Panthers Ignoring Biggest Issue While Firing Coaches

When the 2024 season ended, the Carolina Panthers needed a big overhaul on defense. Carolina ranked dead last in the NFL in several categories last year including allowing 6.0 yards per play, 35 touchdown passes, 5.2 yards per carry, and a whopping 51.4 percent opponent scoring rate.

With numbers like that, it wasn’t shocking to see Dave Canales fire four coaches since the offseason began. Three coaches were fired back on Jan. 8, including secondary coach Bert Watts, outside linebackers coach Tem Lukabu, and quality control coach Bobby Maffei. The Panthers also fired head athletic trainer Kevin King and health, performance, and nutrition director Andrew Althoff on Jan. 13.

But while a string of firings continue in Carolina, Canales and the rest of the team are ignoring their biggest problem ahead of next season.

Ejiro Evero Continues to Escape Panthers’ Coaching Purge

The fourth Panthers coach was fired on Friday morning when The Athletic’s Joe Person reported that assistant defensive backs coach DeAngelo Hall was no longer with the organization according to a league source. While Hall falls into the same category as the previous firing, it puts a spotlight on defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.

Evero had a strong year in his first season as a defensive coordinator, ranking seventh in yards allowed and 14th in points allowed with the Denver Broncos in 2022. After coming over to join Frank Reich’s staff in 2023, Evero’s defense ranked 29th in points allowed but fourth in total defense, helping Canales make the decision to retain the 44-year-old in 2024.

Things didn’t pan out in Evero’s second season in Carolina, however, partly due to departures and injuries. While Brian Burns was traded to the New York Giants and Frankie Luvu left for the Washington Commanders last spring, the Panthers’ defense was bit by the injury bug as Derrick Brown was lost for the season in Week 1 and Shaq Thompson was done after Week 4.

Those events made Carolina’s defensive decline understandable but not forgiven as the Panthers allowed an NFL-record 534 points last season. While the Panthers have cleaned out most of their defensive staff, Evero has survived the purge and received a vote of confidence from Canales at the end of last season.

"I’ve played against this defense. I’ve played against it in Seattle with the Rams for a bunch of years. I played against it twice last year. I know what this defense will look like. And I’m committed to that, Ejiro’s committed to that. So it’s about developing the players we brought in. It’s about evaluating our schemes and be really critical of all those things as well. And it’s about seeing who’s out there to challenge our roster, who can help us to get this defense to the place we know we can."

- Dave Canales on January 7

When reading Canales’s defense, he makes some valid points. Evero has seen success with the current scheme before and it could be an adjustment or two that could help the Panthers have a marginal improvement next season. It also is fair to note that Carolina’s lack of talent could be fixed with a return to health for Brown, $20.8 million in cap space, and nine picks, including the eighth overall selection in the upcoming draft.

Still, it’s surprising that Evero has gotten off scot-free while the rest of the defensive staff has been handed pink slips. It’s another chance for a coach who many fans believe has been given a few too many and could be the underlying problem with Carolina’s defense.

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