Head Coach Matt Rhule Fired: Best Candidates To Replace Him

The addition of Baker Mayfield was meant to mark a turning point in Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule’s career. Instead, it portended his death.
The Panthers fired Rhule on Monday following a 1-4 start to the 2022 campaign, as the team had indicated.

Panthers owner David Tepper explained his decision to part ways with Rhule after less than three seasons with the team to reporters on Monday. “I think that there has been progressing of some sort, but look, we’re just not getting over the hump,” Tepper said. “We need to get through this hurdle.”

Matt Rhule will be replaced as the interim coach by Steve Wilks, who is also the secondary coach for the Panthers’ defensive passing game.

The Panthers are getting a jump start on the 2023 head coaching competition by cutting ties with Matt Rhule now. From a cultural, leadership, and schematic standpoint, they will have plenty of time to consider which coaches are the greatest fits.

Following Matt Rhule’s departure, these are the top contenders Carolina might consider-

Sean Payton

Payton possesses all the qualities that Panthers owner David Tepper is probably looking for, including a successful track record, a history of planning successful offences, and a Super Bowl victory. In essence, Carolina has turned into one of the NFL’s laughingstocks. Hiring a legend like Payton would be the quickest way for Tepper to restore his team’s reputation.

It is unclear if Payton would want to join a team that needs time to win big, including finding a true franchise quarterback and needing him to dominate offensively with his personnel knowledge and play-calling. Tepper seemed determined to land a big star first after his gamble on Rhule failed.

Ryans DeMeco

When the 49ers’ defence shut down Carolina’s offence on Sunday en route to a 37-15 victory, the Panthers got a close-up view of the unit Ryans had built. Two years ago, Ryans took over the 49ers’ defence from Robert Saleh with ease, and it’s possible to argue that he made it a more effective team. It should be forbidden to envision Brian Burns leading a Ryan-led defence. His presence would serve as a welcome reminder to make the most of the players on his side of the ball, but he would also complement a stronger complementary offence in the vein of the San Francisco 49ers.

Shane Steichen

Since the Eagles are the only unbeaten team left in the NFL, demand for their assistants will be high. Steichen has played a key role in the development of Jalen Hurts over the previous two seasons and was the driving force behind Philadelphia’s shift to a run-heavy strategy in 2021. Steichen has been the most adaptable play-caller in history. Since his time with the Chargers, Steichen has been on the rise, and he is prepared to leave Philadelphia.

Dan Quinn

Quinn is turning up the defensive intensity for one of the top teams in football as the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator right now. The Cowboys are currently 4-1, with four of those victories coming with Cooper Rush at the controls, and they are ranked sixth in defensive DVOA (pending Monday Night Football).

Dallas is one of only two league defences that will prevent an opponent from scoring more than 20 points in 2022. The dude is a defensive coach. He was the play-caller for the Legion of Boom Seahawks and the head coach of the Falcons in 2016, which team won the Super Bowl.

Although many Panthers supporters would scoff at the employment of a well-known figure like Quinn, it does make some sense. At the conclusion of his stint, he left Falcons fans with a bad taste in their mouths. Quinn has coached in the NFL before (unlike Rhule) and has considerably improved his reputation as a play-caller in Dallas over the past several years. Carolina has a ton of defensive talent.

Eric Bieniemy

Bieniemy has recently been one of the most sought-after prospects on the head coaching job market, but he hasn’t been hired. The Chiefs’ offensive coordinator visited with every team that had a vacancy in 2021, and Bieniemy had interviews with the Saints and Broncos in the previous offseason. Hiring the person who assisted in the development of Patrick Mahomes may not be a bad idea, as Carolina will be looking for a new quarterback.

Jonathan Gannon

Although Gannon’s defence in 2021 was about league average, he still received three head-coaching interviews after the season, showing that he is well-liked in the league. Philadelphia ranks eighth in defensive EPA per play. Now that the Eagles have added more defensive players, Gannon has tried more intriguing concepts.

Shane Steichen

Steichen is currently the offensive coordinator for the unbeaten Philadelphia Eagles, which explains why he is a popular name among candidates for head coaching. The Eagle’s offence has been on fire in their five victories, and Steichen has Jalen Hurts playing like an MVP contender.

The Eagle’s offence is presently ranked 5th in DVOA and 6th in EPA/play (estimated points added per play). Steichen has a strong offensive line and one of the league’s top sets of skill players, but he has designed an approach that capitalizes on Jalen Hurts’ advantages and positions him for success.

Hurts has demonstrated early on that the answer to Eagles supporters’ legitimate question about whether he would be their player, in the long run, is a loud yes.

Mike Kafka

If the 4-1 Giants keep winning, their coaching staff—of which Kafka is the most prominent member—will begin to attract interest from other teams in the league. Given the lack of offensive talent in New York, Kafka and Brian Daboll’s performances stand out all the more. Kafka might promote himself as an Andy Reid and Daboll sphere of influence product.

 

 

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