On Sunday, the Carolina Panthers hired Ejiro Evero as their new defensive coordinator—a move that was celebrated by fans and experts alike. The brilliant signing of the brilliant young play caller now adds to an already impressive coaching staff for Frank Reich, whose players should be smiling ear to ear about their team’s offseason thus far.
But which players should be smiling most? Here are four Panthers who will benefit most from the hiring of Evero.
CB Jaycee Horn
One of the areas that Evero has particularly excelled in is the secondary, where he got one heck of a season out of Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II in 2022. Now, he gets a guy who just as, if not more talented in Horn.
The soon-to-be third-year defender hasn’t needed much help cracking into the league’s elite, as he just registered a lockdown 2022 campaign of his own. But one can only imagine how Evero will continue to unlock Horn, who should get more opportunities to show off his one-on-one coverage skills in this new defense.
DL Derrick Brown
Evero also got a standout season from lineman Dre’Mont Jones, who tied a career-high with 6.5 sacks. He was a consistent force in the middle of the defense and one of the big reasons why the unit was as sustainable as it was last year.
We could see a similar type of uptick for Brown, who has yet to really light up the sack column in the NFL. Perhaps a new and creative defensive mind, along with a switch to a 3-4 front, will allow Brown to capitalize on his unique physical qualities as an end.
CB CJ Henderson
Henderson’s tenure in Carolina has been a bit of a roller coaster. And unfortunately, that cart came off its tracks when the Panthers needed it most—in a Week 17 matchup where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Mike Evans blew up the secondary to bits.
Evero is the perfect candidate to help fix Henderson and put his natural talents to good use. It is easy to see why the potent cornerback was selected with the 2020 ninth overall pick. He could, though, benefit from the right coach coming in to finally unlock that upside.
S Jeremy Chinn
The most versatile weapon on the defensive side of the ball for Carolina, Chinn has been used in a variety of ways in his NFL career. And one thing that has remained true is that the more creative you can get with his versatility, the more opportunities he has to make a crucial play to change the tide of the game.
Evero’s innovative approach could get exactly that out of Chinn, who could be used as a safety or linebacker. With Evero sometimes using six defensive backs in his schemes, the multi-use defender may take the next step as a player in 2023 and beyond.
