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Ejiro Evero

Vikings Notes: Coaching Staff, Scheme, O’Connell

February 18th, 2022 at 1:51pm CST by Adam La Rose

With new head coach Kevin O’Connell in place, the Vikings made a number of announcements at his inaugural press conference. Among those was the confirmation of several assistants on his staff, as reported by ESPN’s Courtney Cronin (Twitter link). 

One of the most notable names on the list is that of Mike Pettine. The 55-year-old was reported to be joining the team’s staff earlier in the week, albeit not as the defensive coordinator as was originally thought by some. The team unveiled that his title will be assistant head coach, the highest-ranking position he’ll have had since his time in Cleveland in 2014-2015.

In addition, Ed Donatell was confirmed as the team’s new defensive coordinator, giving first-time HC O’Connell a vastly experienced staffer on the defensive side of the ball. Several assistants were also announced, each in the roles they were initially reported to be filling: Chris Rumph as defensive line coach, Chris O’Hara and Jerrod Johnson to work with the team’s quarterbacks, Chris Kuper and Justin Rascati to coach the offensive line, as well as Brian Angelichio and Curtis Modkins to serve as offensive pass and run game coordinators, respectively.

Here are some other Vikings notes, including further announcements from the presser:

  • As Ben Goessling of The Minneapolis Star Tribune writes, the Vikings will switch to a 3-4 base defense, something that hasn’t been seen in Minnesota since the 1980s. With that said, the team, like almost all in the NFL now, will still principally deploy its nickel package, and they plan to switch between three- and four-man fronts within drives and games.
  • In a widely expected announcement, O’Connell confirmed that he will call plays on offense. That will make him the first Vikings HC to do so since Brad Childress, and keep him in line with the structure he is leaving under the Rams and Sean McVay. O’Connell added that he plans to include the “up-tempo offensive concepts” he developed in L.A. within Minnesota’s offense.
  • One assistant coach who will not be following O’Connell to the Vikings is Jonathan Cooley. The Rams’ assistant defensive backs coach has been blocked from interviewing with Minnesota (Twitter link via Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic). Especially given the loss of Ejiro Evero earlier this offseason, keeping Cooley would be particularly important for the Rams.

 

Broncos Plan To Hire Ejiro Evero As DC

February 2nd, 2022 at 1:38pm CST by Adam La Rose

The makeover of the Broncos’ new coaching staff continues. The latest addition is set to be Ejiro Evero coming aboard as defensive coordinator, according to 9News’ Mike Klis (Twitter link). 

[Related: Broncos Hire Justin Outten As OC]

It became clear that Evero was a strong candidate for the role last week. In fact, Klis tweeted recently that any other coach landing the job would be a “big upset”. The 41-year-old has a close relationship to newly-hired head coach Nathaniel Hackett dating back to their playing days in college.

Evero has been with the Rams since 2017, the year Sean McVay took over as HC in Los Angeles. He held the title of secondary coach/passing game coordinator this season, his fifteenth in the NFL. This Broncos’ role will be his first as a DC.

While maintaining the standard set during the Vic Fangio era on the defensive side of the ball will be a tall order, Evero does have a connection to Denver’s former HC. Evero has experience working alongside ex-Rams’ DC Brandon Staley, a member of the Fangio coaching tree. That background should help keep the defense a top-ten unit, which could be crucial during the team’s formative first year under a new offensive coach and scheme, not to mention, in all likelihood, a different quarterback.

This hire cannot be made official until after next week, due to the Rams being in the Super Bowl.

 

Broncos Eyeing Rams’ Ejiro Evero, Packers’ Adam Stenavich For Coordinator Jobs

January 27th, 2022 at 4:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos’ past two HC hires placed less emphasis on their defensive coordinator position, but the team hiring former Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett will make that a more important position. The new Denver coach has a DC candidate in mind early.

Rams passing-game coordinator Ejiro Evero is the early leader to become the Broncos’ DC, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Hackett and Evero are close friends, Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post notes (via Twitter), having played collegiately at UC Davis together.

