Carolina Panthers: How Matt Rhule Can Cool Down His Hot Seat

Matt Rhule’s seat as Carolina Panthers head coach is amongst the hottest in the NFL, even with five seasons still left on his contract. What can he do to turn things around?

Humble Beginnings

Long before Matt Rhule became the Carolina Panthers head coach, he began his career in 1998 as a volunteer assistant with the Penn State Nittany Lions. In the following years, Rhule put in the work and served as an assistant coach at various different programs. When he accepted the role as defensive line coach at Temple in 2006, though, it was the turning point moment of his budding coaching career.

After his first season on campus, Rhule made a flip to the offensive side of the football. He served as the quarterback coach and a recruiting coordinator in 2007, before getting promoted to offensive coordinator, a role he served from 2008-2011.

Short NFL Stint

The year of 2012 brought with it an offer from the defending champion New York Football Giants. Rhule viewed this as an opportunity that would give him valuable connections in the league, not only for now but to use in the future when he hoped to become an NFL head coach. He assumed the role of an assistant offensive line coach, being able to work with the loaded line that just helped propel the franchise to their second Super Bowl victory in five years.

Although Rhule was unsure about returning to college, the school he laid his roots down with unexpectedly had an opening at head coach. Following the departure of Steve Addazio, only two seasons into his tenure, Temple got their replacement. The rest is history both for the program and Matt Rhule himself.

Rhule Returns to Temple

The 2013 season opened, and 15 years after his first volunteer coaching gig, Rhule was finally the top dog on a coaching staff. The first season under Rhule was a struggle, to put it mildly. The Owls won two games in their inaugural year in the AAC. However, 2014 is when things began to turn around. The team tripled their win total from the previous season, becoming bowl eligible with six victories.

In his third year (pay attention because this will be a trend), Rhule began reaping the rewards of his steady build. Temple won 10 games, tying a program record set all the way back in 1979. They won the AAC East division, before falling to Houston in the AAC title game. They also took an L to Toledo in their bowl game, ending the season on a two game skid, but the excitement remained at an all time high.

In 2016, Temple took yet another step forward. They won the AAC conference outright, finishing the season with another double-digit win total and another bowl berth. Unfortunately, they lost the Military Bowl to Wake Forest under interim head coach Ed Foley. Wait, what about Rhule? Well, earlier in December of 2016, Rhule accepted a head coaching role at Baylor University of the Big 12 conference.

Rhule Rebuilds Baylor from Ground Up

In what has become familiar territory for Rhule, he inherited a program in need of a complete overhaul. Fresh off of the Art Briles controversy, Baylor suffered a mass exodus of talent. It was arguably the worst power five job available in the country, but Rhule saw potential in that. He was given the freedom to entirely rebuild the program in his image, much like he did at Temple.

To continue the comparisons, the Bad News Baylor Bears won a single game in 2017, with their lone victory coming against the lowly Kansas Jayhawks. The next season, against all odds, Rhule had the team in position to not only earn bowl eligibility, but they won the Texas bowl to end his second season with a 7-6 record.

Year three saw Baylor ascend to the upper pantheon of the Big 12, proving to be one of the best teams in the nation. The Bears went 11-1 heading into the Big 12 title game, with their only loss being a three point defeat versus Oklahoma. They dropped the rematch against the Sooners in the conference title game, and also lost their Sugar Bowl appearance versus the Georgia Bulldogs. The vision was accomplished regardless. Rhule went from winning 1-11 in his first regular season at Baylor to 11-1 in this third. He turned a program that nobody wanted to touch, into a national contender with a NY6 Bowl.

Carolina Panthers Poach Rhule from Baylor

You can bet that NFL teams took notice, and that leads us to where Rhule is today — head coach of the Carolina Panthers. Owner David Tepper not only paid a lucrative six million dollar buyout to Baylor, he gave Rhule a monster deal to secure his rights. At the tune of seven years, with a total of 62 million dollars on the deal, Rhule was brought in to bring direction to a franchise that was a couple years removed from being a playoff team.

Teddy Bridgewater was brought in to lead the way in 2020, and while he played his role well, it was clear that the roster needed more than a game manager to win football games. Starting slow is not something that Rhule is unfamiliar with, so optimism was still strong in the building.

