Carolina Panthers hire Sean McDermott to coordinate defense

It didn't take long for Sean McDermott to find a new home. McDermott will be the Carolina Panthers' new defensive coordinator, a league source said Monday afternoon.

He was fired from the same position with the Eagles last week.

In Carolina, the 36-year-old McDermott will be reunited with new Panthers head coach Ron Rivera. The two worked together in Philadelphia from 1999 to 2003 when Rivera was the Eagles' linebackers coach and McDermott held various positions as he began his coaching career.

McDermott's new job comes with a team short on topflight talent but also in a situation with far less pressure than he faced in Philadelphia after replacing revered defensive coordinator Jim Johnson.

The Panthers finished the season with the NFL's worst record, 2-14, and had no Pro Bowlers on defense, so expectations will be tempered.

In Philadelphia, where fans were accustomed to fierce defenses, McDermott got the hook after two years as coordinator and was heavily criticized after his group's poor overall performance this season. The defense finished 21st in the NFL in points allowed during the season, though the Eagles finished by holding the Green Bay Packers to 21.

Rivera recently said he wants a coach whose philosophy meshes with his own, and indicated that he will be heavily involved in defensive game-planning.

"Defense is what I know, so that's where I'll be. Whoever we decide the coordinator is going to be, he's got to understand that's where I'm going to be," Rivera said in comments published on the Panthers' website. "My goal is to run the defense and have an efficient defense, an effective defense, and an attacking defense."

Rivera has said he expects to stick with the Panthers' existing 4-3 defensive scheme, which McDermott also ran with the Eagles.

The Eagles' defense was historically bad in the red zone this season. It allowed 31 touchdown passes, although it was also fifth in the league in takeaways. The defense was hit hard by injuries in each of McDermott's two years at the helm.

The Panthers ranked 18th in the NFL in yards allowed per game and 26th in scoring defense.

McDermott was also in contract talks with Denver, according to the NFL Network. Former Panthers coach John Fox is the new head coach of the Broncos.