Aqib Talib on Broncos Rumored Top DC Candidate Ejiro Evero: 'He's Smart as Hell'
Over recent days, the Denver Broncos' new coaching staff under Nathaniel Hackett started to take shape. Buzz coming out of Los Angeles has Rams secondary coach Ejiro Evero becoming the latest young talent to take a promotion on Hackett’s young staff, but the Broncos will have to wait till after the Super Bowl to make it official.
At 41 years old, Evero will make the considerable step up to fill the shoes of established defensive guru Vic Fangio who called the defensive plays for the past three seasons. It's quite a task at hand for Evero, who's had previous responsibility for coaching up the Rams safeties since 2017, before being promoted secondary and pass game coordinator prior to the team's run to the Super Bowl this year.
Despite his relative youth Evero comes with a wealth of experience having started his NFL coaching career back in 2007. That was when he first met up with former Broncos Pro Bowl cornerback Aqib Talib, who recently gave some serious props to the coach during a conversation with KOARadio's Brandon Krisztal this week.
“E’s been around a long time. In Tampa, he was quality control,” Talib told KOA. “He was with Raheem [Morris]. He’s smart as hell!”
These are exactly the kind of plaudits that should make fans feel a lot more comfortable with hiring a first-time defensive coordinator to look after what is a veteran unit. But Talib also went on to describe exactly what kind of detail-driven coach the Broncos will be getting when Evero arrives.
“He’s way more involved in our passing game defense in L.A,” the former Broncos corner explained. “He’s a classroom guy, in with all the coaches really scheming s**t. Grinds hard.”
It would appear that Hackett has been determined to inject some youth, new ideas and a determined work ethic into his new coaching staff. In Evero, the Broncos will be getting a pro who has worked under some of the best in the business, as Talib referenced during his chat with Krisztal.
“Been around some greats. Raheem Morris, Monte Kiffin, [Jon] Gruden [Jon], [Sean] McVay, s**t, I forgot about [Vic] Fangio in San Fran,” Talib added.
Some might have expected Hackett to just play it safe with some of these hires, but instead, the old heads that he might have been inclined to retain, like DC Ed Donatel and O-Line coach Mike Munchak, have been handed their walking papers so he can hand-pick his own guys.
With the recent infusion of new blood, it’s clear that Hackett doesn’t intend to stand PAT and an emphasis will be on incorporating new ideas that can improve all the units within the team.
Indeed, Talib feels the football education Evero has gleaned through his different stops in the NFL should help him flourish in his new role with the Broncos.
“It’s about time that he put all that s**t that he’s learned into his own defense,” Talib enthused. “I’m really happy for him!”
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