Panthers DC Ejiro Evero Has Officially Run Out of Excuses

The Carolina Panthers have kept Ejiro Evero around for the last three seasons despite poor defensive performance every year. In 2025, the Panthers had their best year, arguably, under Evero.

And yet, they were middle of the road in points allowed but near the bottom of the NFL in most advanced metrics. Point being, it still wasn't very good.

The Panthers have stuck by Evero through it all with the belief that the right talent (and enough of it) could finally give the defensive coordinator what he needs. And with that finally the case, the excuses have run out.

The Panthers' defense has no excuses this season

Carolina Panthers linebacker Devin Lloyd (55) chats with defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There were some valid excuses for the Panthers' defense being as bad as it was in the last couple of seasons. Those excuses probably played a role in Ejiro Evero sticking around despite pretty horrific results.

In 2024, the Panthers lost Derrick Brown, which shattered the run defense of an already weak unit. They allowed over 3,000 rushing yards that year, and losing the best defensive player certainly made an impact.

In 2025, they had no pass rush and perhaps the NFL's weakest linebacker pairing. A pass rush is honestly the lifeblood of a defense because it can mask other weakness, but it doesn't work the other way around.

And of course, not having even a single decent linebacker means tight ends will feast in the passing game and any run that gets to the second level is going to be a chunk play. That hurt the Panthers in 2025.

But this year, the excuses have worn off. Sure, losing Nic Scourton is a huge blow and not having a real secondary linebacker until a week ago are unfortunate things. Still, Evero has the pieces he should need to finally put it together.

95% of the defensive reps will be:

DL: Brown Brown Jackson Hunter

Edge: Phillips Jones Princely

ILB: Lloyd Okekere

CB/NCB: Horn Jackson Chau Lee

S: Scott Moehrig Ramsom Wheatley

Does Evero finally have what he needs?
— The 4 Man Rush (@4ourmanrush) August 29, 2026

The secondary, which was arguably the strength of the defense last year, is fully in tact, and they added Zakee Wheatley and Will Lee, both of whom could be solid contributors as rookies.

The linebacker corps went from Trevin Wallace and Christian Rozeboom to Devin Lloyd and Bobby Okereke. Even factoring in Okereke's long wait on the free agent market, there is not a unit across the NFL more improved than the Panthers' linebacker corps.

Up front, adding Jaelan Phillips should finally provide the pass rush. He looked great in preseason, and both Princely Umanmielen and Pat Jones performed with and without Phillips on the field. That should be a strength, not a weakness.

Carolina Panthers linebacker Jaelan Phillips (5) warms up during training camp | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

And of course, the run defense will be solid with Derrick Brown in the middle, but adding Lee Hunter and Aaron Hall should help, too. Tershawn Wharton, once he returns, almost can't possibly be worse than he was in 2025.

So, Evero finally has the talent. Now, we can truly see what the renowned coordinator has up his sleeve.

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