Panthers fire DC Ejiro Evero; name interim DC and defensive play caller

The Panthers took an ugly 27-19 loss to the Packers on Thursday Night Football, and Carolina responded to that loss by parting ways with defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and defensive passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley.

Todd Wash was named interim defensive coordinator and will call the defensive plays, according to a release from the Panthers shared by Joe Person of The Athletic.

Ejiro was hired by the Panthers as the team’s defensive coordinator in 2023 after one season in the DC role with the Los Angeles Rams. He was hired during Frank Reich’s tenure as the Panthers’ head coach, but Dave Canales retained him when he was hired by Carolina.

Wash spent five seasons as the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator. From the Panthers’ release:

Wash originally joined Carolina’s staff in 2023 and has 31 years of coaching experience, including 20 in the NFL. He spent five seasons (2016-20) serving as the defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars, including in 2017 when the team had the second-ranked defense in the league and advanced to the AFC Championship Game.

It wasn’t just Thursday night’s loss that led to the decision. The loss to the Packers on a short week came on the heels of an embarrassing 43-13 loss to the Buccaneers in Week 7. But Baker Mayfield only threw for about 63 yards, and the Buccaneers ran all over Carolina. On Thursday night, the Panthers let Jordan Love throw for 288 yards and three touchdowns while Bryce Young took six sacks and finished with a QBR of 36.2.

In addition to the termination of Evero and Cooley, the Panthers announced that OLB/run game specialist AC Carter will also take on defensive line coaching responsibilities. Secondary coach Renardo Hill will retain his position.

The Panthers are sitting at 3-4 and remain in first place in a very weird NFC South, but if the Falcons win this week, that will change. If you’ve paid any attention to the Atlanta Falcons, you know that’s always a big “if.”

We will update this story as more information becomes available.