Ranking the Eight Candidates for the Panthers' Job

Running through the candidates the Panthers are considering for the head coaching job.

By the end of this weekend, the Carolina Panthers will have interviewed eight candidates for its head coaching vacancy. Others are expected to join that list but for now, we will focus on the eight that have/will have met with team owner David Tepper and the rest of the Panthers' brass.

Here is how I would rank the current candidates.

8. Ken Dorsey - Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator

Dorsey was Cam Newton's QB coach from 2013-17 before being fired alongside offensive coordinator Mike Shula. Since, he has served as the Bills QB coach, passing game coordinator, and now, offensive coordinator. I like the full-circle story but I'm not convinced that Dorsey is head coach material. At least not yet. Give him a few more years and he should be someone teams are chomping at the bit to hire.

7. Jim Caldwell - Former Lions and Colts head coach

Caldwell is a well-respected coach around the league and has done a good job as a head coach before in his stints with Indianapolis and Detroit. Heck, he took Indy to the Super Bowl in his first year on the job. In his seven seasons as a head coach, Caldwell has just two losing seasons, one of which was the year Peyton Manning missed the entire season with a neck injury. He's 68 years old which is why I have him fairly low on this list. I don't know that Carolina wants to hire a guy who may decide to retire in a few years. 

6. Mike Kafka - New York Giants offensive coordinator

I know Brian Daboll is getting a bunch of credit for the turnaround of Daniels Jones and rightfully so. But Mike Kafka has had a hand in that as well. He's not only helped Jones but was also a key part in Patrick Mahomes' development, serving as the Chiefs quarterback's coach during his first full year as the starter. I'm not sure if he's ready to be a head coach just yet but he's a young up-and-coming coach that I believe will have a lot of success in this league.

5. Ejiro Evero - Denver Broncos defensive coordinator

Evero has only one year of coordinating experience but his resume is impressive. He did a fantastic job with the Broncos' defense this past season and is considered to be one of the best young defensive coaches in the NFL. It's not much of a surprise either when you look at who he has worked with throughout his career - head coaches Jim Harbaugh (49ers), Mike McCarthy (Packers), and Sean McVay (Rams), and defensive coordinators Vic Fangio (49ers), Dom Capers (Packers), Wade Phillips (Rams), Brandon Staley (Rams), and Raheem Morris (Rams). He's a guy that players want to play for which leads me to believe if he's the guy, the locker room will quickly buy into his vision as they did this past season with Steve Wilks.

4. Frank Reich - Former Colts head coach

Reich got a raw deal in Indy, in my opinion. The quarterback situation was a mess the entire time he had the job. No one expected Andrew Luck to retire and that created a domino effect of poor front office decisions to find his replacement. I'm still a believer in that Reich can be a successful NFL head coach. He has worked with Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, and oh yeah, he helped Carson Wentz look like an MVP candidate in 2017.

3. Shane Steichen - Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator

Everyone loved Justin Herbert's size and arm strength coming out of college but he was wildly inconsistent. Many, including myself, thought that he would be a multi-year project. That wasn't the case at all. He tossed 31 touchdowns as a rookie and Steichen was a part of that. He took the OC job in Philadelphia and developed Jalen Hurts into their franchise guy in just two years. Hurts, if you remember was someone that some NFL scouts wanted to make the switch to running back when he entered the league. After his rookie year, there was uncertainty around whether he would be the Eagles' guy. I've seen enough from Steichen to believe he can help fix a lot of Carolina's problems, particularly at quarterback - a position they will be looking to draft this offseason.

2. Sean Payton - Former Saints head coach

Sean Payton isn't number one?!? What?!? Nope. The only reason he's not at the top of the list is because of what it is going to take to acquire him. There are rumors out there that it could take a pair of first-round picks, maybe more for the Saints to agree to a trade. On top of that, he's going to demand a pretty hefty contract, at least one would imagine. He's a proven winner but the Panthers can't handcuff themselves to where they can't make an upgrade at quarterback. If they can find a way to land Payton without mortgaging their chances of finding an answer at QB, then by all means, he's the guy.

1. Steve Wilks - Carolina Panthers interim head coach

Enough can't be said about the job Steve Wilks did in the 13 weeks that he ran the show for the Panthers. He took over a disorganized mess and turned it into not only something respectable but a team that still had a chance to go to the playoffs in Week 17. I know it's not the sexiest hire but Wilks gets it. He knows what it takes to win in Carolina and he already has the full support of the locker room. Just imagine what Wilks could do with a full offseason to mold the roster/coaching staff to the way he wants it. 

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