The Panthers defense has struggled to take a step forward during defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero‘s second season at the helm. The team has allowed a league-leading 2,002 rushing yards, and while the passing defense has generally been up and down, they’ve still allowed the fourth-most passing touchdowns in the league (22).
Considering the underwhelming performance, some pundits have questioned if Evero will still be a popular candidate on the head coaching market this offseason. Dave Canales believes his defensive leader will once again be in contention for a head job, with the first-year Panthers HC citing his coordinator’s consistent messaging and next-man-up mentality.
“It’s echoing all through the building,” Canales said (via ESPN’s David Newton). “It’s just the fundamentals and not backing off of those things. If we can keep the principles the same and our messaging simple, then the guys have something that they can really grasp onto.”
There’s a few reasons to believe that Evero will remain a hot name on the coaching carousel. For starters, the Panthers defense wasn’t a whole lot better in 2023, and he still garnered interest for Carolina’s top job (along with head coaching gigs with the Falcons and Seahawks). Further, rival teams aren’t necessarily looking at the stat sheet when determining their next franchise leader. As Newton notes, former Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown guided an underwhelming 2023 squad before earning a promotion to pass-game coordinator in Chicago. When Bears coach Matt Eberflus was fired last week, the organization felt comfortable enough to promote Brown to interim HC despite the lack of track record.
In other words, even if the Panthers defense finishes towards the bottom of the league in 2024, Evero’s reputation should still be intact. Plus, there are recent signs of improvement in Carolina. As Newton notes, the Panthers have allowed 24.3 points per game over their last three contests, down 8.2 points from their previous league-worst standing. This stretch coincided with improved health from the defense, so Evero may be able to end the campaign on a high note before once again entering the coaching cycle.
He looked great in Denver, and I’m pretty amazed at how decent Carolina’s defense has looked recently considering how little talent they have.
I hate to say it, but this smells of interviewing to meet the Rooney rule.
I think he’ll actually get a shot one day, but not this year.
Where in high school
If you hate to say it, then don’t say it.
Someone has to state the obvious
Untrue
At Big Jon…it is the Rooney Rule
I figured Rooney rule also. Seattle had 1 coach in mind and interviewed him to follow the rule and had to have a back up plan. Not sure if he was ever truly on the radar. Might have been a name you could say needs a few years to mature in the game.
Brown was promoted to HC allowing the Bears will lose games and get better draft positioning.
Getting these jobs is all about networking and getting the right “connections” in place. Attractive stats and merit is at best a secondary factor.
He’s worked under Jim Harbaugh, Vic Fangio, and Sean McVay and been a defensive coordinator in two organizations under three head coaches. I’m pretty sure he’s got good connections.
It’s important to have those types of connections otherwise going for interviews will just be an exercise in frustration.
I think that lemon was speaking in the affirmative regarding the presence of those connections.
Why doesn’t Evero see it through where he is now….the Panthers are improving…Carolina is a nice place in the Country….why leave?
He should finish the job and help turn around Carolina….rebuilds suck….just ask the Giants
I definitely see why he would leave, but he already left Denver after having a bad situation there. If Evero sticks through and builds that defense to at least be decent, it will look better than leaving before the job is done. I think that the Kansas City game did a lot for his profile, but that’s not enough on its own. The Chiefs overall are having a down year offensively, despite the improvement after Hopkins’ arrival and the expectation that they’ll get better as they get players back.
If Evero can keep this going through the end of the year and sustain it next year, he might reignite the interest he had in Denver. It will also separate him from Fangio’s roster and scheme that we’re in place in Denver, and provide more evidence that Evero can truly perform on his own without inheriting an already elite defense (I believe that he can, but he needs to show it definitively).