Panthers Dismiss Evero, Make Defensive Staff Shakeup After Loss
WHO:
panthers.com - The Panthers signed former Dallas cornerback Caelen Carson to the practice squad. Carson, 24, played at Wake Forest and was a fifth-round pick in 2024.
ESPN - Panthers owner Dave Tepper, general manager Dan Morgan, and executive vice president of football operations Brandt Tilis were involved in the coaching decision, according to head coach Dave Canales.
ESPN - The Panthers are considering adding to the defensive coaching staff, a source told ESPN.
NBC Sports - Ejiro Evero joined Carolina in 2023 as a member of Frank Reich’s staff and remained with the team after Dave Canales was hired in 2024.
NBC Sports - Evero was Denver’s defensive coordinator in 2022; his first NFL position-coaching job was as the Rams’ safeties coach in 2017, and he was the Rams’ secondary coach and passing game coordinator in 2021.
panthers.com - Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales announced that the team parted ways with defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and defensive passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley.
panthers.com - Defensive line coach Todd Wash was named interim defensive coordinator and will call defensive plays.
panthers.com - Outside linebackers coach and run game specialist AC Carter will also coach the defensive line; secondary coach Renaldo Hill will continue overseeing the defensive backs.
Fox News - Evero, 45, had been Canales’ defensive coordinator since 2024.
panthers.com - Wash has 31 years of coaching experience, including 20 in the NFL, and is in his fourth season as Carolina’s defensive line coach.
panthers.com - Wash worked with Panthers head coach Dave Canales and general manager Dan Morgan on the Seattle Seahawks’ staff.
WHAT:
panthers.com - Todd Wash’s 2017 Jacksonville defense ranked second in the NFL in total defense and reached the AFC Championship Game.
panthers.com - Wash coached Aidan Hutchinson to 9.5 sacks, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries in 2022; Hutchinson earned defensive rookie of the month honors in November, December and January.
panthers.com - Derrick Brown set a league record for tackles in a season by a lineman under Wash in 2023.
ESPN - Dave Canales said, “The effort’s been there,” and called for the defense to get “everybody on the same page,” play fast and physically, and focus on stopping the run and owning first and second down.
ESPN - Carolina’s defense held Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs to modest rushing numbers in wins over Atlanta and Detroit, respectively.
ESPN - Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson were making progress in rehabilitation, according to Canales; Jaelan Phillips had missed the previous two games with a hamstring injury, and Bobby Brown had missed the Green Bay game with a hand injury.
panthers.com - Derrick Brown said, “We’re not going to explode from the inside out,” and urged the team to stay together and work through the changes.
panthers.com - Chuba Hubbard said Carolina was not in “panic mode” and that players needed to evaluate what went right and wrong and move forward.
ESPN - Canales said Evero and Jonathan Cooley won a Super Bowl together with the Los Angeles Rams.
ESPN - During Ejiro Evero’s tenure, Carolina ranked 30th in scoring defense, 28th in pass rush win rate, and last in rushing defense.
ESPN - Safety Zakee Wheatley recorded the first interception of his professional career against Green Bay, and rookie linebacker Jackson Kuwatch forced his first fumble on special teams.
ESPN - Second-round pick Lee Hunter was a regular on the defensive line, and undrafted lineman Aaron Hall had been given a role early in the season.
ESPN - Defensive linemen Derrick Brown, Bobby Brown III and Tershawn Wharton, outside linebackers Jaelan Phillips, Patrick Jones II and Princely Umanmielen, and inside linebackers Devin Lloyd and Bobby Okereke were identified as players with scheme versatility.
ESPN - Todd Wash will serve as interim defensive coordinator for Carolina’s remaining 10 games.
ESPN - Evero’s defense finished fourth overall in his first season as defensive coordinator, then became the first defense since 1980 to allow 3,000 rushing yards in one season.
ESPN - The defense improved across the board in 2025 after Carolina added safety Tre’von Moehrig in free agency and outside linebackers Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen in the draft.
NFL.com - Carolina’s defense ranked 22nd in yards allowed per game and 32nd in rushing yards allowed, in addition to ranking 27th in points allowed per game.
NFL.com - Pass rusher Jaelan Phillips missed time, while Nic Scourton suffered a season-ending injury before the campaign started.
panthers.com - Carson appeared in 17 NFL games, including eight starts, and spent parts of the previous three seasons with the Cowboys.
panthers.com - The signing filled the practice-squad spot opened when Malcolm DeWalt IV was signed to the active roster. Carolina had six cornerbacks on its practice squad.
panthers.com - After Will Lee III injured his hamstring, Carolina’s active roster had DeWalt and Chau Smith-Wade at cornerback; Marco Wilson was elevated from the practice squad for the end of the Packers game.
panthers.com - Corey Thornton, Robert Rochell, Zion Childress, and DeVonta Smith were also on the practice squad. Rochell had used all three practice-squad elevations, while Wilson had used his first.
