Two Panthers assistants interviewing for head coaching jobs

The Panthers might have finished in the NFC South basement a year after their Super Bowl appearance, but it hasn’t hurt the appeal of a couple of their defensive coaches.

Panthers assistant head coach Steve Wilks interviewed with the Los Angeles Rams on Tuesday for their head coaching vacancy, according to two league sources.

Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Sean McDermott will interview with Buffalo and San Diego about their openings, another source said.

Wilks, who also coaches the Panthers’ secondary, has been a head coach before, guiding Savannah State to a 5-6 record in 1999. But Tuesday was his first interview for an NFL head coaching position.

Wilks, 47, grew up in Charlotte and played at Appalachian State. He was instrumental in developing rookie cornerbacks James Bradberry and Daryl Worley this season after the team jettisoned Pro Bowl corner Josh Norman last spring.

Wilks joined Ron Rivera’s staff in Charlotte in 2012 after the two worked together previously in Chicago and San Diego.

McDermott, 42, has been up for several head-coaching jobs in recent years, including Tampa Bay and Cleveland last year. He was the only NFL coordinator to oversee top-10 defenses every year between 2012-2015 before the Panthers slipped to 21st this year.

This story was originally published January 3, 2017 at 9:56 PM with the headline "Two Panthers assistants interviewing for head coaching jobs."