Ejiro Evero may have lost the benefit of the doubt long before losing his job.
On Friday morning, following their 27-19 loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Carolina Panthers announced the dismissal of Evero—ending his four-year run as the team's defensive coordinator. So, why now—right in the middle of an injury-riddled season for a playoff hopeful?
League insider James Palmer noted on Sunday that the Panthers' concerns went beyond the key setbacks to their defense . . .
Yes, they have been without their edge rushers and have had massive injuries at corner. But going into that game there was a belief that much more was wrong with the defense than injury. That's why a move was made.
On the edge, Carolina lost starting outside linebacker Nic Scourton
to an ACL tear on the very first day of training camp, and did not had Jaelan Phillips for their last two outings due to a hamstring injury. At cornerback, both Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson have been shelved since Week 3—and still aren't expected back anytime soon.
Nevertheless, Evero's unit has had trouble—no matter who's been on the field—with stopping the run and getting off the field on third downs. The straw that broke the camel's back may have come in Week 7, where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ran for nearly 260 yards and three touchdowns in what was an embarrassing 43-13 loss for the Panthers.
Since Evero was hired in 2023, the Panthers had allowed 200 rushing yards in approximately 20 percent of their games.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Reporter provides more insight into Panthers' firing of DC Ejiro Evero
