Dave Canales reaffirms faith in Ejiro Evero amid Carolina Panthers' defensive woes

The Carolina Panthers are nowhere near good enough to have one side of the football failing so frequently. Unless everyone and every phase is firing on all cylinders, this team doesn't have much chance. That might sound harsh and there are several key injuries to factor into the equation, but it's the truth.

Week 6 saw the Atlanta Falcons fly into Bank of America Stadium and pile more misery on the Panthers. The offense tried valiantly to keep this close to no avail. Ejiro Evero's defensive unit was once again a weak link and the primary catalyst behind their demise.

Evero is a highly qualified defensive coordinator who did a remarkable job with the limited options available last season. General manager Dan Morgan thought he could do the same despite established figures such as Frankie Luvu and Brian Burns departing during the offseason. Losing Derrick Brown and Shaq Thompson wasn't ideal, but this group looks devoid of quality or inspiration right now.

Atlanta carved them up for 423 total yards - 198 of which came on the ground. They are lightweight in the trenches and don't have enough at the defensive second level. This is having a ripple effect throughout the secondary despite the encouraging production of stud cornerback Jaycee Horn.

Dave Canales believes Carolina Panthers' defense can fix their problems

Head coach Dave Canales acknowledged that things aren't going as anticipated. He also wants the Panthers to get back down to basics in pursuit of improving matters while reaffirming his faith in Evero as the man to lead this unit moving forward.

"I truly believe in we go to our concepts. We (have to) play our system and our concepts well. Guys got to fit together. We've got to play team defense and stop the plays that are there to stop. I truly believe that. Ejiro [Evero] believes it. We're going to go right back to the film, and we're going to watch it. We're just going to attack the fundamentals and the basics because that's what we've got. If we can just make the story as simple as that, can we get better at our fundamentals, just the basics of what we're doing and how we fit in different type of run styles. That's the challenge for us is to keep taking that next step and improving our football."

- Dave Canales via SI

Evero's gone from a potential head coaching candidate to someone whose job could be in jeopardy if the same trend continues. Teams around the league would jump at the chance to bring him into the fold as a coordinator, but he harbors loftier ambitions. Just how much Carolina's current group is damaging his reputation is anyone's guess. There's just no telling for sure until the next cycle begins in 2025.

This could be a personnel issue rather than anything schematic. Evero can tweak things as often as he likes, it doesn't change the fact that there's not enough talent. No coaching in the world can change that unless Morgan makes the moves needed to enhance every level of this defense in 2025.

Whether Evero will be around by that point remains to be seen. Canales made a point of convincing him to stick around to keep a sense of continuity. There was speculation that he was reluctant before committing to the cause. Based on how things have unfolded up to now and the fact he's working with one hand tied behind his back, he could be forgiven for wanting a fresh start elsewhere.

That's for the future. For now, Evero and Canales must find solutions to these ongoing and ever-increasing problems. Otherwise, the Panthers will have the No. 1 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.

More Carolina Panthers news and analysis