Well, at least someone has defended something inside of Bank of America Stadium.
The Carolina Panthers
couldn't keep up with the visiting Chicago Bears yesterday, dropping their regular-season opener at home to the tune of a 59-37 defeat. While the team's offense gave a good account of themselves, the defense served as a welcoming mat for quarterback Caleb Williams and company—who amassed 552 yards and eight visits to the end zone.Sunday marked the eighth time since 2023 that the Panthers have given up at least 40 points in a game, the highest such total in the NFL over that span. This latest offering, which also saw Carolina surrender the most points in franchise history, has heightened the doubt surrounding the scheme and approach by fourth-year
defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.
But on Monday, head coach Dave Canales didn't seem to waver in his support of Evero.
"I like our system, I like our scheme," Canales told reporters. "I've seen this scheme work at a high level, and I've seen us work in this scheme at a high level. And we need to find that week in and week out.
"All of us are disappointed with how it played out. But this is the work we have. We come back to it, we look at it, we improve it—and we go right back to work."
After an impressive first season in 2023, where Carolina ranked fourth in total defense, Evero orchestrated what might've been the most generous unit in NFL history the year after—as 2024 saw the Panthers allow an all-time record of 534 points. But they'd bounce back in 2025, ranking 16th in total defense while helping push the organization to their first NFC South title in a decade.
Many have expected the defense to take another step forward here in 2026, especially with the free-agent additions of linebacker Jaelan Phillips and Devin Lloyd. That, however, certainly wasn't the case in Week 1.
Canales was later asked if he thinks the team has the right personnel to run Evero's system.
"Absolutely. Absolutely," Canales replied. "And that was one of the things I did share with the team today. I said, 'Look, I wouldn't have been able to sleep if I felt like we didn't have the pieces that we need right in this room.'
"But, we need to collectively come together and play way better football than that."
Evero, Canales and the Panthers will get a chance to play better football on Sunday, when they travel to take on the Atlanta Falcons.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers HC Dave Canales is asked about DC Ejiro Evero's scheme, personnel
