September 4, 2025 • 11 mins
Ejiro Evero speaks with the media before Thursday's practice.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Opon for the review.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Obviously, the season is upon us, and we are very
excited about the opportunity starting this Sunday against Jacksonville, and
we know it's going to be a great challenge and
very well coached team. Head coach that I have a
lot of the respect for, obviously getting his first opportunity,
a lot of talented players on the offensive side. But
(00:26):
we're excited to go out there and show what we
can do and be the best versions of ourselves, and
it's going to be a great matchup. And the one
thing I do want to say is today is my wife,
Natalie Grace's birthday. So I just wanted to wish my
amazing wife Natalie, happy birthday, and I love you very
very much.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
All Right, thank you, coach. With that will open it
up to questions, We'll start with Cassidy followed by Mike.
Speaker 4 (00:48):
Do y'all have any birthday plans or does that kind
of get pushed to the side when it's week one?
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Yeah, push it aside.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
We'll celebrate in the buy a week But she's heading
down with the kids today to Jacksonville, so she'll be
down there support us.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Well.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
Nice get some beach time in obviously, so much attention
is going to go to Travis Hunter and what he
can do, but what is the excitement the challenge of
having that, but also a guy like Brian Thomas Junior
who they're still kind of discovering what all can be
done with him in an offense as well.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Yeah, this is a it's a challenge certainly, just because
one we have an idea what they're going to do,
but not quite sure where they're going to line everybody
up at. And they have so many talented ball carriers
and receivers likettn and the two you talked about Strange
there are there are other running back So they're a
very talented group and they have a lot of guys
(01:42):
that can really create problems in terms of their officive
skill set.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
So we know we got a big challenge ahead of us.
Hey j good morning, Good morning Mike. How you doing well.
Speaker 5 (01:53):
I wanted to ask you two questions. First, you guys
have brought in so many new faces to this defense.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
How do you.
Speaker 5 (02:01):
Think this new front's new upfront seven can help you
guys against the run specifically? And who has been kind
of the standout among the group from that that standpoint?
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Yeah, We're we're excited about the group we have up
front right now. You know, obviously it starts with Derek Brown,
Ashawn Robinson, Turk Wharton, you know, Bobby Brown. All of
those guys have done a really good job. They've had
a really good camp. They're ready to go, they're ready
to go play. And so that's excited excited about what
we're seeing from the Edge guys as well. DJ Wanam,
(02:39):
Pat the two young guys, Nick and prince Ley, DJ Johnson,
Thomas in Coombe. So all of these guys have really
really just improved. All of their games have really increased.
They're all game ready, and so we're excited to see
what they can do.
Speaker 5 (02:56):
And then you brought up Thomas in Coombe. Wantam called
him a thunderbolts and Tracy said that he's got like
an unbelievable get off no matter which direction he's going.
What is he brought to your defense is maybe like
kind of like a fastball in that rotation.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Yeah, he's really he's got traits like a dB. He
can really get off the ball, he could really run,
he can run all day. He's explosive, he's strong and
so and the cool thing about him, just like a
lot of our guys, is you've just seen such growth
and improvement from what he was last year at this time,
and so we're excited to see what he could do
this season.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
All right, we'll go to David Newton, called by Mike
Selarte and Joe Person.
Speaker 6 (03:38):
Hey, Ray, I appreciate your time today. You mentioned your
young edge rushers. How ready are they right now and
how many breaths would you like to get them in
their first game?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Well, we're not quite there yet in terms of the
rep counts and all that, But the one thing I
will say is that, like the one thing we've been
trying to impress on not just the rookies but everybody
in our room is that, you know, when you kind
of start this thing off in the spring, you're kind
of building your defense, and then you get to training
camp and you're going against the offense and it's, you know,
it's the speed of the game is obviously picked up.
(04:13):
You get into the preseason games, it gets even faster
and everyone's going because they're competed at a higher level.
