Panthers fire DC Ejiro Evero, name Todd Wash interim in defensive shakeup - USA Today
The Carolina Panthers have fired their defensive coordinator, Ejiro Evero, the team announced on Friday, Oct. 30.
Along with Evero, Carolina also parted ways with defensive passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley. The defensive line coach, Todd Wash, has been named the interim defensive coordinator and will handle the play-calling duties on that side of the ball.
As part of the changes, outside linebackers coach and run game specialist AC Carter will now also coach the defensive line. Renaldo Hill, the secondary coach, will continue in his role.
The moves come not even 12 hours after the Panthers lost to the Green Bay Packers on "Thursday Night Football."
Evero was hired as the Panthers' DC in 2023 under then-head coach, Frank Reich. He was retained when Dave Canales took the job in 2026.
The Panthers' struggles on defense all season long were enough for the team to part with Evero.
Carolina is allowing the sixth-most points per game (27.6) and the third-most rushing yards per game (140.7) in what has been a season-long issue. After allowing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to score 43 points in a Week 7 blowout loss, Carolina followed that up with a 27-19 loss on "Thursday Night Football" in Green Bay.
With 10 days to prepare for their next game, the timing made sense for the Panthers to make a move.
And while injuries have been an issue, not meeting expectations is a bigger one. The Panthers are coming off an NFC South division title in 2025 and nearly knocked off the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round. No one was planning a parade for an 8-9 team that snuck into the postseason, but the idea was that Carolina could build off that.
Instead, Canales' team is 3-4 after seven games in what is a winnable NFC South. Despite the under .500 record, the Panthers are still in first place.
Making the move now allows the team a chance to right the ship defensively, as best it can, while making a playoff push.
Wash began his coaching career at the college level in 1996, serving as defensive coordinator for NCAA Division II Fort Lewis. He made the leap to the NFL in 2007 as a defensive quality control coach for the Buccaneers.
The 58-year-old has bounced around the league with the Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions before joining the Panthers coaching staff in 2023.
This wouldn't be the first time that Wash has been a defensive coordinator at the professional level. That was the position he held with the Jaguars from 2016 to 2020. His tenure also included the second-ranked defense in the league in 2017 when Jacksonville advanced to the AFC Championship Game.
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