Last night, we learned that the Carolina Panthers probably weren’t in on former Pro Bowl pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue—who agreed to terms on a one-year, $10.5 million deal with the Chicago Bears. Instead, they may be in on what they have on their own roster.
For the first time this training camp, defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero hit the podium to field some questions. When asked about his unit’s options alongside Brian Burns at the outside linebacker position, he seemed content about the work from his guys thus far.
“Yeah, there’s a lot of great competition there,” Evero told reporters on Friday. “Yetur’s [Gross-Matos] doing a great job, getting better. DJ’s [Johnson] coming along. [Amaré] Barno’s coming along. Kobe’s [Jones] is doing a great job. So as we get into camp, as we get more padded practices, as we get into the preseason games—I think it’ll tell more of the story.
“But really love the progression of those guys. But we need somebody to step up—that’s a fact. And we gotta continue to push those guys towards it.”
So, in a little tribute to our old friend Dave Gettleman, is the answer on the roster?
“It’s not just gonna be one guy,” Evero continued. “You just can’t have two rushers in this league. You gotta have multiple guys that can get the job done. And we feel good about where the guys are going though.”
A common theme of the team’s new defense, whether it’s been spoken by Evero or head coach Frank Reich, is that it’ll be “multiple.” And in this case, the problem may end up having a few solutions.