Evero, 41, has been on each of Sean McVay‘s five Rams staffs, moving from the team’s safeties coach to his current role last year. Ahead of Hackett’s final Packers season, the team interviewed Evero for the DC job that went to Joe Barry. But Evero, an NFL staffer since 2007, appears poised to be a strong contender for Denver’s DC job. It would be a “big upset” if Evero does not land the job, Mike Klis of 9News tweets.

Evero would have big shoes to fill leading Denver’s defense. While Vic Fangio could not lead the Broncos to the playoffs, he is one of this era’s top defensive coordinators. The Broncos ranked in the top 10 in points allowed and total defense in 2021. Evero did work under former Fangio assistant Brandon Staley during the latter’s season as Rams DC, potentially helping with continuity in Denver.

Additionally, the Broncos are expected to request an interview with Packers offensive line coach Adam Stenavich for their offensive coordinator role, Rapoport adds. Stenavich, 38, worked with Hackett on Matt LaFleur‘s Packers staffs for the past three seasons, having been on Kyle Shanahan‘s first two 49ers staffs — as San Francisco’s assistant O-line coach — before that. Stenavich and previous Broncos OC Rich Scangarello were on Shanahan’s staff together from 2017-18. Hackett is expected to be a play-calling head coach, which the Broncos have not had since Gary Kubiak‘s tenure.

Packers To Hire Joe Barry As DC

February 6th, 2021 at 4:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Packers have identified Mike Pettine‘s defensive coordinator successor. They intend to hire Joe Barry, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

This will continue a busy offseason for Barry, who made a previous move in going from the Rams to the Chargers. Barry spent four seasons with the Rams, coaching with Matt LaFleur in 2017, but agreed to follow Brandon Staley to the Chargers last month. Those plans will change.

After Jim Leonhard indicated he will stay on as Wisconsin’s DC, the Packers job came down to Barry and Rams safeties coach Ejiro Evero, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets. It appears Leonhard was the favorite for the position, Silverstein adds (on Twitter), with Barry and Evero being the top backup options. Both were Rams staffers from 2017-20, with Evero still on Sean McVay‘s staff. Barry previously agreed to bolt with Staley and become the Chargers’ defensive passing-game coordinator.

Barry brings defensive coordinator experience to Green Bay, but his previous units mostly struggled. Barry worked as the Lions’ DC from 2007-08. Both seasons ended with Detroit’s defense ranking last in points and yards allowed, with the second ignominiously concluding with an 0-16 record. Barry resurfaced as a coordinator in Washington from 2015-16. While both those defenses landed just inside the top 20 in points allowed, each ranked 28th in total defense. Washington fired Barry after the 2016 season.

The Rams interviewed Barry for their DC post last year, but Staley wound up landing the job. Barry will be tasked with elevating a Packers defense that has come up short in big spots in the past two postseasons. The Packers ranked first in offensive DVOA but 17th on defense. Each of Green Bay’s coordinators is now a LaFleur hire, with Pettine being held over from Mike McCarthy‘s final Packers season.

Joe Barry, Chris Harris, Ejiro Evero On Packers’ DC Radar

January 31st, 2021 at 9:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Packers will soon replace Mike Pettine as defensive coordinator, and some early candidates emerged Sunday night. Green Bay plans to interview or already has met with new Chargers defensive passing-game coordinator Joe Barry, Washington secondary coach Chris Harris and Rams safeties coach Ejiro Evero, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link).

Matt LaFleur has ties to two of these assistants. Barry, who served as Washington’s defensive coordinator from 2015-20, was with LaFleur in Los Angeles during the 2017 season. The Chargers just hired Barry from L.A., where he spent the past four seasons as the Rams’ linebackers coach. Barry interviewed for the Rams’ DC post last year, one Brandon Staley landed, and committed to follow Staley to the Chargers earlier this month.

Also overlapping with LaFleur in 2017, Evero has been on Sean McVay‘s staff throughout his tenure. He has served as Los Angeles’ safeties coach since McVay’s 2017 arrival. This marks his first known opportunity to interview for a defensive coordinator job. Evero leaving L.A. would continue a mass exodus of Rams coaches and staffers. The young assistant has a brief history with the Packers, having served as a quality control staffer with the franchise in 2016.

