Panthers 'Intrigued' by the Idea of Pairing Evero with First-Time Head Coach

Ejiro Evero has done a terrific job with the defense in Carolina and ownership would love to retain him.

Here in just a few weeks, David Tepper's search for a new head coach will begin to ramp up. The one area of this year's team that has played well and actually well above expectations has been the defense. Ejiro Evero's unit has made a seamless transition to a 3-4 despite suffering several key injuries along the way.

When Tepper goes to hire his next head coach, he might want to think about retaining Evero as the defensive coordinator. And in all honesty, Evero should at least get a chance to sit down and interview for the head coaching job.

According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, keeping Evero as the defensive coordinator is something Carolina is considering.

"Something to monitor in Carolina is the potential of pairing a first-time offensive head coach with current defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. This model has worked for Indianapolis, which hired Shane Steichen while keeping defensive coordinator Gus Bradley under contract. And that's what Miami did with coach Mike McDaniel, who was hired in 2022 under the stipulation that Josh Boyer remain as coordinator. The Dolphins eventually replaced Boyer with Vic Fangio, but the blueprint is the same: support the young offensive coach with stability on the other side.

"After asking around, the sense is the Panthers are at least intrigued by this idea. Evero has done an impressive job with the Panthers' defense, which ranks third in total defense and passing defense despite minimal offensive help and a rash of injuries. He will most likely be on the head-coaching interview circuit and could interview in-house with Carolina, but with him under contract with the Panthers, he's an asset they'd like to keep should they focus on offense with their coaching search, as most expect."

Carolina ranks 3rd in total defense allowing 291.6 yards per game, 3rd in pass defense (173.7 ypg), 11th in rushing yards per attempt (4.0), and 7th in third down defense (36%)

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