And then the one thing as soon as you hit
that first regular season game, like the speed of the
game gets drops.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Or gonna increases even another level.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
And so like that's the one thing that we want
everybody to be cognizant of, is that, like we've got
to be ready to go. Because of whatever you've seen
and experience in the NFL, it's going to be a
lot faster on Sunday, and so that's what we have
to be ready for.
Speaker 6 (04:41):
Well, how about having on them for a whole training
camp and ready to go? How how brother ahead or
you you feel like with your what's your pass rush
in general? Just because of having him there all the time.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
That's such a great point, and it's it's the truth.
It's when you have these guys that get all the
reps and they've banked all the reps as opposed to
coming in midst season with very few reps, they're going
to be so much better. And so we're excited about
not just DJ, but everybody really getting a lot of
experience and then got a lot of reps and we're
hoping that pace forward.
Speaker 6 (05:13):
Press what you said about your wife, that was great, Oh.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Thank you, thanks. Hopefully scores me some points.
Speaker 7 (05:22):
Aj I was going to give you credit for scoring
a defensive touchdown in week one with that, So that
was pretty good with as you look back, obviously you
don't I'm sure you don't like looking back at the
results of the numbers from last year, But as you
look back at that and look forward to this year,
is there one thing I know you guys go week
(05:43):
to week, but is there one thing you want out
of this defense week in and week out that is
like the focal point for how you guys want to
attack each opponent.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
We always want to be physical, we always want to
play with great effort, We always want to attack the ball,
and we want to play smart.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
And that's what we're looking for.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
And we've certainly drown a lot since we started the
beginning of the sprink with this group of men, and
we'll continue to grow, and you know, what we want
to do is just continue to get better each week
and with the anticipation that the way we're playing in
week fifteen and sixteen is going to be a lot
better than we play week one, but also understanding that
(06:21):
we need to show great improvement on week one and
we need to get some things done and it's important
to try to start off on a fast note.
Speaker 7 (06:29):
And you mentioned Derek Brown a minute ago and having
him back, it's an eleven man unit, but it just
feels like that one man is such a lynchpin to
what everything else behind him, How everything else behind him unfolds.
Do you feel like you got a free free agent
and getting him back this year after missing him all
(06:50):
of last year?
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (06:52):
I mean, he's certainly one of our best players on
our team, and so it's definitely great to have him back.
And we know that when he's available, and he is
available now, that he's going to be a major factor,
and so we're excited about that.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Thanks.
Speaker 8 (07:06):
Good Joe, ej Good morning, Good morning.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Joe.
Speaker 8 (07:12):
Dave yesterday called uh called Merrik an absolute hammer. When
we've talked to him, he very clear about how he's
physical and makes no apologies for it. What was that
somebody like? With his skill set and attitude? Did you
feel like you needed that on this defense or in
that back end?
Speaker 1 (07:34):
It's always great to have guys like him.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
I've been a big fan of his since he played
a TCU and a good friend of mine was his
coach in college and he's been raving about him for
a long time. And Trey plays defensive football the way
you want to see it. Played plays hard, he plays physical.
He's a very very very nice guy off the field,
very respectful, and then he gets on a field and
(07:57):
he's a Tasmanian devil and so it's really really cool
to see and feel and it certainly upslifts his team
missus Wells, and so yeah, it's been really fun to
coach him.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
He's a players to coach and work with.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Day in and day out, and then obviously when we
get on the field in those full contact situations, he's
exactly what you want.
Speaker 8 (08:17):
And then you referenced Liam earlier, what was your relationship
like with him in LA and being I know that
was a fairly star studded staff, but or if, how
or why did he stick out?
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Well, he was an assistant at the time, working with
the quarterbacks, and what he would do is he actually
he was in charge of the scout team, the offensive
scout team that gave the look for the defense. And
so he really impressed me from day one, just his
command of the quarterback, the receivers, the offense, and really
how he took charge of the entire scout operation. And
(08:52):
so it was no surprise to me that his career
is taking the path that it's taken, just because I
saw his intelligence, his ability to relate, his command, his leadership,
and so yeah, I'm a big fan of his as
a person and his coach.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
All Right, got toime for a few more, So we'll
wrap up with Cassidy and then Mike again.
