More from Person's latest Athletic story

[Mr. Scot]

Linked here (Panthers Mailbag) and as always, subscription required.

FYI: There were a few other answers (re: Dowdle, Mays) quoted in Juan's thread. I won't bother reposting them here. Just click on over here if you wanna look.

(formatting / editing is my own, highlighting some things that the board has been talking about)

______________________________

Starting with the big one, what's gonna happen with Bryce:

To be sure, it’s been a choppy season for the third-year quarterback. Every time you start thinking Young lacks the arm strength/size/fill-in-other-attribute to be the “guy,” as Dave Canales referred to him after Week 18 last season, he pulls off a Cam Newton-like performance (complete with a dab in Atlanta).

...while the Panthers would like to see more consistency, Young has continued to ascend, as Tilis put it. After ranking at or near the bottom statistically among QBs his first two seasons, Young is now closer to the middle of the pack.

Just as importantly, with four games left, Young has already surpassed his win total (6) from his first two seasons. Then there’s the clutch factor: Five of Young’s seven victories have come on game-winning drives, and last week he surpassed Josh Allen as the youngest QB in NFL history (at 24 years and 128 days) with 11 game-winning drives.

The decision to pick up Young’s fifth-year option before the May 1 deadline — at an estimated $26.5 million, per Over the Cap — is an easy one, considering the top 11, highest-paid QBs all are more than $50 million a year. The question is whether the Panthers want to make Young the next member of that $50M club, and if so, when? Canales, Dan Morgan and Tilis will weigh more than just the next four games, even if Young plays well and the Panthers end their seven-year playoff drought, when considering an extension. Young and the Panthers have taken another step forward this season. If that ascension continues in 2026, his payday is coming.

______________________________

Another questioner asked Person to describe current locker room culture:

Like a lot of coaches in a new spot, Canales tried to bring in good “culture” guys to help him establish a standard of what’s expected in terms of effort and attitude. It helped that several were already here. Not coincidentally, three of them have been signed to extensions since Canales and Morgan arrived in January of last year: Derrick Brown, Horn and Hubbard.

Horn’s growth as a leader and his recommitment to offseason training to try to avoid injuries have been striking. And Canales deserves credit for maintaining his energy and positivity despite slow starts in each of his two seasons.

...

So are the Panthers winning because they have a good locker room or is the healthy locker room a product of the winning? It’s probably a combination. But moving on from veterans who were either bad teammates (Diontae Johnson) or who weren’t the right fit for a rebuild (Jadeveon Clowney) was beneficial.

______________________________

Next, whether the weaknesses in the Panthers pass rush a scheme issue or a talent issue:

Per Pro Football Focus, the Panthers have been the NFL’s worst pressure team since 2023, when Evero arrived in Charlotte. Over that same span, the Panthers have the NFL’s seventh-highest blitz percentage. So it hasn’t been for a lack of trying. That would suggest personnel has played a part. Evero hasn’t had much to work with since 2023, when Brian Burns and Frankie Luvu combined for 13.5 sacks.

...

Morgan hasn’t spent big on a free-agent pass rusher since trading Burns to the Giants in 2024. He brought in D.J Wonnum, K’Lavon Chaisson and Clowney last year, before adding Patrick Jones this past offseason. Wonnum, who had four sacks in eight games last season, has none in 12 games this year. Jones recorded one sack in four games before undergoing a season-ending back surgery in October.

The Panthers drafted a pair of second-day, SEC edge rushers this year in Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen. Evero needs more. The list of free-agent pass rushers isn’t deep, but it is headlined by Trey Hendrickson and Jaelan Phillips. At a minimum, Morgan should take a long look.

______________________________

One other tidbit: Person sees "no chance" of Canales giving up playcalling duties.

[kungfoodude]

29 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

Linked here (Panthers Mailbag) and as always, subscription required.

FYI: There were a few other answers (re: Dowdle, Mays) quoted in Juan's thread. I won't bother reposting them here. Just click on over here if you wanna look.

(formatting / editing is my own, highlighting some things that the board has been talking about)

______________________________

Starting with the big one, what's gonna happen with Bryce:

To be sure, it’s been a choppy season for the third-year quarterback. Every time you start thinking Young lacks the arm strength/size/fill-in-other-attribute to be the “guy,” as Dave Canales referred to him after Week 18 last season, he pulls off a Cam Newton-like performance (complete with a dab in Atlanta).

...while the Panthers would like to see more consistency, Young has continued to ascend, as Tilis put it. After ranking at or near the bottom statistically among QBs his first two seasons, Young is now closer to the middle of the pack.

Just as importantly, with four games left, Young has already surpassed his win total (6) from his first two seasons. Then there’s the clutch factor: Five of Young’s seven victories have come on game-winning drives, and last week he surpassed Josh Allen as the youngest QB in NFL history (at 24 years and 128 days) with 11 game-winning drives.

The decision to pick up Young’s fifth-year option before the May 1 deadline — at an estimated $26.5 million, per Over the Cap — is an easy one, considering the top 11, highest-paid QBs all are more than $50 million a year. The question is whether the Panthers want to make Young the next member of that $50M club, and if so, when? Canales, Dan Morgan and Tilis will weigh more than just the next four games, even if Young plays well and the Panthers end their seven-year playoff drought, when considering an extension. Young and the Panthers have taken another step forward this season. If that ascension continues in 2026, his payday is coming.

