Panthers’ Wilks sticks with Darnold for now, but finding long-term QB is top priority
The Carolina Panthers are still in the hunt for the NFC South crown with three games left on their schedule. And while interim head coach Steve Wilks wants the team’s entire focus to be on defeating the Detroit Lions on Saturday, he is still uncertain about the future of the quarterback position.
On Monday, Wilks said Sam Darnold will remain the team’s starting quarterback against the Lions following Carolina’s 24-16 home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Darnold has led the Panthers to a 2-1 record during his three-game stretch as starter, throwing for 509 passing yards and three touchdowns. He has yet to throw an interception this season.
“I felt he did some good things (against the Steelers). We’ve got to do a much better job of protecting to give him more time in the pocket,” Wilks said Monday. “Yes, he will be the starter this week.”
While Wilks is focused on laying the foundation for an improbable playoff push, the interim head coach also knows that there needs to be plenty of change in the future — if he is retained by the Panthers in 2023.
Quarterback is at the top of his priority list. Wilks wants to identify a long-term answer at the position, and that target needs to possess “dynamic” traits, according to a league source with knowledge of Wilks’ offseason plans.
When Wilks was promoted to interim head coach, he inherited a quarterback room that had two players sidelined with high ankle sprains — Darnold and Baker Mayfield.
PJ Walker started the first five games of Wilks’ tenure at the top, leading the Panthers to a 2-3 record before sustaining his own high ankle sprain. Mayfield then regained the starting job and delivered an abysmal performance in a 13-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Following that defeat, Darnold was promoted to the starting lineup after a 10-week stint on injured reserve.
Mayfield — who was demoted to third-string quarterback after the team’s Week 13 bye — was cut in Week 14 after asking for his release. Mayfield was claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Rams and led his new team to a victory over the Las Vegas Raiders just two days after his arrival on the West Coast.
The Panthers have shuffled the deck at the position all season, and that’s something Wilks would like to change for 2023, according to the league source.
While Darnold and Walker have had their moments in the starting lineup, and either could be retained as a potential bridge starter or training camp competition, the Panthers are likely to add “new blood” to the QB room this offseason, the source said.
Rookie Matt Corral is under contract through 2025. The Panthers traded a 2023 third-round pick to the New England Patriots to jump up in this year’s third round to draft Corral out of Ole Miss. Corral has been on injured reserve all season as he recovers from a Lisfranc injury he sustained during the preseason.
Corral is a mystery heading into the home stretch of his initial season through no fault of his own.
Along with the quarterback position, Wilks will also need to revamp his coaching staff. Wilks’ staff has been in flux since he took over for former head coach Matt Rhule in Week 6.
Wilks immediately fired former defensive coordinator Phil Snow and special teams assistant Ed Foley upon his interim promotion. Wilks promoted longtime confidant Al Holcomb to interim defensive coordinator following Snow’s dismissal. Holcomb played a role in getting Wilks re-hired by the Panthers this past offseason.
Wilks fired defensive line coach Paul Pasqualoni and cornerbacks coach Evan Cooper following a blowout loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9. Assistant coaches Terrance Knighton and Corey Campbell then left the staff after the Week 12 win over the Denver Broncos to join Rhule’s staff at the University of Nebraska.
Wilks’ lone hire since taking over the top job — assistant defensive line coach Ian Scott — was meant to replace Knighton. The Panthers only have four coaches on their defensive staff — including Holcomb — and none of the position groups have full-time coaches.
Pass rush specialist Don Johnson has overseen the defensive line since Pasqualoni was dismissed. Defensive run game coordinator Mike Siravo and Holcomb have worked with the linebackers. Wilks and Holcomb have helped oversee the secondary.
Rob Dvoracek and Bobby Maffei are defensive assistants. Both worked under Rhule with the same titles.
Wilks is evaluating everyone — both on the roster and coaching staff — according to the source.
The Charlotte Observer reported in November that Wilks has internal support within the organization. That support hasn’t wavered, as the Panthers have won three of their past five games.
Despite that backing, Wilks will need to endure the rigors of a coaching search in Carolina.
The Panthers, like all other teams, need to comply with the Rooney Rule, which prioritizes external minority candidacy. Carolina will need to interview two external minority candidates before making a permanent hire or taking the interim tag off Wilks’ title.
While Wilks is a minority candidate, under the Rooney Rule he is considered an internal option.
The search could also take some time, as coaches in the playoffs can’t be interviewed for jobs until after the wild-card round of the postseason.
If the Panthers want to have multiple interviews with a candidate who makes it all the way to the Super Bowl, the hiring process could extend beyond January into mid-February. That timeline would push a final hire date past the major college all-star games in early February.
This story was originally published December 19, 2022 at 4:22 PM with the headline "Panthers’ Wilks sticks with Darnold for now, but finding long-term QB is top priority."
