ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — When Ejiro Evero addressed reporters earlier this month, ahead of the Broncos’ regular-season finale against the Chargers, he carved out time to express what it had meant to have Dom Capers, one of his coaching mentors, serving on his defensive staff as a senior consultant.
Evero talked about how Capers, whose nearly 40 years of NFL experience includes head-coaching stops with the Panthers and Texans, came in every day with the goal of helping coaches and players get better in whatever way he could. He did it with “no ego,” Evero said, providing honest, impactful feedback with direct communication.
If the plaudits he passed onto Capers sounded familiar, it’s because nearly identical descriptions have been used this season to describe the coaching style of the 42-year-old Evero, who has become one of the hottest candidates in an NFL hiring cycle that is otherwise largely dominated by former head coaches with championship level experience. Evero interviewed with Broncos ownership last week and also met with Colts about their head-coaching vacancy. He is scheduled to interview with the Texans on Tuesday, and the Panthers have also requested to interview Evero this week for their vacancy, meaning every team with an opening besides the Cardinals is interested in Denver’s first-year defensive coordinator.
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The broad interest might surprise the larger football-watching world that would point out Denver’s 5-12 record with raised eyebrows, but nobody who coached or played with Evero this season is surprised his work is being noticed.
“For him to get that opportunity somewhere, I think he is more than deserving of it,” Broncos safety Justin Simmons said after Denver’s win over the Chargers to close the season. “He is just a tremendous leader. I could be up here for hours just talking about how amazing of a coach and a man he is. I’m just really appreciative of him, and he deserves it.”
The final numbers for Denver’s defense in 2022 are a testament to Evero’s coaching talent. The Broncos finished 10th in defensive DVOA, seventh in defensive EPA, seventh in yards allowed per game (320), seventh in opponent points per drive (1.71), second in third-down success rate (34.1 percent), seventh in opponent red- zone touchdown rate (51.1 percent), fourth in defensive three-and-out percentage (37.9) and tied for 14th in takeaways (23). Evero was able to help Denver’s defense produce those numbers despite a pass rush that was significantly impacted by injuries to Randy Gregory (only six games played) and the midseason trade of Bradley Chubb.
It also did not go unnoticed by Denver’s front office that a handful of the team’s top defensive players produced career-best seasons during their first year in Evero’s scheme.
Cornerback Pat Surtain II became the youngest first-team All-Pro in team history, recording two interceptions, one forced fumble and 10 passes defended while generally shutting down half of the field to opposing quarterbacks. Simmons, named a second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press, intercepted a career-high six passes and forced the first three fumbles of his career in 2022 despite missing five games. Linebackers Josey Jewell (128) and Alex Singleton (152) posted career-highs in tackles. Defensive linemen Dre’Mont Jones (6 1/2), DeShawn Williams (4 1/2) and Mike Purcell (1 1/2) notched the highest sack totals of their respective careers. Evero helped Baron Browning (five sacks) seamlessly transition from inside linebacker to edge rusher. He fit rookies Nik Bonitto, Damarri Mathis, Eyioma Uwazurike and Matt Henningsen into the mix, continuing to set a high standard for his unit even as injuries piled up.
Anywhere you turn while examining Denver’s defensive roster, you’ll find a player who improved during Evero’s first season as a defensive coordinator.
“He helped my game so much this year,” Simmons said. “Just when you think you know a good amount, you always learn so much more from a new mind and a new set of eyes and the way that he coaches and the way that affects coaches, the assistant coaches around the defensive room. I’m just so thankful for him and his leadership. I’ve learned so much from him, both on and off the field.”
Justin Simmons and Patrick Surtain II earned All-Pro honors in their first season under defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. (Ron Chenoy/USA Today)
Evero has worked for some of the greatest defensive minds in football since entering the NFL as a quality control assistant with the Buccaneers in 2007, shortly after his college career as a safety at UC Davis ended. In Tampa Bay, Evero worked for defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin. Across stops to follow with the 49ers, Packers and Rams, Evero learned from Vic Fangio, Capers, Wade Phillips and Raheem Morris.
