinator of the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles, and it's clear why his name is buzzing as a head coaching candidate. In their five wins, the Eagles offense has been firing on all cylinders, and Steichen has Jalen Hurts playing like an MVP candidate.

The Eagles' offense is currently 3rd in EPA/play (estimated points added per play), and 3rd in offensive DVOA. Steichen has a talented offensive line and one of the best skill position groups in the league, but he's drawn up an offense that plays to Jalen Hurts' strengths and is putting him in a position to succeed.

Eagles fans (rightfully) came into the season wondering if Hurts would be their guy long-term, and he has proven early on that the answer to that question is a resounding yes. Some of that credit needs to go to Steichen and the multiplicity in the schemes he's running in Philadelphia, and Carolina needs an offensive mind like that in the building. The Panthers are currently 20th in points per game after finishing 29th in 2021 and 24th in 2020.

DeMeco Ryans

Panthers' fans got a first-hand look at what a DeMeco Ryans-coached defense could look like earlier this season. The 49ers' defense, led by Ryans as their coordinator, flies around the field and plays an entertaining style of football. Ryans took over after Robert Saleh took the Jets head coaching job, and the 49ers' defense hasn't skipped a beat. The Niners were 7th in defensive DVOA in 2021, and they finished first in 2022.

San Francisco is an incredibly talented team, but they're also oft-injured and Ryans have shown a propensity to get the most out of whoever steps onto the field. Also, by all accounts, Ryans is beloved by players and someone who could step foot into any NFL locker room and build a winning culture. Ryans in some ways feels like a younger version of Steve Wilks. He hasn't gotten the buzz in Carolina as some other candidates have, but he's still a strong candidate for the job.

Ben Johnson

Johnson is the current offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions. If you haven't noticed, the Lions were relevant for the first time in years and Johnson's played a big part in that.

Detroit finished the season 6th in both offensive EPA/Play and offensive DVOA, and they did it with Jared Goff at the helm. This is Johnson's first year as the offensive coordinator, and the Lions made that massive leap from 24th in EPA/play last season to 6th under his tutelage.

It is rumored that David Tepper has "done his homework" on Johnson, and he fits the "young offensive mind" that Tepper apparently desires in his next head coach, but it would be a huge gamble.

Johnson only has one year of coordinator experience under his belt and making the leap to head coach would be a big one. That kind of leap has worked in the past, but I'm wary of Johnson flaming out like we've seen happen to some other young, offensive-minded coaches.

Johnson is a local guy, having played high school football in Asheville and walking on to the North Carolina Tarheels football team.

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