Is 2027 finally the year that the Carolina Panthers will lose defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero?
Well, it might be—at least according to FOX Sports. The crew of Henry McKenna, Steven Ruiz, Ralph Vacchiano and Eric Williams have cooked up a list of the 10 coordinators who are most ready to become head coaches.
Evero takes the No. 9 spot. Here's what Williams is hearing about him:
Considered a head-coaching candidate since his time with the Rams under McVay, where he rose from safeties coach to passing game coordinator, Evero has coached a top-10 defense two times over the past five years as a DC. The 45-year-old remains an up-and-coming head coaching candidate. Evero interviewed for vacancies with the Falcons, Steelers and Raiders during the last
hiring cycle.
"He is a smart, strong leader respected by the team and carries himself like an alpha," one league personnel executive, who worked in the same building as Evero, told me.
The Panthers hired Evero in 2023, where he'd end up leading the fourth overall defense. But the results have varied since—with Carolina's defense ranking 32nd in 2024, 16th in 2025 and 29th through five weeks here in 2026.
As Williams noted, Evero has not been a stranger to the interview circuit. In fact, he was very much in the mix for the Raiders' vacancy, which went to former Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, this past offseason.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers DC Ejiro Evero tabbed as top HC candidate for 2027
