Panthers news: David Tepper, Ejiro Evero, Frankie Luvu and big plans
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers DC Ejiro Evero's importance
Retaining defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and his staff could be huge for the Carolina Panthers. Many in the national media speculated about the prospect of taking his chances elsewhere after coming close to getting head coaching jobs once again. Convincing him this was a project worth being part of under head coach Dave Canales represented a major statement of intent.
Canales was thrilled to have Evero - that much is obvious. There is a deep respect for the coach after going up against him twice last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Something that can allow him to focus almost solely on improving the offensive side of things based on comments via the team's website.
"It was huge. I really have high respect for him. It was a real selling point of mine is like, if we can just get this done, to have these two guys, this is a dream team of sorts, really to put these two young guys who are committed to their players, committed to these schemes. So I'm excited to go against them every day in practice and to see the evolution of the offense and defense as we face each other and kind of learn the ins and outs of what we're doing."
- Dave Canales via Panthers.com
Evero's defense performed way above expectations last season when one considers the number of crippling injuries suffered throughout the campaign. Keeping this continuity is going to become a significant piece of the puzzle. With a little more luck on the health front and a few tweaks to personnel, it would be a disappointment if they didn't flourish once again in 2024.