Speaker 4 (09:10):
Yeah, I was just curious, did Princely have to convince
you to give a single digit to a rookie pass rusher?
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Like?
Speaker 4 (09:18):
What was his argument there? How did he earn that so.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Quickly that one did not come across my desk?
Speaker 3 (09:24):
They never mind.
Speaker 5 (09:27):
EJ.
Speaker 7 (09:29):
Obviously, Travis Hunter is a big talking point this way.
Heisman Trophy went here, that can play both ways. From
your experience and not necessarily specific to Travis Hunter, but
when you have a guy that is reading everything, primarily
going to be lining up as a wide receiver and
maybe have some defensive packages, how difficult is it to
(09:50):
prepare for a guy who is a wide receiver but
also kind of knows how to play the quarterback position.
And he I don't know how his brain works, but
I mean, if he can think both positions at the
same time, does that make him even tougher to defend?
Is he you know is that you know, I know,
he's a rookie and it's his first game, so he's
(10:11):
not full song where he's going to be in his career.
But is that kind of an is that kind of
a player maybe even more difficult to kind of prepare for.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Well, what I will say is that when you watch
him and you watch him play offense, you can tell
that he's got a really good understanding of defensive football,
and he's got some nuance and how he runs his
routes and how he understands leverages and things of that nature.
And so I will say that, yeah, you can tell
that he understands football at a high level the way
he plays, and he's got very good athletic gifts as well.
(10:44):
And so you know, it's our job to you know,
Dave will worry about him on and the offensive staff
will worry about him on defense.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
It's our job to defend him on offense.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
And so we're just trying to put our minds in
in in I guess the place of where do we
think they're gonna utilize them?
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Where they're gonna put him in? Are they going to
feature him those things? I
Opon for the review.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Obviously, the season is upon us, and we are very
excited about the opportunity starting this Sunday against Jacksonville, and
we know it's going to be a great challenge and
very well coached team. Head coach that I have a
lot of the respect for, obviously getting his first opportunity,
a lot of talented players on the offensive side. But
(00:26):
we're excited to go out there and show what we
can do and be the best versions of ourselves, and
it's going to be a great matchup. And the one
thing I do want to say is today is my wife,
Natalie Grace's birthday. So I just wanted to wish my
amazing wife Natalie, happy birthday, and I love you very
very much.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
All Right, thank you, coach. With that will open it
up to questions, We'll start with Cassidy followed by Mike.
Speaker 4 (00:48):
Do y'all have any birthday plans or does that kind
of get pushed to the side when it's week one?
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Yeah, push it aside.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
We'll celebrate in the buy a week But she's heading
down with the kids today to Jacksonville, so she'll be
down there support us.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Well.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
Nice get some beach time in obviously, so much attention
is going to go to Travis Hunter and what he
can do, but what is the excitement the challenge of
having that, but also a guy like Brian Thomas Junior
who they're still kind of discovering what all can be
done with him in an offense as well.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Yeah, this is a it's a challenge certainly, just because
one we have an idea what they're going to do,
but not quite sure where they're going to line everybody
up at. And they have so many talented ball carriers
and receivers likettn and the two you talked about Strange
there are there are other running back So they're a
very talented group and they have a lot of guys
(01:42):
that can really create problems in terms of their officive
skill set.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
So we know we got a big challenge ahead of us.
Hey j good morning, Good morning Mike. How you doing well.
Speaker 5 (01:53):
I wanted to ask you two questions. First, you guys
have brought in so many new faces to this defense.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
How do you.
Speaker 5 (02:01):
Think this new front's new upfront seven can help you
guys against the run specifically? And who has been kind
of the standout among the group from that that standpoint?
