Steve Wilks is doing one heck of a job with his Carolina Panthers, and the rest of the sport has certainly noticed.
As noted by ESPN senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler on Saturday, a number of league executives have praised Carolina’s interim head coach for his ongoing tenure here in 2022. One AFC decision-maker, in, fact, believes a promotion for Wilks in 2023 should be an easy decision for owner David Tepper and company.
Support for Steve Wilks getting #Panthers HC job full-time is building in some league circles after his 4-4 start
AFC exec: ‘Slam dunk to take interim tag off title. Better brand of football since he took over’
NFC exec: ‘They play hard for him, has full command of locker room’ pic.twitter.com/PmbuMgwt0u
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) December 17, 2022
Since Wilks took over for the departed Matt Rhule on Oct. 10, the Panthers have gone 4-4. While that record isn’t exactly a sparkling one—the culture the 53-year-old quickly instilled has captivated players and fans of the organization alike.
From his guys buying in to the team’s faithful prepared to run through a wall for him—Wilks has returned the Panthers to the hard-nosed, passionate brand of football the franchise has previously thrived under.
And, hey, they still have a very realistic shot at an NFC South title—regardless of those not-so-pretty numbers in the win-loss column.
