Report: Panthers 'Intrigued' by Idea of Pairing Offensive HC Hire with DC Ejiro Evero

Coming off their second win of the season, the Carolina Panthers' primary focus right now is figuring out who the best head coach they can hire who will help unlock the potential in 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Panthers are "intrigued" by the idea of hiring a first-time head coach from an offensive background and pairing that person with current defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero:

"Something to monitor in Carolina is the potential of pairing a first-time offensive head coach with current defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. This model has worked for Indianapolis, which hired Shane Steichen while keeping defensive coordinator Gus Bradley under contract. And that's what Miami did with coach Mike McDaniel, who was hired in 2022 under the stipulation that Josh Boyer remain as coordinator. The Dolphins eventually replaced Boyer with Vic Fangio, but the blueprint is the same: support the young offensive coach with stability on the other side.

"After asking around, the sense is the Panthers are at least intrigued by this idea. Evero has done an impressive job with the Panthers' defense, which ranks third in total defense and passing defense despite minimal offensive help and a rash of injuries. He will most likely be on the head-coaching interview circuit and could interview in-house with Carolina, but with him under contract with the Panthers, he's an asset they'd like to keep should they focus on offense with their coaching search, as most expect."

Ben Johnson of the Detroit Lions, Eric Bieniemy of the Washington Commanders and Bobby Slowik of the Houston Texans are among the potential head-coaching candidates this offseason who come from offensive backgrounds.

Chris Tabor has been serving as Carolina's interim head coach since Frank Reich was fired on Nov. 27 after leading the team to a 1-10 start in his first season.

The Panthers are in a rough spot right now. Their roster flaws are more pronounced than anyone expected coming into the season, which has significantly hindered Young's ability to develop.

There is no easy way to fix those issues, especially since the Panthers have to send their 2024 first-round draft pick to the Chicago Bears as part of the trade that allowed them to select Young this year. The pick going to Chicago is currently No. 1 overall.

Spotrac estimates the Panthers will have $38.4 million in cap space this offseason. They will have to work out a new deal with Brian Burns, who is set to become a free agent. The 25-year-old leads the team in quarterback hits (15), tackles for loss (13) and sacks (six) this season.

Evero was a key hire last offseason as the Panthers attempted to build an all-star coaching staff. The 42-year-old spent the 2022 season as the defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos.

Even though the Panthers rank 29th in points allowed per game, in part because the offense struggles so much that the defense is on the field a lot, they give up the third-fewest total yards (291.9) and passing yards (173.7) per game.