Continuity is key in the NFL—and unfortunately for the Carolina Panthers, they haven’t experienced a ton of it in recent years. But some familiar faces will be in the building, even if they weren’t on the team last season.
Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, who was retained through the transition into new head coach Dave Canales, spoke with reporters on Thursday afternoon. He was asked about a few of the front office’s free-agent signings, particularly the ones he has a history with.
“The first part is that those guys are all very, very good football players,” Evero said. “They’re smart, they’re tough, they’re instinctive, they play hard, they’re great teammates. So from that standpoint, they uplift their team.”
Evero will be reunited with linebacker Josey Jewell, whom he coached as the Denver Broncos defensive coordinator in 2022, as well as defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson and safeties Jordan Fuller and Nick Scott—his guys over from the Los Angeles Rams days. They’ll all look to add to the defense that allowed the fourth-fewest total yards in 2023.
And although there will be some familiarity between he and his players, that doesn’t necessarily mean their roles will be the same in Carolina.
“The defense is gonna be a little bit different than how we played it in Denver, how we played it at the LA Rams,” Evero added. “So from that standpoint, it’s gonna be a little bit of an adjustment. But havin’ those guys on our team right now is such a huge step forward for us.”
