NFL Rumors: Steve Wilks Likely to Be 'Seriously Considered' for Panthers Full-Time HC

The Carolina Panthers are "seriously" considering interim head coach Steve Wilks for the team's full-time coaching gig, per Ellis Williams of the Charlotte Observer.

"Five games through his 12-contest tryout, Wilks has impressed Panthers leadership enough that he is expected to be seriously considered for the full-time job after the season, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation," Williams wrote.

Wilks coached in college from 1995 to 2005 before joining the Chicago Bears in 2006. Six years later, Wilks joined the Panthers as their secondary coach under Ron Rivera.

Wilks was the team's secondary coach in 2015, when the Panthers went 15-1 and won the NFC. His unit was nicknamed "Thieves Ave." for its penchant to force turnovers.

He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2017 when ex-DC Sean McDermott left to be the Buffalo Bills' head coach. Wilks led the No. 11 scoring defense in football as Carolina went 11-5 and reached the playoffs.

The Arizona Cardinals then hired Wilks to be their head coach, but he only lasted one season after the team went 3-13.

In fairness to Wilks, he was given an incredibly difficult hand, which included struggles from a rookie quarterback in Josh Rosen and an offensive line that allowed 52 sacks and couldn't consistently open holes for a running game that averaged just 3.8 yards per attempt.

Arizona didn't give him a second chance, and he was fired in favor of Kliff Kingsbury after just one year.

The 53-year-old Wilks has since been the Cleveland Browns' defensive coordinator (2019) and the University of Missouri's DC (2021) before he headed back to Carolina as its defensive passing game coordinator and secondary coach. He was promoted to interim head coach after third-year head coach Matt Rhule was fired following a 1-4 start.

Carolina has gone 2-3 under Wilks, and that includes an excruciating 37-34 overtime loss to the Atlanta Falcons in which the Panthers were on the precipice of winning multiple times. The Panthers also notably crushed Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 21-3.

The Panthers are playing hard for him despite a depleted and injury-riddled roster that doesn't have a long-term answer at quarterback. He deserves as much of a chance as anybody as the next head coaching cycle arrives.