Respected assistant coach Ejiro Evero has been a sought-after figure as a defensive coordinator candidate recently. He now joins Frank Reich’s staff with the Carolina Panthers.
According to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, Evero has agreed to leave the Denver Broncos for the same role in Carolina.
It was just recently that new Broncos head coach Sean Payton let Evero out of his contract to pursue other opportunities. He now makes his move to Carolina and will coach one of the most-talented defenses in the entire league. The Panthers also confirmed Evero’s hiring on Sunday.
“New Panthers head coach Frank Reich has landed his first official addition to his coaching staff, and it’s a significant one. The team on Sunday agreed to terms with Ejiro Evero to be Reich’s defensive coordinator.”
Carolina Panthers statement on Ejiro Evero hiring
While Evero doesn’t have a built-in connection with the Panthers’ organization, he is loosely tied to them.
The 42-year-old England native served as an assistant with the San Francisco 49ers under former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio for four seasons. Fangio was the Panthers’ first defensive coordinator all the way back in 1995. Carolina’s first ever head coach, Dom Capers, was a defensive assistant on Evero’s staff last season in Denver.
As for the nuts and bolts of this hire, it’s pretty simple. In his first season as a defensive coordinator in 2022, Evero led a Broncos unit that ranked seventh in yards allowed. There was some thought that he might be retained by Payton.
Evero’s NFL coaching career began as a defensive quality control coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2007-09. He served under respected defensive coordinators Monte Kiffin and Raheem Morris.
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The young man then coached with San Francisco for five seasons before joining the Green Bay Packers’ staff as a quality control coach in 2016. He got his first real break as the Los Angeles Rams’ safeties coach from 2017-20 under both Wade Phillips and current Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley.
This is an absolutely huge hire for the downtrodden Carolina Panthers’ organization. Evero will now be able to work with young stars Brian Burns, Derrick Brown, Jaycee Horn and Jeremy Chinn.