Last year, the Falcons attempted to interview Ejiro Evero for their defensive coordinator position. The Broncos blocked the move. Atlanta is taking similar actions this year.

Evero is again on Atlanta’s interview list, but with teams unable to block HC interview opportunities, it appears Evero will finally meet with the Falcons. The Panthers’ defensive coordinator received an interview request from the Falcons on Thursday, The Athletic’s Joe Person tweets.

[RELATED: Falcons Request Seven HC Interviews]

The Falcons eventually hired Ryan Nielsen as their DC, but with Arthur Smith now out of a job, uncertainty exists on the team’s staff. On that front, the Falcons are not letting their assistants under contract walk just yet. They are believed to be blocking assistants from interviewing elsewhere, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

This is not too uncommon, as the Panthers have shown this week, blocking Evero from a Jaguars DC interview. But some teams in coaching transitions have also allowed assistants to look elsewhere. The Seahawks have let Pete Carroll‘s assistants explore jobs, giving the next HC full autonomy to assemble a staff. The Rams did so while Sean McVay deliberated on returning or leaving last year. It is unlikely most of Smith’s Falcons assistants will be back. Thus, blocking interviews — a practice allowed for lateral moves, including any coordinator moves not involving a play-calling role — would impede Falcons assistants. That said, it is still early, as eight teams are now looking for head coaches, who are unable to conduct in-person interviews until after the divisional round.

Evero has become one of the more interesting HC candidates in recent years. This marks his second straight offseason as a sought-after candidate despite being tied to a team coming off a woeful season. The Broncos finished 5-12 in 2022, but Evero still interviewed — after Denver’s defense performed well — for all five vacant HC positions last year. Evero’s stock has dipped a bit, as the Falcons are his second HC interview request in this cycle (after the Panthers), but he remains on the HC/coordinator radar despite Carolina’s 2-15 season.

Carolina still views Evero as a potential coordinator under its next head coach, and until that is sorted out, the team could keep blocking its defensive play-caller from interviewing for DC jobs. But Evero will soon explore a Falcons opportunity.