The Carolina Panthers have lost defensive coordinator Sean McDermott to the Buffalo Bills at a time when the defense is in limbo.
The Carolina Panthers had a very tough 2016 season that missed many of the expectations built for the team. As the group prepares to head into the off season to start their rebuilding process, the team will have to do so without one of their key minds: Sean McDermott.
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After six years as the Panthers defensive coordinator, he’s been hired as the man to lead the Buffalo Bills, their next head coach. McDermott is a key reason why this Panthers team experienced success on the defensive side of the ball.
With Rex Ryan out of the picture, the Bills announced on Wednesday that McDermott is going to take his place. He was one of four men in consideration for the job. The move was announced after McDermott’s second interview with the Bills on Wednesday.
McDermott’s NFL career started with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1998 where he rose through the ranks to defensive coordinator before leaving in 2010 when he joined the Panthers. It was here that he saw much of his success with this Panthers team that was consistently amongst the best in the league. In 2015 he earned runner-up honors for Defensive Coordinator of the Year from Pro Football Focus.
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This is an important loss for the Panthers at a time in which the defensive is in flux. McDermott was an important catalyst to this team becoming the defensive threat that it was before this season. The defense took steps backwards this year, as it finished near the bottom in yards and points allowed.
Before this season, though, the Panthers D was in the top 10 in yards allowed from 2012-15. What 2016 has shown is that losing Josh Norman, Luke Kuechly’s long-term health, and free agent battles are all major concerns for the organization. Losing McDermott adds another wrinkle to the equation. On top of that, Mike Rodak of ESPN is reporting that linebackers coach, Al Holcomb, is following McDermott to Buffalo.
Panthers head coach Ron Rivera still had glowing things to say about the exiting McDermott, saying, “his résumé should speak for itself,” per ESPN’s David Newton. Rivera added, “Sometimes when you hire people, you need to look at not whether or not they’re the hot guy but what they’ve done consistently over a period of time.”
Consistency has been the calling card for McDermott as he’s lead the Panthers to sustained success. The growth of Kuechly, watching the Panthers crush offenses and the Carolina defense leading the league in takeaways can all be tracked back to the systems that McDermott put into place.
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The offseason is an important point in the Panthers development because the way this team fell apart in 2016 has many fans and experts concerned over their long-term viability. It will be interesting to see how Carolina replaces this role and how the team responds heading into this new year. Sean McDermott was as valuable to this team as many of the players on the field and his service will be severely missed.