The Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator search is moving quickly, with Ejiro Evero and Brian Flores reportedly emerging as strong candidates to be hired.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell fired defensive coordinator Ed Donatell in Jan. parting ways with the 66-year-old coach after one season. As Minnesota prepares for a crucial offseason for the club’s long-term future, O’Connell is seeking a new voice to overhaul the defense.
After a relatively strong start defensively to the 2022 season, the Vikings’ defense experienced alarming regression. With the pass-rushing duo of Danielle Hunter and Za’Darius Smith becoming less ineffective as the season went on, opponents attacked Minnesota’s secondary.
- Minnesota Vikings defense (Week 1-9): 256.9 pass ypg allowed, 92.4 passer rating allowed, 3 sacks per game, 34.4% third-down conversion rate, 20.1 PPG allowed
- Minnesota Vikings defense (Week 10-17): 289.9 pass ypg allowed, 94.8 QB rating allowed, 1.6 sacks per game, 42.5% third-down conversion rate, 31.6 PPG allowed
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Following a 31-24 loss to the New York Giants, which saw Daniel Jones attack Donnatell’s scheme with relative ease, O’Connell moved on from his first defensive coordinator.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive assistant Brian Flores and former Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero have emerged as two strong candidates to become the next Vikings defensive coordinator.
Denver first denied Minnesota’s permission to interview Evero, wanting him to first meet with head coach Sean Payton. Following that meeting, the Broncos allowed Evero to seek new opportunities by terminating his contract.
Minnesota also interviewed Mike Pettine for its defensive coordinator position. The 56-year-old coach served as the Green Bay Packers’ defensive play-caller from 2018-’20 then joined the Vikings as O’Connell’s assistant head coach this past season.
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Here’s a quick rundown of everything you should know about Brian Flores and Ejiro Evero.
Ejiro Evero coaching background
Evero, age 42, could quickly become the favorite to take over in Minnesota. One of the up-and-coming NFL coaching candidates in 2023, he and O’Connell worked together on the Los Angeles Rams staff from 2020-’21.
A former safety at UC Davis, Evero went undrafted in 2014. After a short stint in training camp, he returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach in 2005. Evero continued to climb the coaching ladder, learning from Jon Gruden and Raheem Morris with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2007-’09).
He then joined the San Francisco 49ers in 2011 as a quality controls coach (2011), offensive assistant (2012-’13) and defensive assistant (2014-’15). During that time, he worked under Jim Harbaugh.
After joining McVay’s coaching staff in Los Angeles, he joined Nathaniel Hackett as the Broncos’ defensive coordinator this past season. Under Evero’s coaching, Denver finished 10th in Football Outsiders’ Defensive DVOA and boasted one of the best pass defenses in the NFL.
Brian Flores coaching background
Brian Flores, a four-time SUper Bowl champion with the New England Patriots, comes from the Bill Belichick coaching tree. He started his NFL career as a scouting assistant in the Patriots’ front office (2004-’05) then became a pro scout (2006-’07) before transitioning into coaching.
After starting his coaching career in 2008 as a special teams assistant, Flores moves to the defensive side in 2011. He coached the Patriots’ safeties from 2012-’15 before working with linebackers (2016-’18) and then took over as the Miami Dolphins head coach in 2019.
In Flores’ final season with the Dolphins, Miami finished 10th in Defensive DVOA. During the 2021 season, the Dolphins boasted the third-highest pressure rate (28.5%) in the NFL with the seventh-lowest average QB rating allowed (85.4) and they finished with the 11th-lowest red-zone touchdown rate (52.6%) surrendered.
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