Ejiro Evero is getting national recognition heading into 2026. Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic named the Panthers’ defensive coordinator to her list of 32 assistant coaches primed for a big season, and the timing fits. After three years working with thin personnel, Evero finally has more to work with in Carolina.
For most of his tenure, lineman Derrick Brown and cornerback Jaycee Horn were about the only dependable pieces on the unit, which held the whole defense back. This offseason changed the math. The front office spent on two promising linebackers, pass rusher Jaelan Phillips and Pro Bowler Devin Lloyd, adding real talent to the front seven.
Rodrigue pointed to that influx alongside the defense’s jump from 2024 to 2025 as reasons for optimism. She called Carolina’s secondary a “real success story” last season and credited Evero with building a sharp, deep defensive staff, framing 2026 as a potential breakout for the whole group even though he’s long been a head-coaching target.
Evero draws head-coaching interest every winter, most recently interviewing with the Falcons and Raiders, but he’s stayed put in Carolina, where expectations for a top-10 defense are climbing.
That optimism is grounded in a fast turnaround. Battered by injuries, the Panthers finished 32nd in total defense in 2024 and gave up the most points in NFL history. A year later, Evero had them up to 16th on the way to an NFC South title.