Harris was up for the Eagles’ DC position, but Nick Sirianni opted to hire ex-Colts coworker Jonathan Gannon for the post. Harris spent last season as Washington’s DBs coach. The former NFL safety spent the previous four seasons with the Chargers, working as their assistant secondary coach.

The Packers ended Pettine’s three-year DC tenure late this week. The former Browns HC declined an extension last year and saw his contract expire. He was a holdover from Mike McCarthy‘s final Green Bay staff. However LaFleur proceeds with Pettine’s replacement, his staff will now include three coordinators he hired.

NFC Notes: Cowboys, Lynch, 49ers, Packers

February 17th, 2016 at 6:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

There will be no intrigue or drama when it comes to the Cowboys‘ potential use of the franchise tag. Executive VP Stephen Jones announced Tuesday that the team won’t be using its franchise or transition tag, per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. While Jones’ announcement is somewhat unusual, it’s not surprising — when Luke Adams examined potential 2016 franchise tag candidates on Monday, he didn’t mention a single Cowboy, even as a long shot.

Here’s more from the NFC:

  • If Marshawn Lynch goes through with his retirement, he’ll owe the the Seahawks the $5MM signing bonus from the contract he signed last offseason. However, the team won’t ask for that money back, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
  • Within a look at the 49ers‘ offensive line situation, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes that there’s no timetable for offensive tackle Anthony Davis to file for reinstatement from the NFL’s reserve/retired list. There’s a belief that Davis will return to the Niners after taking a year away from the game. But even if he does, it shouldn’t affect the team’s offseason plan at the position much, as Maiocco notes there’s no guarantee Davis will return at the same level.
  • The Packers have officially announced some changes to their coaching staff, according to ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky, who writes that they’ve hired Ben Sirmans as running backs coach, Brian Angelichio as tight ends coach, and Ejiro Evero as defensive quality control assistant. Sirmans, previously with the Rams, will replace Sam Gash. Angelichio, who was last with the Browns, will take over for Jerry Fontenot.
  • Demovsky has a year-by-year breakdown of Letroy Guion‘s new contract with the Packers. The deal is heavy on bonus money with $50K in per-game roster bonuses plus another $1.7MM in roster and workout bonuses. Last season, Guion played under a one-year, $2.75MM pact.

Connor Byrne contributed to this post.

49ers To Fire OC Geep Chryst

January 19th, 2016 at 6:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

New 49ers head coach Chip Kelly hasn’t yet been introduced via press conference, but he’s already making changes to his staff. San Francisco is expected to fire offensive coordinator Geep Chryst, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, as well as the following eight assistant coaches:Geep Chryst (Vertical)

  • Scott Brown, defensive line
  • Ronald Curry, wide receivers
  • Ejiro Evero, defensive assistant
  • Aubrayo Franklin, defensive assistant
  • Tim Lewis, defensive backs
  • Steve Logan, quarterbacks
  • T.C. McCartney, offensive assistant
  • Joe Scola, offensive assistant

In addition to those coaches listed above, four other former 49ers assistants have found jobs elsewhere in the NFL/NCAA. Chris Foerster (OL) joined the Dolphins, Adam Henry (WRs) will head to the Giants, Clancy Pendergast (LBs) left to coordinate USC’s defense, and Tony Sparano (TEs) will coach the Vikings’ offensive line.

Chryst, who was promoted from QBs coach to offensive coordinator after Greg Roman left for the Bills, lasted just one season in the Bay Area. Under former head coach Jim Tomsula, Chryst led an offensive unit that ranked 31st in yards, 32nd in points, and 28th in DVOA. Granted, he didn’t have much to work with, as quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert were largely ineffective, while promising running back Carlos Hyde was injured for most of the year.

As Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee notes (Twitter link), the omission of certain coaches from that list above — RBs coach Tom Rathman and DC Eric Mangini among them — could indicate that they’ll be asked to remain on staff (reports earlier today indicated that Rathman and both Niners special teams coordinators would likely be retained). Mangini’s role, in particular, remains uncertain, especially given that San Francisco interviewed Mike Vrabel today for its defensive coordinator position.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.