Report: Vikings Hoping to Interview Ejiro Evero For Defensive Coordinator Vacancy
The Vikings are hoping to interview Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero for their vacant DC position, according to ESPN's Kevin Seifert.
Evero's impressive track record makes him a very strong candidate for the Vikings, but he could be tough to land. He's in the mix for the final two head coach openings — the Cardinals and Colts — and could also return to Denver as the defensive coordinator under Sean Payton.
"The reason the Vikings' search for a defensive coordinator has been quiet lately is that, per sources, they're waiting to see if they can get an interview with the Denver Broncos' Ejiro Evero," Seifert tweeted. "At the moment, he's a candidate for the head coach job in Indianapolis and Arizona."
There's a ton of familiarity between the Vikings and Evero. He spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the 49ers in the early 2010s, overlapping with Minnesota GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah for three of those. Evero later spent five seasons with the Rams from 2017-21, overlapping with Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell for two years. In 2022, he was named the Broncos' DC after Vic Fangio was fired as head coach.
The Broncos struggled on offense this past season, but their defense was excellent. Evero's unit ranked tenth in DVOA (including seventh against the pass), ninth in opponent EPA per play, and seventh in yards allowed.
Evero has worked with numerous great defensive coaches during his career. His first NFL coaching job came with the Buccaneers in the late 2000s, under coordinator Monte Kiffin. Evero worked with Fangio in SF, Dom Capers for a year in Green Bay, and Wade Phillips, Raheem Morris, and Brandon Staley during his time with the Rams. That means he's been around a variety of different defensive schemes and approaches.
It's possible Evero would run a Fangio-style 3-4 defense if hired in Minnesota, similar to Ed Donatell. That's what he ran in Denver last season. But there would be notable changes, including an overall approach that would undoubtedly be more aggressive.
"You've got to affect the quarterback," Evero said in an interview last year after being hired by the Broncos. "If you can't get there with four, you've got to bring five. If you can't get there with five, you've got to bring six. So we'll bring pressure if we need to."
"When you talk about our philosophy on defense, we want to play with great energy," he said. "When people put our tape on, I want them to see a defense that's playing fast, that's playing aggressive, that's playing physical, we're flying around to the ball. ... We've got to be attacking the ball, and that's going to be a big point of our emphasis. We want to be situational masters. There's going to be all these situations, third down, red zone, two-minute — we want to own and dominate those situations.
Evero is in the running to the Cardinals' head coach, as is Brian Flores, another top Vikings defensive coordinator candidate — and one of the three available options they've interviewed. Mike Kafka, Lou Anarumo, Vance Joseph, and Jonathan Gannon are among the names also in the mix for Arizona.
Evero has also interviewed with the Colts, who are considering Jeff Saturday, Morris, Shane Steichen, and other options.
If Evero doesn't land either job, would he want to head back to Denver now that Payton is there? Maybe. But he was close with Nathaniel Hackett, the Broncos' head coach last season, so maybe Evero would want a fresh start elsewhere. Evero is under contract, so the Broncos can block him from interviewing for a DC job, but there's no guarantee Payton wants to keep him in that role anyways.
If Evero wants to leave and is granted that opportunity, his familiarity with Adofo-Mensah and O'Connell could make the Vikings an appealing destination.
We'll have to wait and see what happens.
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