______________________________

Another questioner asked Person to describe current locker room culture:

Like a lot of coaches in a new spot, Canales tried to bring in good “culture” guys to help him establish a standard of what’s expected in terms of effort and attitude. It helped that several were already here. Not coincidentally, three of them have been signed to extensions since Canales and Morgan arrived in January of last year: Derrick Brown, Horn and Hubbard.

Horn’s growth as a leader and his recommitment to offseason training to try to avoid injuries have been striking. And Canales deserves credit for maintaining his energy and positivity despite slow starts in each of his two seasons.

...

So are the Panthers winning because they have a good locker room or is the healthy locker room a product of the winning? It’s probably a combination. But moving on from veterans who were either bad teammates (Diontae Johnson) or who weren’t the right fit for a rebuild (Jadeveon Clowney) was beneficial.

______________________________

Next, whether the weaknesses in the Panthers pass rush a scheme issue or a talent issue:

Per Pro Football Focus, the Panthers have been the NFL’s worst pressure team since 2023, when Evero arrived in Charlotte. Over that same span, the Panthers have the NFL’s seventh-highest blitz percentage. So it hasn’t been for a lack of trying. That would suggest personnel has played a part. Evero hasn’t had much to work with since 2023, when Brian Burns and Frankie Luvu combined for 13.5 sacks.

...

Morgan hasn’t spent big on a free-agent pass rusher since trading Burns to the Giants in 2024. He brought in D.J Wonnum, K’Lavon Chaisson and Clowney last year, before adding Patrick Jones this past offseason. Wonnum, who had four sacks in eight games last season, has none in 12 games this year. Jones recorded one sack in four games before undergoing a season-ending back surgery in October.

The Panthers drafted a pair of second-day, SEC edge rushers this year in Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen. Evero needs more. The list of free-agent pass rushers isn’t deep, but it is headlined by Trey Hendrickson and Jaelan Phillips. At a minimum, Morgan should take a long look.

______________________________

One other tidbit: Person sees "no chance" of Canales giving up playcalling duties.

I think Hendrickson and Phillips would likely want top 5 pass rusher contracts to come here, if I am being honest.

[Mr. Scot]

5 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

I think Hendrickson and Phillips would likely want top 5 pass rusher contracts to come here, if I am being honest.

Don't doubt it.

No one really asked whether he thought Evero would still be here next season. If he were to get a head coaching job, we could be looking to build around a different scheme.

That could be interesting.

[kungfoodude]

6 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

Don't doubt it.

No one really asked whether he thought Evero would still be here next season. If he were to get a head coaching job, we could be looking to build around a different scheme.

That could be interesting.

I don't think Evero is going to be in any head coaching cycles for the near future.

[CRA]

45 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

...while the Panthers would like to see more consistency, Young has continued to ascend, as Tilis put it. After ranking at or near the bottom statistically among QBs his first two seasons, Young is now closer to the middle of the pack.

ascend lol......Bryce was bad in 4 of the last 6 games. 

closer to the middle of the pack is still not the middle of the pack.  It's below. 

Given Tilis is from KC, hopefully he is just saying the only things he can say and will be one of the good voices in house.  He wasn't part of drafting Bryce. 

 

[L-TownCat]

20 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

I think Hendrickson and Phillips would likely want top 5 pass rusher contracts to come here, if I am being honest.

Why would we want a 4-3 DE to come into this system?  We really gonna make TH drop into coverage?  All while paying him top dollar?  In his 30’s? And he’s currently hurt?

 

[mrcompletely11]

11 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

I don't think Evero is going to be in any head coaching cycles for the near future.

I think EE is walking no matter what happens. Tepper did him dirty and he isnt going to forget

[Mr. Scot]

15 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

I don't think Evero is going to be in any head coaching cycles for the near future.

He was featured in Tom Pelissero's annual "Assistants on the Rise" article.

And not as an honorable mention either. He's actually the sixth name listed.

[Mr. Scot]

Here's the text from Pelissero's piece...

Panthers DC Ejiro Evero, 44: A former college safety at UC Davis who went to training camp with the Raiders, Evero has coached all three phases -- offense, defense and special teams -- and was well-regarded at each stop during his previous 17 NFL seasons, working under everyone from Vic Fangio to Dom Capers. He won a Super Bowl with the Rams and then got his first DC job in 2022 with the Broncos, whose defense was a bright spot in a frustrating season. Same with the Panthers' defense in 2023, before injuries decimated the unit last season. Evero's defense has improved this season (13th in scoring) on a Carolina team in the playoff hunt. He interviewed for eight head coaching jobs in the hiring cycles after the 2022 and 2023 seasons, earning second interviews with the Colts, Falcons, Panthers, Seahawks and Texans, and could be in the mix again.

2026 NFL head coach hiring cycle: 24 young candidates to know

if you want another kick in the head, click the link and check out the first two names he mentions.

[SmokinwithWilly]

41 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

I don't think Evero is going to be in any head coaching cycles for the near future.

He could. HC is more about leadership than designing schemes. He's gotten the defense to really overachieve this year. I could see that being very appealing, especially to some places where underachieving has become the norm, like the Raydahs.