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+--- Thread: WITH ALL 10 HC POSITIONS FILLED, EVERO SET TO RETURN (/showthread.php?tid=2285)
WITH ALL 10 HC POSITIONS FILLED, EVERO SET TO RETURN - PantherFan007 - 02-02-2026
So no changes in our coaching staff is a positive for the upcoming season.
https://www.panthers.com/news/with-all-10-head-coaching-vacancies-filled-ejiro-evero-set-to-return-defensive-coordinator
CHARLOTTE — With all the head coaching vacancies now apparently filled, the Panthers can move forward with the stability they're longing for on defense and build on last year's significant improvements.
After the Cardinals hired Mike LaFleur as head coach on Sunday, and multiple reports indicated that the Raiders intended to hire Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak after the Super Bowl, all 10 head coaching jobs are now spoken for.
That means Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero remains in place, just where they want him.
"Absolutely, yeah, 100 percent," Panthers head coach Dave Canales said earlier this offseason when asked if Evero would remain if he didn't get a head coaching job.
Evero interviewed for three of the openings, meeting with the Falcons (who hired Kevin Stefanski) and Steelers (Mike McCarthy), along with a pair of interviews with the Raiders (who reportedly locked in on Kubiak Sunday).
That's welcome news for the Panthers, who had previously extended Evero's contract when Canales was hired.
"I have complete trust in Ejiro," Canales said. "Love the way he's brought this group to play quality football together. He's got my full support. Love our scheme, love what we do there. You know, getting our guys to play together when we execute this scheme, it's really difficult to play against, and the guys have found a way to play together, communicate together, and really like you saw [in the playoffs] in glimpses, just the style of play that we're looking for. The big hits, tackling, you know, the coverage on the back end, and the rush at times. The pressure packages, the different things he was able to do to create rush, to create pressure for quarterbacks.
"I just love where we are headed that way, and as always, with all our schemes we'll look at it and continue to evolve, push the envelope, and move forward from there."
It's hard to understate the progress the Panthers made last season.
In 2023, they set an all-time NFL record for points allowed in a season and yielded the third-most rushing yards in league history.
With Derrick Brown returning this year after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the 2023 opener, the improvements under Evero were immediate.
The Panthers went from 32nd to 15th in the league in points allowed, and from 32nd to 16th in yards allowed.
The 77.3 yards per game improvement was the 13th-best in a single season in the league in the last 25 years.
The 56.5 rushing yards per game allowed difference was the ninth-largest improvement in the league in the last 25 years.
They also tied for 10th in the league in takeaways last season.
All of those numbers point to the confidence they have in Evero and his staff.
"We think highly of EJ," general manager Dan Morgan said. "EJ has a really great football mind. We love his defense. It's a really aggressive defense. I think as we continue to add players to the defense, I think that you'll see this defense kind of come together. We made a lot of improvements on the defensive side of the ball this year, and we'll continue to get better and add pieces. We're up for that challenge. . . .
"Yeah, I think if you look at EJ, if you're around him every day, you see the way he works, how smart he is. I believe in his defense. I believe in his philosophy. He's really good at developing players. Again, it's my job as well to equip him with the right personnel, and again, it's a patience thing to where we're going to attack those needs, and we're going to get better across the board. I think as you see us keep adding talent on our roster, players on our roster developing, I think you'll see that defense keep ascending."
RE: WITH ALL 10 HC POSITIONS FILLED, EVERO SET TO RETURN - Ladypanther - 02-05-2026
Hope Dan can get him some needed pieces and see what he can do.
Interesting note...10 HC coaches hired. Not a single one was black.
RE: WITH ALL 10 HC POSITIONS FILLED, EVERO SET TO RETURN - Hobbit99 - 02-05-2026
(02-05-2026, 08:56 PM)Ladypanther Wrote: Hope Dan can get him some needed pieces and see what he can do.
Interesting note...10 HC coaches hired. Not a single one was black.
Other than Black.... Were any of them minorities..?? I think (???) the Rooney rule applies equally to minority representation. Not sure "what" constitutes a minority though... I'm sure there must be rules.
Have to look that up I guess......
And YES..... Dan needs to build the Defense. Without a doubt, the area that needs the most work.
RE: WITH ALL 10 HC POSITIONS FILLED, EVERO SET TO RETURN - Ladypanther - 02-06-2026
Saleh qualifies as his parents are Lebanese immigrants.
RE: WITH ALL 10 HC POSITIONS FILLED, EVERO SET TO RETURN - Hobbit99 - 02-06-2026
(02-06-2026, 09:30 AM)Ladypanther Wrote: Saleh qualifies as his parents are Lebanese immigrants.
You're right... Saleh is one.
There are (apparently) five HCs for 2026 that are "minority" representation (possibly six when all is said and done). Those five are Todd Bowles; Aaron Glenn; DeMeco Ryans; Robert Saleh; AND --- wait for it --- Dave Canales. After some study, the "process" surrounding the Rooney Rule is crazy. And weird. I'm not sure that I understand it all, so I'm going to do some more research....