After firing head coach Matt Rhule Monday morning, the Panthers apparently weren’t done cleaning house. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the franchise has also decided to fire defensive coordinator Phil Snow.
Just hours after Rhule was given the boot following a 1–4 start to the 2022 campaign, Snow—who has worked with Rhule for the last decade—was shown the door. His dismissal comes after a particularly poor effort from the Panthers’ defense in Sunday’s 37–15 loss to the 49ers.
Through the first five weeks, Carolina ranks 22nd in scoring defense, having yielded 24.4 points per game. The Panthers never ranked in the top half of scoring defense during Snow’s tenure having finished 18th in 2020 and 21st in ’21.
Rhule and Snow previously coached at Temple University from 2013 to ’16 and Baylor from ’17 to ’19. When Rhule took his first NFL head coaching job before the ’20 season, Snow followed him to Carolina.
Apart from a four-year stint with the Lions from 2005 to ’08, Snow has spent the majority of his coaching career at the college level. He’s made additional stops at Boise State, California, Arizona State, UCLA, Washington and Eastern Michigan.
Carolina’s run game coordinator Al Holcomb is expected to serve as the interim defensive coordinator alongside interim head coach Steve Wilks, who was elevated by the team to fill Rhule’s position Monday, according to Rapoport and Mike Garafalo. The setup will emulate the structure that the two coaches were a part of in Arizona during the 2018 season.
The Panthers face the reigning Super Bowl champion Rams on Sunday.
More NFL Coverage:
All Panthers: Everything Matt Rhule Said Following the Loss to San Francisco
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