GM Scott Fitterer Talks Coaching Vacancy, Team Needs, Offseason Approach + More

Carolina Panthers GM Scott Fitterer met with the media for the final time this season.

How many candidates he expects to talk to about the head coaching position

"It's not going to be a large group."

What kind of case Steve Wilks has made for the job

"He's done a nice job. Out of respect to the process, I don't want to get too far into it but the team was 1-4 and where we finished...the guys kept fighting. A lot of credit to Steve and a lot of credit to the team for that."

Quarterback situation

"It's unfortunate about Matt because we wanted to see him this year. We had a good talk with Sam Darnold this morning. As far as the future of that room, we have to figure out who the head coach is first. That'll play a lot into that. But there's some talent there and we're always looking to get better but a lot of that is going to be driven by the head coach."

Thoughts on how the McCaffrey trade played out

"Anytime you lose someone like Christian McCaffrey...all 32 teams could use Christian McCaffrey. He's one of the most dynamic players in the NFL and an absolutely great teammate and great person. But the way the running backs stepped up says a lot about them. D'Onta Foreman had a great year. Chuba [Hubbard] really came on from where he was last year to this year. He showed a lot of patience as a runner. He showed more power. And then bringing in [Raheem] Blackshear, that was a great pickup. We really like the rotation that we have right now and a lot of that is driven by the offensive line up front."

Addition of Bradley Bozeman

"Bradley is great. He's a great teammate, great leader, he's great in the community. He's one of the bigger centers in the NFL. He's very physical. He takes a lot off the quarterback's plate in terms of line calls and managing the line up front. Bozeman was a great addition. Really happy about him. We had a good talk this morning about his future. He's a guy that we would like back. I think he wants to be back and he's a part of our future."

If he will be "in on every deal" once again this offseason

"We're in a situation with this team where getting the offensive line settled, we feel like we have some running backs. We have DJ [Moore], Terrace [Marshall] is coming on. We need to make a couple tweaks on defense. But we have one of the best young corners in the league. Donte Jackson will be back. This is a year that we focused on building the basics, the last two years. Defense and offensive line. This is the year we go out and take some shots on more explosive type of athletes and players. It might be a little bit more of a sexy draft than just a nuts-and-bolts-type draft. We're in position now where we can take some of those shots."

What positions he is talking about in regard to explosive athletes

"I don't want to box myself in but you could always use a vertical receiver. Tight ends. On defense, ballhawks. That's what we're looking for."

If Sam Darnold can be the quarterback of this team moving forward

"A lot of it will depend on the offense that we're running and those types of things. I am pleased with the growth that Sam made. Yesterday was a tough day for him, but he found a way to win in the end with his feet. He made a big throw late in the game. Even though the numbers weren't there, that's the type of growth you want to see when you don't have your 'A' game."

When they hope to make a decision

"I don't want to put a timetable on it. It's going to start quickly. But until we find the right person, whether it's a week or a month, we don't know. It's just, we'll let the process play out and we'll make a decision when it's right."

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