Making the Case for Ejiro Evero in Carolina
Not a single thing went right on Mint Street in 2023. The product on the field was bad, and the front office was in constant turmoil. The owner was throwing drinks on fans, and in turn the fans stopped showing up. With the mid-season firing of Frank Reich and the dismissing of Scott Fitterer shortly after the whistle blew signaling the week 18 game against Tampa Bay, many assumed that few incumbent staff, if any at all, would return to Carolina in 2024.
To those who want the organization to completely clean house, retaining Evero isn't an option at all. To those who can sift through the mess that was 2023, Evero deserves a shot.
Evero broke onto the scene as the secondary/defensive passing game coordinator with the 2021 Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams. He spent four seasons as the safeties coach in Los Angeles before that. Following his Super Bowl winning season, Evero took over as the defensive coordinator in Denver, filling the gap left by legendary coordinator Vic Fangio.
Evero led the Broncos to a top ten defensive performance, but was fired when Denver moved on from their entire coaching staff and brought in Sean Payton and his crew, which led to Evero taking a lateral job in Carolina.
If you look at Carolina's defense on paper in 2023, nothing happened that would lead Evero to being a coaching candidate this hiring cycle. However, if you look past the spreadsheets, Evero deserves a real chance at this job.
First off, the players on the team love him. If you remember correctly, the last time Carolina Panthers' players loved a defensive coordinator that the team let walk, it ended up blowing up in their face. The whole franchise was rooting for Steve Wilks to get the job last year, but he was let go once Frank Reich was hired and the history speaks for itself. If Evero isn't retained by a head coach that gets hired, Carolina may rue the day that they let him walk.
An NFL locker room is a living, breathing, organism and vibes seem to matter, and Evero would be a real good vibes hire.
When it comes to vibes, Carolina has always branded them self as a hard, tough-nosed, defense first franchise. The "Keep Pounding" mantra was coined by hard-hitting safety Sam Mills. The franchise has honored legends like Julius Peppers, Thomas Davis, Jordan Gross, and Greg Olsen, who made their name doing physical work on both sides of the ball. Nothing flashy, just good, sound, physical football has always been at the heartbeat in Carolina. The history of this franchise was forged in the fire of elite defensive performances, and hiring a defensive-minded head coach just makes sense.
The 2023 Carolina defense was a disappointment, but Evero's performance as defensive coordinator has to be taken with a grain of salt. The Carolina defense was marred with injuries all season. Shaq Thompson, Xavier Woods, Jaycee Horn, Donte Jackson, among others, all missed significant time with injuries. Schematically Evero ran a solid defense, but when players are starting games fresh off the street, it's near impossible to put out a competitive unit.
Not only was the defense beat up, it was consistently put in unfavorable positions. The week-in, week-out, anemic offensive performances left the defense with an inordinate amount of work to do. No defensive coordinator could thrive in the 2023 Carolina climate, but Evero did a damn good job with the lack of tools he had at his disposal.
He fits the mold, the players love him, and the history of the Carolina Panthers screams for a defensive-minded head coach. Don't overthink it like you did last season, Carolina. Hire Ejiro Evero.
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