Source: Mayfield expected to miss 2-6 weeks

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Even though backmost Baker Mayfield is expected to miss 2 to six weeks with a precocious ankle sprain, Carolina Panthers interim manager Steve Wilks believes helium has the endowment to crook astir a 1-4 squad that conscionable fired its caput coach.

Tests connected Mayfield's precocious ankle sprain revealed nary different structural damage, but the wounded has an expected two- to six-week timeline to heal, a root adjacent to the backmost told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler connected Tuesday. Mayfield wants to effort to play connected the wounded arsenic aboriginal arsenic possible, but that volition beryllium an uphill battle, the root said.

"We person the men that privation to get it done,'' Wilks said Tuesday astatine his introductory quality league successful which proprietor David Tepper was successful the audience. "Our enactment ethic has been accordant from the standpoint of however we spell astir each and each time practicing.

"We conscionable person to spell retired successful games and execute and finish. So I consciousness precise assured successful the men that we person successful knowing we're going to crook the corner.''

Tepper named Wilks his interim manager connected Monday aft firing Matt Rhule 5 games into Rhule's 3rd play of a seven-year, $62 cardinal contract.

Tepper said Wilks, 57, would beryllium considered for the full-time occupation successful 2023 if helium "does an unthinkable job.''

To bash that, Wilks volition person to statesman his 2nd stint arsenic a caput manager with erstwhile XFL prima PJ Walker arsenic his quarterback. The Panthers volition person to spell into Sunday's roadworthy crippled against the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams (2-3) with Walker.

"PJ is up and ready,'' Wilks said. "He does a large occupation successful being prepared each and each day. I person full assurance if helium has to measurement in.''

Walker is the lone steadfast backmost connected the progressive roster. Sam Darnold, the 2021 starter, remains connected injured reserve with an ankle wounded suffered successful August and is weeks distant from being available.

Carolina apt would telephone backmost Jacob Eason, a fourth-round prime by the Indianapolis Colts successful 2020, up from the signifier squad this week successful summation to looking to bring successful different quarterback.

Meanwhile, Wilks is focused connected the Rams and turning astir a squad that has mislaid 11 of its past 12 games.

"We've played good capable to triumph games,'' Wilks said. "We've got to find a mode to finish, and that starts with maine arsenic good arsenic the coaches.''

Wilks was named the caput manager astatine Arizona successful 2018 aft coaching astatine Carolina nether Ron Rivera from 2012 to 2017, the past twelvemonth arsenic antiaircraft coordinator. He was fired aft going 3-13.

He was the antiaircraft coordinator for the Cleveland Browns successful 2019 portion Mayfield was the quarterback. He returned to the Panthers this past offseason to service arsenic the antiaircraft walk crippled coordinator and secondary coach.

One of his archetypal moves arsenic interim manager was to occurrence antiaircraft coordinator Phil Snow, who worked with Rhule astatine Temple and Baylor, adjacent though the defence played good capable the archetypal 5 games to win.

Wilks named antiaircraft tally crippled coordinator Al Holcomb his antiaircraft coordinator and said Holcomb volition telephone plays connected Sunday. Holcomb was Wilks' antiaircraft coordinator successful Arizona arsenic well.

"The strategy is not going to alteration much, but you person to beryllium originative successful the process of what you're doing,'' Wilks said. "Everything's predicated connected who we're playing.

"The No. 1 process connected defense, we've got to halt the tally and effort to marque teams one-dimensional.''

Offensively, Wilks said the Panthers person to "create immoderate momentum and immoderate consistency, and that starts with trying to tally the football.''

The Panthers fertile past successful full discourtesy and 27th successful rushing with 89.8 yards a crippled contempt having Christian McCaffrey steadfast for each 5 games.

Wilks knows however the squad performs nether him volition find his aboriginal with the organization, and helium knows the past of interim coaches being hired afloat clip isn't good.

But that's not his focus.

"Our attack is going to beryllium winning the day,'' helium said. "The archetypal happening we request to beryllium acrophobic with is trying to triumph a shot game, which starts with the Los Angeles Rams.

"Whatever is going to hap astatine the extremity of the twelvemonth is going to instrumentality attraction of itself.''

Black coaches person been named interim manager 14 times successful the NFL since 1990 but lone 3 times were they hired for the imperishable job, according to probe by The Washington Post. The 3 coaches -- Romeo Crennel (Kansas City Chiefs), Leslie Frazier (Minnesota Vikings) and Mike Singletary (San Francisco 49ers) -- had astatine slightest a .500 grounds aft taking implicit earlier being named fulltime coach. The Post reported that determination was nary correlation to grounds erstwhile achromatic interim coaches were offered the fulltime job.