Ben Johnson may not be the only important Johnson in the Carolina Panthers’ search for a new head coach.
Almost as soon as Matt Rhule was sent packing back in October, owner David Tepper began researching offensive-minded possibilities for the opening. And now it shows—as seven of the eight known candidates have earned much of their money coaching up that side of the ball.
The one man who isn’t of that ilk is 2022’s interim head coach Steve Wilks.
So, with the team seemingly zeroing in on a certain type, how can Wilks persuade Tepper and company that the offense will work just fine under him? MMQB senior editor Albert Breer has a hunch . . .
“So I think this is Tepper fighting his best-laid plans against a feeling that Wilks is probably the right guy to hire,” Breer writes in his latest mailbag feature. “And so it’d seem that Wilks’s plan to build on what he accomplished over the past three months, and in particular what he’ll do on offense (I’ve mentioned Philly’s Brian Johnson as a potential coordinator candidate) will be key, if Wilks is going to convince Tepper not to go with Johnson, Dorsey or Steichen.”
Johnson is currently the quarterbacks coach for the NFC’s No. 1-seeded Philadelphia Eagles. Along with offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, Wilks’ competition for the job, he’s helped push Jalen Hurts to an MVP-caliber campaign and the birds into the league’s third-best offense.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported earlier this week that Wilks’ had a “strong” plan for his offensive staff to present to Tepper for his interview on Tuesday. And Johnson, who could become an offensive coordinator rather soon, may have been a part of it.
