The 2024 campaign has largely been a pretty rough one for the 3-11 Carolina Panthers, who were officially eliminated from playoff contention this past Sunday. And one of the key reasons for this season of struggles has been the team’s league-worst defense—which has allowed the most points per game (29.9) and the second-most yards per game (386.2).
While the group was on track to take a step back following the losses of linebackers Brian Burns and Frankie Luvu, what’s been left is far worse than what most may have imagined. Now, with the organization possibly preparing to go full Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on the unit this upcoming offseason, the job security of defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero feels quite uncertain.
Many had hoped Evero would be the type of coach who could elevate the talent at his disposal. He was able to do so with the third-ranked passing defense in 2023—when players such as cornerbacks D’Shawn Jamison and Dicaprio Bootle were starting in place of Jaycee Horn and Donte Jackson.
So why couldn’t he do it this year?
Well, it’s become very clear that the Panthers have been rolling out players who might be better fits on some UFL rosters. They lacked depth on all three levels entering the season—and losing Pro Bowl defensive tackle Derrick Brown and inside linebacker Shaq Thompson early on only magnified their issues.
Carolina lacks quality talent nearly everywhere on defense. For any defensive coordinator, that is hard to overcome—but at some point, the coaching staff must be able to make up for those holes.
Evero is from the Vic Fangio tree, and is known for his unique disguises with coverages out of Cover 3 base alignments and how he generates pressure. That approach yielded admirable results, both in 2022 with the Denver Broncos and in 2023 with the Panthers.
Yet, Evero has his downfalls. While is system has shown to work in the past, there is very little margin for error and a lack of diversity in coverages used.
After this past weekend’s 30-14 loss to the Cowboys, Horn had told Panthers beat writer Sheena Quick that he would prefer to travel with All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, but had to play within the scheme. Lamb tallied nine catches for 116 yards and a touchdown—most of which occurred outside of Horn’s control.
Head coach Dave Canales made a tangible point in Monday’s press conference about why Horn played within the scheme Sunday:
Why doesn’t Jaycee Horn travel? Here’s what Dave Canales has to say about that. #Panthers pic.twitter.com/NB4sxFSO9E
— Sheena Quick (@Sheena_Marie3) December 16, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Horn’s comments were eye-opening—especially in a game where the Panthers needed to win to keep their momentum from three consecutive near-upsets against playoff-bound teams.
A talent like his should be traveling with someone like Lamb, Mike Evans, A.J. Brown or any team’s game-changing No. 1 pass catcher. Defensive backs Mike Jackson and Chau Smith-Wade have both flashed the capability to handle one-on-one man coverage snaps and play sufficiently, but they’re not Jaycee Horn.
A defensive coordinator must be diverse with his system. And to this point during his time with Carolina, Evero hasn’t done enough in terms of mixing and matching coverages and putting the players he has on the field in the best positions to succeed.
Unfortunately, he is also dealing with a talent disparity. This is why deciding on his future will be a tough one for Canales and the Panthers.
Connor Rogers of the NFL Stock Exchange Podcast recently explained in a Carolina edition of “Fix the Franchise” that it is dangerous to fire someone like Evero. Along with his track record of recent success, the continuity he’d provide into a third year is important for a rebuilding roster.
Should Carolina allow Evero to coach out the final year of his contract in 2025, there will likely be a total revamp of the defensive talent.
The safety room should look very different next year, as should the depth and overall level of talent up front, at the second level and within the secondary. Giving Evero the right pieces to operate the unit he needs to field a successful defense will be paramount.
In the right circumstances, Evero is an adequate defensive coordinator and future head coach. His players compete and play with incredible effort.
Yet, no one should fault the Panthers for wanting to try something new and move off of another piece from the failed Frank Reich regime.
The next three games for Evero may be a three-week interview process for 2025.
