Since being hired as the Atlanta Falcons' new president of football, Matt Ryan has been a busy man. His hire was only made official on Saturday morning, and the Falcons have managed to kickstart their coaching search by interviewing four prospective head coaching candidates in the last few days.
The Falcons' search is just ramping up, as more reported interviews and requests will come across the next few days. However, for some reason, they requested to interview Carolina Panthers' defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero for their head coach opening, which isn't their first request to make no sense.
The Falcons requested an interview with Panthers DC Ejiro Evero for their head coaching job, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 11, 2026
Carolina swept Atlanta this season, including a shutout in September. That's two requests for Evero, who also has one from the Raiders.
Let's make get things clear, Evero is a good defensive mind, but not a great one. It's weird enough that the Dirty Birds plan to speak with him after he spent the last three seasons with a division rival, but it's even worse when you consider that the Falcons were swept by the Panthers this season.
What's even worse is the fact that Atlanta isn't his only interview, as the Raiders are planning to meet with him as well.
The Falcons interviewing Ejiro Evero for their head coach opening makes absolutely no sense
The 45-year-old was a top defensive assistant for Raheem Morris with the Rams back in 2021, which he parlayed into his first DC opportunity in Denver. In that season, he led the Broncos' seventh-ranked defense, which was aided by the fact that those Denver defenses were flooded with talent.
Unlike Vance Joseph, who is also in line to interview with the Falcons this week, Evero doesn't have any head coaching experience. His stint in Denver screamed flash in the pan, which led Sean Payton to not retain him, while his time with the Panthers has only managed to reinforce this growing belief.
Evero has been regarded as a head coaching candidate in the past, but his defenses have been highly inconsistent. While that could be chalked up to some rough units in Carolina, he hasn't displayed enough consistency to warrant any fanbase feeling good about him as a head coach.
Evero's defensive rankings by season with Panthers:
- 2025: 16th
- 2024: 32nd
- 2023: 4th
Evero's defense taking a massive step back from 2023 to now is alarming, but I don't believe he's a serious candidate to begin with. They are likely just talking with him to gauge interest as a potential new defensive coordinator, but even that feels like a stretch for a coach who is already in the division.
The Falcons seem to be pretty locked in on the John Harbaugh sweepstakes, it seems like they could be speaking with him only to satisfy the Rooney Rule. It's a harsh reality that often happens, but Evero has been a head coaching finalist before, so maybe he is a more serious candidate than we realize.
Either outcome could be the case, but either way, this front office could do far better than Evero if they're casting a wide net, so Matty Ice better wake up.