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David Newton, ESPN Staff Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers linebacker Brian Burns said after the 2023 season the new head coach should not “touch the defense” at all, and Dave Canales has done his best to make that happen.
Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and most of his staff will return for the 2024 season, a league source confirmed to ESPN on Monday.
The team hasn’t formally announced the decision, but Canales said Thursday at his introductory press conference that he expected Evero to stay.
“This is a huge piece of what we’re doing,” Canales said during the news conference.
This was the plan from the get-go when the Panthers denied Evero the opportunity to interview for the defensive coordinator job with the Jacksonville Jaguars, a league source told ESPN at the time.
The team was allowed to do that because it was a lateral move and Evero still had two years left on the contract he was given by Carolina last year.
Evero also interviewed for the head-coaching job with the Panthers, as well as with the Falcons and Seahawks.
But in the end, Carolina was focused on hiring an offensive-minded head coach to develop quarterback Bryce Young, the top pick of the 2023 draft, with the hope Evero would stay and further develop a 3-4 unit that ranked fourth in total defense last season.
Canales faced Evero twice this past season as the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs won both games, 21-18 and 9-0, but struggled with their passing game that ranked 12th in the NFL with 233 yards per game.
They had 194 yards passing in the first game and 137 in the second.
Canales also noted the struggles the offense had in Seattle while he was there going against Evero’s defense in Denver and one Evero was a part of with the Los Angeles Rams.
“I just know it was really difficult on me for years, whether it was in Seattle going against the Rams in that family or this year just going against EJ twice,” he said. “This is really important for me, especially as a first-time head coach who’s like, ‘I’m here to make sure we get our football right, especially on the offensive side, that we have that continuity with the players, with EJ, just being able to have the mentality that I saw that was really challenging to play against.'”
The Panthers last week, per league source, settled on Tampa Bay wide receivers coach Brad Idzik coming to Carolina as Canales’ offensive coordinator.
Convincing Evero to stay was key because it allows Canales to spend more time focused on the offense.
But for Burns’ wish to come completely true, the Panthers must give him a long-term deal or use the franchise tag to keep him. Burns said after the season he still wants to be among the highest-paid edge rushers in the NFL.
The team continues to look at options there, per league source.
The Athletic first reported that Evero was staying.