The Carolina Panthers officially promoted Steve Wilks.
The team announced Friday that the Carolina native will be the team's defensive coordinator, taking over for Sean McDermott, who became the Buffalo Bills' head coach this week.
"We are not going to change much," Wilks told the official team website. "I don't anticipate us missing a beat."
Wilks has been Carolina's secondary coach since joining the team in 2012. He spent the past two seasons as assistant head coach as well.
The move was perhaps the least shocking news of the week. Once it was clear McDermott would get a head coaching gig, promoting Wilks was the logical next step for Ron Rivera. Wilks did earn interest from the Washington Redskins for their open defensive coordinator position.
Wilks takes over a stout defensive front with a young secondary that improved over the course of the season. Even with Kawann Short's impending free agency up in the air, Wilks has plenty to work with as the new leader of Carolina's D.
