Grading 5 Joe Barry replacements the Packers should consider hiring

2. Ejiro Evero (Panthers DC)

We've seen for several years now that Ejiro Evero is one of the brighter and ascending defensive minds in the league right now, though his career to this point has been anything but normal -- especially as of late.

Evero had several high-end stops as an assistant with the 49ers, Rams and even a one-year stint with the Packers as a defensive quality control coach in 2016. In 2022, after five seasons on the Rams staff (including one where he worked with current Packers head coach Matt LaFleur), Evero was hired to be Nathaniel Hackett's defensive coordinator in Denver. That was a disastrous situation and Evero was not retained by Sean Payton.

Things didn't get less tumultuous, however, as he was hired in 2023 as the Panthers defensive coordinator on Frank Reich's staff. The numbers weren't great on the defense's end, but that had a lot more to do with talent than anything Evero could've done. Further complicating matters, however, is Reich was fired again and now Evero is in the mix to replace him, though he doesn't appear to be the favorite.

So depending on who's hired in Carolina, Evero could be in line for his third defensive coordinator position in as many seasons. In no way should that sour any fans on Green Bay on what the 43-year-old could potentially bring to the defense, though.

Evero has weathered some pretty difficult storms recently with class and sneakily impressive performances given the situations he was dealing with. The Packers roster is far more stable and could offer him an opportunity to really shine and finally find some stability as well, which is something he could potentially offer to Green Bay likewise.

Grade: B+