After firing head coach Ron Rivera last month, the Carolina Panthers still find themselves without a coach. However, according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, the Panthers are scheduled to interview Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski in Minneapolis on Thursday.
Interview schedules:
*Panthers scheduled to interview Vikings OC Kevin Stefanski in Minneapolis on Thursday, and Cleveland also could schedule him that day.
*Giants scheduled to interview Baylor HC Matt Ruhle in NJ on Tuesday, then Patriots OC Josh McDaniels in NJ on Wednesday.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 6, 2020
Also according to Schefter, Stefanski is also a top candidate for the open Cleveland Browns job.
Under Stefanski's tutelage, the Vikings offense has grown. Minnesota ranked eighth in the NFL in points per game with 25.4. Also exciting for Panther fans is the fact that Stefanski and running back Dalvin Cook led Minnesota to the sixth-ranked rushing offense in the league. Given Carolina's obvious talent at the position, the hire of Stefanski is definitely interesting.
At 37 years old, Stefanski would be the second-youngest head coach in the NFL behind Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams. Stefanski has only spent one year as the full-time offensive coordinator for the Vikings but has been on the team's coaching staff since 2006 serving a variety of roles.
Injuries have definitely played a part but the Panthers offense was a definite disappointment in 2019. Despite success early in the season and a historic season from running back Christian McCaffrey, the Panthers ranked 20th in the league in points scored per game.
Much of the lack of success had to do with the lack of talent that Carolina had to work with at quarterback. Stefanski served as the quarterbacks coach for the Vikings from 2017 to 2018. In 2017, Stefanski helped turned former undrafted quarterback Case Keenum into a legitimate Pro-Bowl level player.
Other candidates for the Carolina head coaching job include Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy, New England Patriots OC Josh McDaniels among others.
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