Evero absorbed bits and pieces from each coach’s unique style during those first 15 years of his career, taking mental notes about what he would incorporate into his own leadership approach when he one day ran a defense or a team and what he might let go. That experience, and the process by which he maximized its benefits, created a style that is uniquely Evero’s, one that deeply resonated with the players he coached this season.
“He provides all the qualities you need in a coach,” said Surtain, who was also named a starter for the AFC Pro Bowl roster this season. “He’s a great leader, very outspoken, brings a lot of energy into the room and he’s just a great person in general. A great people person. You can go to him for anything. On the football field, he’s just going to go out there and bring all the energy. He’s going to do what is best for the team.”
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When Evero was hired in February by first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett to become the team’s defensive coordinator, members of Denver’s defensive roster were relieved their new boss would be bringing a system familiar to the one Fangio, credited as the godfather of the two- high-safety look, had used the past three seasons with the Broncos. But it didn’t take long for players to notice the differences in Evero’s version of the scheme and what it allowed players to do. Namely, it gave them more freedom to trust their instincts within the confines of the system.
“This is the most fun I’ve had since I’ve been in the league (while) playing this type of defense and (with) this amount of control,” said Jewell, who had a career year in his fifth NFL season. “It’s been fun to play for him and just to hear his insight. (He is) very vocal about it, and he’ll talk about every single small, little thing and there’s no miscommunication there. It’s fun to talk to him. He’s an open book on the defense and a great teacher.”
Evero had his leadership ability tested earlier this season in ways that went beyond his ability to construct and call a defense. Denver produced one of its worst seasons in franchise history on the offensive side of the ball. It was a massive failure that contributed to Hackett, Evero’s close friend for the last 20-plus years, being fired after 15 games. The gap between the team’s defensive and offensive performances created an environment in which division could have easily festered, ultimately poisoning the unit that was playing well.
There was frustration from the defense at times, some of it even spilling into public view, but players on that side of the ball credited Evero with keeping the attention where it needed to be.
“The biggest thing is he just keeps on saying, ‘Keep on plugging away. Keep on doing our job. That’s the only thing we can do,’” Jewell said. “We can be excited for (the offense), we can cheer them on — which we do — but the biggest thing is staying focused on us because we don’t want to screw anything up, especially when they do come out and play well . Just keep on plugging away and doing our job to the best of our ability.”
Jerry Rosburg, who became the Broncos’ interim coach for the final two games this season after Evero declined the opportunity, joined the team in Week 3 this season as a senior game-management consultant. The longtime NFL special teams coach knew little of Evero before arriving in Denver, but he was struck immediately by the clear and effective way Evero communicated with players and coaches in the building.
“His communication skills are of a high level,” Rosburg said. “He’s really good in dealing with his coaches and dealing with his players. He deals with them directly and he has a certain level of performance that he expects. He’s going to keep them to that. Those types of coaches have a high ceiling because there are a lot of different ways to do things. … You are open to other ideas, but when you decide, ‘This is the way that it’s going to be,’ well, then this is the way it’s going to be. He’s got all of those qualities.”
The impact made by Evero during his one season in Denver could perhaps best be illustrated by the public way in which his players have clamored for his return — either as head coach or defensive coordinator — in 2023. If Evero is not hired as a head coach in this cycle, a strong first step by the person who takes that role with the Broncos would be to leave Evero in charge of a defense that will bring back many key contributors. Evero has previously worked with two of Denver’s other candidates in Morris and Jim Harbaugh, and he runs a scheme similar to the one DeMeco Ryans, who is set to interview with the Broncos later this week, conducts in San Francisco.
The Broncos would love to have Evero back, in one form or another. But the team recognizes that the young coach’s knack for scheming and connecting isn’t some well-kept secret.
“You stack those traits,” Surtain said, “and you have a great coach.”
(Top photo of Ejiro Evero: RJ Sangosti / MediaNews Group / The Denver Post via Getty Images)
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