After trading Bridgewater to the Broncos during the 2021 offseason, the Panthers made a trade for their own signal caller in hopes to speed up the build. One of general manager Scott Fitterer’s first moves was to send a 2021 sixth-round selection and 2022 second- and fourth-round picks to the New York Jets, and in exchange they received former No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold.

To the surprise of many, behind a strong performance from Darnold, the Panthers rattled off three straight victories to open the 2021 season. Unfortunately, the good times did not last. The USC Trojan alum reverted back to his old ways and tossed only four touchdowns to ten interceptions over the next six games, dropping five of them. Due to a shoulder injury, Darnold was placed on IR and forced to miss five weeks.

Will the Carolina Panthers stick with Matt Rhule if the team doesn’t show improvement in 2022?

In his absence, PJ Walker assumed the starter role in week 10, leading the team to a surprising win over the 8-1 Arizona Cardinals. The next five games were started by former NFL MVP and Panthers franchise legend, Cam Newton. His second tenure with the team was a resounding failure, as Newton failed to win a single game as a starter. Darnold took over for Newton after the latter was benched in an embarrassing Week 16 beatdown by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Darnold started and lost the final two games of the season, putting an end to one of the most brutal second halves in recent memory.

What’s Next

In his previous two stops as head coach, Rhule saw immediate improvement in his second season. This was not the case as the Carolina Panthers enter year three of the Matt Rhule era fresh off back-to-back disappointing 5-win seasons. Rumors of Baker Mayfield are ramping up, and the team did trade up into the third round to select Matt Corral, so while Darnold is slated as the starter right now, this remains far from a certainty. So what has to go right for the Panthers to match the typical jump into double-digit wins that Rhule is accustomed to in year three? The short answer: a lot.

First and foremost, whether it’s Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Jimmy Garoppolo, or even Matt Corral, the offensive line must be better. The franchise went a long way in solving protection issues by selecting offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu No. 6 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. Ekwonu is a day one starter and an immediate upgrade to the unit as a whole. He brings an infectious energy and one of the best work ethics in sports.

The next domino? Christian McCaffery. It is no debate that McCaffery is a superstar when healthy. That caveat is where the issue lies though. McCaffery has only appeared in ten games since 2019. Let’s assume that he remains healthy, that’s a major plus to the offense. DJ Moore, Robbie Anderson, and Terrace Marshall are a very promising trio at wide receiver, as Moore is one of the most slept on players in the entire league. With the supporting cast sturdy, Rhule has no excuse to put out a bad product, especially if a guy who has proven he can win football games like Jimmy G comes to town.

As exciting as the offensive pillars are, the defense features some potentially elite players as well. Brian Burns is a high end pass rusher, even if the raw counting numbers aren’t as eye popping as his peers. Jaycee Horn and Jeremy Chinn are studs too. Horn was balling prior to his season ending injury, and Chinn is one of the most versatile defenders that plays on Sundays. Ultimately, their ceiling as a unit will come down to Derrick Brown and CJ Henderson taking a leap in production. Both guys were taken in the top-ten in the 2020 NFL Draft, proving that the talent is there if they can figure the rest of it out.

The final, and perhaps biggest factor in whether or not the Panthers can contend for a playoff berth? The fact that the NFC is as weak as it’s been in a very long time. I mean, outside of the Bucs, Rams, and maybe the Packers, who would you guarantee a playoff spot to? That leaves three wide open wild card spots at a minimum.

The 49ers and Cardinals will probably be good, but given the uncertainty regarding Trey Lance’s ability to succeed over a 17 game schedule and the Cardinals inability to win games in November and December, it is at least possible that one or both miss the playoffs.

The Cowboys and Eagles both made the playoffs in 2021, and while I would include the Eagles in the “more likely to make it than not” tier, there is a world where things go south and Jalen Hurts doesn’t take a second-year leap as a full time starter. The Cowboys are aging, and even though I love Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons, head coach Mike McCarthy inspires little confidence in me and Michael Gallup’s health is a major question mark.

The Saints and Vikings were on the cusp of a playoff appearance in 2021, so they should be in the convo to grab a spot, but even they have lingering concerns. The Seahawks, Lions, and Commanders could approach the .500 plateau, but the Bears, Falcons, and Giants are a long way from winning.

So, with all the info laid out, I’ll leave the question with you. Can the Carolina Panthers put it together and earn a playoff berth in 2022? Or will Matt Rhule’s seat continue to increase in temperature?