Steve Wilks Named Panthers DC: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

Two days after the Buffalo Bills agreed to hire Sean McDermott as their head coach, the Carolina Panthers moved to fill their vacancy at defensive coordinator when they promoted assistant head coach and defensive backs coach Steve Wilks to McDermott's old post, according to Bryan Strickland of the team's official website. 

Wilks has served as a member of the Panthers' coaching staff ever since he was hired in 2012 to coach defensive backs, and he made a strong impression by coaching up a position group that has made opponents pay repeatedly over the past five seasons. 

As Strickland noted, the Panthers rank tied for first in the NFL with 13 interceptions returned for touchdowns since 2012. 

Season	Pass Yds/Game	Pass TD Allowed	INT
2012	223.0	22	11
2013	214.0	17	20
2014	228.0	25	14
2015	235.0	21	24
2016	268.0	27	17

With regard to what Wilks' promotion means for the future of the defense, not much is expected to change from a schematic perspective. 

The Panthers will continue to operate in a base 4-3 defense, according to the Charlotte Observer's Joe Person, who also noted "the transition from McDermott to Wilks should be relatively seamless, which is one of the reasons Rivera prefers to hire from within the organization."

Veteran linebacker Thomas Davis reinforced that notion during a recent interview with ESPN.com's David Newton. 

"I'm not sure we'll change a whole lot, but for whatever little changes or big changes he decides to make, we're ready for it," he said. 

The Panthers' four-season streak of ranking as a top-10 defense was snapped in 2016 when they allowed 359.8 yards and 25.1 points per game, but a return to form could be in order now that Wilks is in charge of a hungry group that's looking to rebound with authority in 2017.