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Yeah, We're we're excited about the group we have up
front right now. You know, obviously it starts with Derek Brown,
Ashawn Robinson, Turk Wharton, you know, Bobby Brown. All of
those guys have done a really good job. They've had
a really good camp. They're ready to go, they're ready
to go play. And so that's excited excited about what
we're seeing from the Edge guys as well. DJ Wanam,
(02:39):
Pat the two young guys, Nick and prince Ley, DJ Johnson,
Thomas in Coombe. So all of these guys have really
really just improved. All of their games have really increased.
They're all game ready, and so we're excited to see
what they can do.
Speaker 5 (02:56):
And then you brought up Thomas in Coombe. Wantam called
him a thunderbolts and Tracy said that he's got like
an unbelievable get off no matter which direction he's going.
What is he brought to your defense is maybe like
kind of like a fastball in that rotation.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Yeah, he's really he's got traits like a dB. He
can really get off the ball, he could really run,
he can run all day. He's explosive, he's strong and
so and the cool thing about him, just like a
lot of our guys, is you've just seen such growth
and improvement from what he was last year at this time,
and so we're excited to see what he could do
this season.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
All right, we'll go to David Newton, called by Mike
Selarte and Joe Person.
Speaker 6 (03:38):
Hey, Ray, I appreciate your time today. You mentioned your
young edge rushers. How ready are they right now and
how many breaths would you like to get them in
their first game?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Well, we're not quite there yet in terms of the
rep counts and all that, But the one thing I
will say is that, like the one thing we've been
trying to impress on not just the rookies but everybody
in our room is that, you know, when you kind
of start this thing off in the spring, you're kind
of building your defense, and then you get to training
camp and you're going against the offense and it's, you know,
it's the speed of the game is obviously picked up.
(04:13):
You get into the preseason games, it gets even faster
and everyone's going because they're competed at a higher level.
And then the one thing as soon as you hit
that first regular season game, like the speed of the
game gets drops.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Or gonna increases even another level.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
And so like that's the one thing that we want
everybody to be cognizant of, is that, like we've got
to be ready to go. Because of whatever you've seen
and experience in the NFL, it's going to be a
lot faster on Sunday, and so that's what we have
to be ready for.
Speaker 6 (04:41):
Well, how about having on them for a whole training
camp and ready to go? How how brother ahead or
you you feel like with your what's your pass rush
in general? Just because of having him there all the time.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
That's such a great point, and it's it's the truth.
It's when you have these guys that get all the
reps and they've banked all the reps as opposed to
coming in midst season with very few reps, they're going
to be so much better. And so we're excited about
not just DJ, but everybody really getting a lot of
experience and then got a lot of reps and we're
hoping that pace forward.
Speaker 6 (05:13):
Press what you said about your wife, that was great, Oh.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Thank you, thanks. Hopefully scores me some points.
Speaker 7 (05:22):
Aj I was going to give you credit for scoring
a defensive touchdown in week one with that, So that
was pretty good with as you look back, obviously you
don't I'm sure you don't like looking back at the
results of the numbers from last year, But as you
look back at that and look forward to this year,
is there one thing I know you guys go week
(05:43):
to week, but is there one thing you want out
of this defense week in and week out that is
like the focal point for how you guys want to
attack each opponent.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
We always want to be physical, we always want to
play with great effort, We always want to attack the ball,
and we want to play smart.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
And that's what we're looking for.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
And we've certainly drown a lot since we started the
beginning of the sprink with this group of men, and
we'll continue to grow, and you know, what we want
to do is just continue to get better each week
and with the anticipation that the way we're playing in
week fifteen and sixteen is going to be a lot
better than we play week one, but also understanding that
(06:21):
we need to show great improvement on week one and
we need to get some things done and it's important
to try to start off on a fast note.
Speaker 7 (06:29):
And you mentioned Derek Brown a minute ago and having
him back, it's an eleven man unit, but it just
feels like that one man is such a lynchpin to
what everything else behind him, How everything else behind him unfolds.
