A new man will be leading the defensive line of the Carolina Panthers. New head coach Matt Rhule has added Indianapolis Colts D-Line coach Mike Phair to his staff. Phair joins new Defensive Coordinator Phil Snow on the team's staff
After a disaster ending to the 2019 season, the Panthers decided to hit the reset button on the coaching staff and Phair is one of the better position coaches in the business.
Although the Indianapolis defense ranked towards the middle of the league in 2019, Phair was likely hired due to his relationship with Snow. Both coaches were on the Arizona State coaching staff in the late nineties and early 2000s. And while Phair has nearly a decade of NFL coaching experience, Snow followed Rhule from Baylor after leading one of the better defenses in college football this season.
Before Indianapolis, Phair had made NFL stops in Tampa Bay, Chicago, and Seattle. With strong defensive line players like Mario Addison, Vernon Butler, and Brian Burns currently on the roster, Phair should have a fair deal of talent to work with in 2020.
While the Panthers defense ranked second in the NFL with 53 sacks this season, the defense as a whole ranked second to last in the league allowing 29.4 points per game.
Rhule and the Panthers are expected to make even more moves in the future to help fill out a revitalized coaching staff.
As a team, the Panthers haven't made the playoffs since 2017. While injuries have much to do with the lack of success, Carolina has followed the recent trend of hiring young college coaches and will look to get back to being a contender in the NFC.
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