Three years ago, the Carolina Panthers hired former Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero for the same role as part of Frank Reich's all-star staff, which was supposed to lead the franchise to brighter fortunes in Bryce Young's rookie season.
It turned into a disaster, finishing 2-15 without the No. 1 overall selection, despite a valiant defensive effort in 2023.
However, after losing several key pieces of the defense the following offseason, including Derrick Brown to a significant knee injury, the Panthers capitulated. They allowed the most single-season points in NFL history. They also had the worst run defense in football by a large margin, giving up more than 3,000 yards on the ground.
Thankfully, improvements were made in 2025, going from the bottom of the barrel to league average, a significant step forward for the Panthers' defense under Evero. While the final defensive series of the season remains a sore spot for fans, head coach Dave Canales is making the right call to bring him back.
Carolina Panthers are making the correct call to bring back Ejiro Evero
This will sound controversial to some fans. Understandably so, given their expectations not only of the Panthers' defense but also of the hype Evero continues to receive from many outside the franchise.
He is part of the Vic Fangio tree, one of the most decorated defensive coordinators in NFL history, and a former Panthers defensive play-caller in the 1990s. Evero emphasizes preventing explosive plays by consistently using shell coverages with pre-snap disguises to create enough confusion for the quarterback. He is also slightly more aggressive as a blitzer than his mentor.
Evero's defenses are not for everyone, which is more than fair. You would like to see more man coverage within his system, and his situational play-calling isn't always consistent. There are fair criticisms that are justified in some cases.
Yet, the Panthers made the smart move of bringing back their defensive play-caller. Why is that?
One reason is continuity. Evero was seriously considered for the Las Vegas Raiders head coaching job and could still be in that conversation if Klint Kubiak changes his mind, pending the results from Super Bowl LX.
There could be some changes from Evero's staff this offseason, but it could be minimal. Continuity allows the Panthers to attack certain body types, play styles, and roles within their defense that could benefit from upgrades.
That's the other thing: talent, which was lacking in key areas this past season at edge rusher, linebacker, nickelback, and free safety.
General manager Dan Morgan made critical moves in the offseason that helped improve Evero's defense to league average. At one point, it played with above-average consistency midway through the regular season.
Tre'von Meohrig, Patrick Jones II, Nic Scourton, and Bobby Brown III were key additions in free agency and the NFL Draft. The rise of Mike Jackson Sr. as a high-end cornerback was a reassuring sight, along with getting Brown — arguably Carolina's best overall player — who had another exceptional year.
Statistically, the Panthers allowed 31.4 points per game in 2024 and 22.4 in 2025, tied for 15th in the NFL. They also improved to 20th in rushing yards allowed per game (179.8 to 123.3), seventh in interception rate (1.7 percent to 2.96 percent), and 15th in passing yards allowed per game (224.7 to 203.9). There was a clear, well-marketed improvement in Evero's defense. That's not up for debate.
The takeaway from this should be that talent matters. Carolina's personnel enhancements in the interior trenches, having a versatile playmaking safety on all three levels, and two quality cornerbacks brought improvements. When more help arrives, the trajectory should continue to ascend.
Some will complain about dropping pass rushers and defensive linemen into coverage. Still, within certain defenses, such as the Panthers under Evero, you will see this from time to time across the league.
It is a way to generate pressure when your defense does not consistently get home with four-man rushes. It also muddies the picture for the opposing quarterback.
If anything, this should be the least of anyone's concern. It's merely part of football scheming in a team sport to throw the opposition off-balance in a certain aspect of the game.
To be fair, if Evero's defense doesn't improve from this season, he should be out the door, regardless of whether he gets a head coaching gig in 2027 or not. It is also fair to want to see continued continuity for a franchise still working through a rebuild that exceeded expectations this season, and to ask whether talent plays a factor in the play-calling.
Canales would much rather have continuity and stability among his top lieutenants than start from scratch in an area that isn't his true expertise. This could be a hint to his next hire whenever Evero does move on from the organization.
Remain upset over the final defensive series of the season, one that was missing a critical aspect in two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaycee Horn and lacked the pass rush juice and ability at nickel to compensate against an outstanding offense and league MVP candidate Matthew Stafford. Evero is more valuable than some would like to admit, and if it doesn't work out, so be it. That is the NFL.
However, the Panthers are smart to keep Evero around one more year. Giving him more talent at key positions and allowing the intelligent defensive mind another shot at stability and gradual improvement on his side of the ball was the correct move.