Do you feel like you got a free free agent
and getting him back this year after missing him all
(06:50):
of last year?
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (06:52):
I mean, he's certainly one of our best players on
our team, and so it's definitely great to have him back.
And we know that when he's available, and he is
available now, that he's going to be a major factor,
and so we're excited about that.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Thanks.
Speaker 8 (07:06):
Good Joe, ej Good morning, Good morning.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Joe.
Speaker 8 (07:12):
Dave yesterday called uh called Merrik an absolute hammer. When
we've talked to him, he very clear about how he's
physical and makes no apologies for it. What was that
somebody like? With his skill set and attitude? Did you
feel like you needed that on this defense or in
that back end?
Speaker 1 (07:34):
It's always great to have guys like him.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
I've been a big fan of his since he played
a TCU and a good friend of mine was his
coach in college and he's been raving about him for
a long time. And Trey plays defensive football the way
you want to see it. Played plays hard, he plays physical.
He's a very very very nice guy off the field,
very respectful, and then he gets on a field and
(07:57):
he's a Tasmanian devil and so it's really really cool
to see and feel and it certainly upslifts his team
missus Wells, and so yeah, it's been really fun to
coach him.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
He's a players to coach and work with.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Day in and day out, and then obviously when we
get on the field in those full contact situations, he's
exactly what you want.
Speaker 8 (08:17):
And then you referenced Liam earlier, what was your relationship
like with him in LA and being I know that
was a fairly star studded staff, but or if, how
or why did he stick out?
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Well, he was an assistant at the time, working with
the quarterbacks, and what he would do is he actually
he was in charge of the scout team, the offensive
scout team that gave the look for the defense. And
so he really impressed me from day one, just his
command of the quarterback, the receivers, the offense, and really
how he took charge of the entire scout operation. And
(08:52):
so it was no surprise to me that his career
is taking the path that it's taken, just because I
saw his intelligence, his ability to relate, his command, his leadership,
and so yeah, I'm a big fan of his as
a person and his coach.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
All Right, got toime for a few more, So we'll
wrap up with Cassidy and then Mike again.
Speaker 4 (09:10):
Yeah, I was just curious, did Princely have to convince
you to give a single digit to a rookie pass rusher?
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Like?
Speaker 4 (09:18):
What was his argument there? How did he earn that so.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Quickly that one did not come across my desk?
Speaker 3 (09:24):
They never mind.
Speaker 5 (09:27):
EJ.
Speaker 7 (09:29):
Obviously, Travis Hunter is a big talking point this way.
Heisman Trophy went here, that can play both ways. From
your experience and not necessarily specific to Travis Hunter, but
when you have a guy that is reading everything, primarily
going to be lining up as a wide receiver and
maybe have some defensive packages, how difficult is it to
(09:50):
prepare for a guy who is a wide receiver but
also kind of knows how to play the quarterback position.
And he I don't know how his brain works, but
I mean, if he can think both positions at the
same time, does that make him even tougher to defend?
Is he you know is that you know, I know,
he's a rookie and it's his first game, so he's
(10:11):
not full song where he's going to be in his career.
But is that kind of an is that kind of
a player maybe even more difficult to kind of prepare for.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Well, what I will say is that when you watch
him and you watch him play offense, you can tell
that he's got a really good understanding of defensive football,
and he's got some nuance and how he runs his
routes and how he understands leverages and things of that nature.
And so I will say that, yeah, you can tell
that he understands football at a high level the way
he plays, and he's got very good athletic gifts as well.
(10:44):
And so you know, it's our job to you know,
Dave will worry about him on and the offensive staff
will worry about him on defense.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
It's our job to defend him on offense.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
And so we're just trying to put our minds in
in in I guess the place of where do we
think they're gonna utilize them?
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Where they're gonna put him in? Are they going to
feature him those things? I
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