There aren't many coordinators around the league under more pressure than Ejiro Evero heading into the 2025 campaign. And the once highly-touted coach could have done without another capitulation from his Carolina Panthers' defense in their preseason opener.
Evero got a reprieve from the Panthers this offseason despite overseeing a historically bad campaign. Carolina didn't have the personnel to implement its contentious 3-4 base scheme effectively, and the consequences were severe. Giving up the most single-season points in NFL history and more than 3,000 rushing yards was a complete embarrassment — one he'd do well to avoid a repeat of this time around.
This wasn't the best start to silencing his doubters. The Panthers were without their two linchpins on defense — defensive lineman Derrick Brown and shutdown cornerback Jaycee Horn — who any team would miss. But aside from a few flashes from certain individuals, it was another disappointing evening at the office collectively.
Ejiro Evero has a lot of hard work ahead to rectify Carolina Panthers' defensive woes
The Browns put up 30 points, and it could have been a lot more. Cleveland gained 308 total yards of offense, including 125 on the ground. This is a lot less than the 179.8 rushing yards Carolina conceded on average last season, but it's nowhere near the required standard.
Nobody will know this more than Evero. Granted, the starters didn't play for long, but it was unacceptable nonetheless. This also exposed Carolina's lack of defensive depth, which was supposed to be much improved. That's got the scope to cause major issues if the injury bug bites during the campaign.
It's only the first preseason game. There is still time to iron out the flaws before the Panthers take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1. However, the need for Evero to build some much-needed momentum heading into his third campaign with the franchise cannot be overstated.
The Panthers are quietly confident that they can shake up the NFC South and possibly enter the division title race in 2025. But make no mistake, that won't happen if Evero's defense continues to fluff its lines.
Getting Brown and Horn back into the lineup will help enormously. Still, the onus is on Evero and his underperforming unit to prove capable of being more competitive regardless of which stars are on the field.
They couldn't meet this objective last season. If the same happens again, Evero might not last the entire campaign.