Support from both current and former Carolina Panthers players just keeps coming in for Steve Wilks. And now, Torrey Smith has joined the party.
The retired wide receiver tweeted on Monday that Wilks deserves to be named the next head coach of the franchise—stating he’s already done something that many men in this league have failed to do.
Steve Wilks should be the coach of the Carolina Panthers. It’s hard for coaches to earn trust and to win the locker room. He has done that.
— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) January 10, 2023
Smith played one season for the Panthers in 2018, which turned out to be the final campaign of his eight-year NFL career. And opposed to other former Panthers that’ve already endorsed Wilks, such as Thomas Davis and Tre Boston, the pass catcher’s stop in Charlotte came after Wilks’ first tenure there.
(So, yeah, it’s seemingly obvious to guys who weren’t even in the building with Wilks.)
He was, though, on the same page with some of the players who are there now. Linebacker Shaq Thompson, defensive end Brian Burns, defensive tackle Derrick Brown, right guard Austin Corbett and center Bradley Bozeman—just to name a few—have all publicly expressed their support for Wilks.
We’ll see how much these voices matter to owner David Tepper, who officially interviewed Wilks on Tuesday.