ESPN - Carolina’s defense allowed 354 net yards and four touchdowns against Green Bay.
ESPN - Carolina’s defense gave up 291 rushing yards and eight total touchdowns against Chicago, and 258 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns against Tampa Bay.
ESPN - Through seven games, the defense ranked 30th against the run, ninth against the pass, and 23rd in total defense; it allowed 27.6 points per game, the sixth-most in the league.
ESPN - Since 2024, Evero’s defenses allowed 12 games in which opponents rushed for at least 200 yards, the most in the league and six more than the next-ranked teams.
NBC Sports - The Rams won the Super Bowl in 2021 while Evero was their secondary coach and passing game coordinator.
NBC Sports - Carolina was tied for first place in the NFC South with the Atlanta Falcons.
Fox News - The Panthers lost 27-19 to the Green Bay Packers, their second consecutive loss, and fell to 3-4.
Fox News - Carolina was still atop the NFC South despite its 3-4 record.
Fox News - Carolina’s defense allowed 31.4 points per game in 2024, ranking last in the NFL; in 2025, it allowed 23 points per game, ranking 16th.
Fox News - The defense allowed 27.6 points per game this season, ranking 27th in the NFL.
Fox News - Starting cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson missed the team’s recent games; backup cornerback Akayleb Evans, linebackers Nic Scourton and Thomas Incoom, and defensive tackle Cam Jackson were on injured reserve.
panthers.com - Wash was Jacksonville’s defensive coordinator from 2016 to 2020. In 2017, the Jaguars had the league’s second-ranked defense and reached the AFC Championship Game.
panthers.com - Wash coached three Jacksonville defenses that finished in the top 10 in total defense.
panthers.com - In Detroit in 2022, Wash coached Aidan Hutchinson to 9.5 sacks, three interceptions, and two fumble recoveries; Hutchinson earned defensive rookie of the month honors in November, December, and January.
panthers.com - Under Wash in 2023, Derrick Brown set a league record for tackles in a season by a lineman and became a Pro Bowler.
panthers.com - Wash coached on Seattle’s staff in 2011 and 2012 and previously coached in Tampa, Seattle, and Detroit.
WHERE:
ESPN - Carolina’s next game is against Denver at home.
Fox News - The Packers game was played at Lambeau Field.
Fox News - Carolina’s next listed opponent was the Denver Broncos, who had a 5-2 record.
WHEN:
ESPN - Carolina’s game against Denver is scheduled for Nov. 8.
ESPN - Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson are eligible to return from injured reserve once cleared to play.
panthers.com - Wash was named interim defensive coordinator on Friday.
Fox News - The coaching changes were announced Friday after the Thursday-night loss to Green Bay.
WHY:
NFL.com - NFL.com reported that the Panthers’ offensive struggles over the previous two weeks and shortcomings across all three phases also contributed to the team’s 3-4 start.
ESPN - Canales said the decision followed an evaluation of what was best for the 2026 Panthers, including the timing and the team’s position.
ESPN - Canales said he wanted the defense to play connected, fast, and physically, execute together, and improve at stopping the run and owning first and second down.
Fox News - The Panthers said the staff changes followed the team’s loss; Fox News reported that injuries had depleted the defense.
Fox News - Canales was hoping Wash could spark the defense as Carolina pursued a second consecutive division title.
HOW:
ESPN - Wash’s Jacksonville hybrid front combined odd- and even-front tendencies with three- and four-man defensive lines.
ESPN - Todd Wash’s Jacksonville defense used a hybrid front combining odd- and even-front tendencies with three- and four-man defensive lines.
ESPN - The Panthers’ defense had held Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs to modest rushing numbers in wins over Atlanta and Detroit, respectively.
ESPN - Canales said the decision to move on from Evero was ultimately his, after discussions with Tepper, Morgan, and Tilis.
panthers.com - Wash had previously called plays in the NFL.
panthers.com - Carter’s expanded duties include coaching the defensive line, while Hill retains responsibility for the defensive backs.
panthers.com - Wash played quarterback and safety in high school in North Dakota, then played outside linebacker at North Dakota State and was on national championship teams in 1988 and 1990.
panthers.com - Wash attended Houston Oilers training camp in 1992 before beginning a college coaching career.
panthers.com - Wash’s wife, Darci, was an All-American basketball player at North Dakota State, played on three national championship teams, and entered the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012.
Carolina fired defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and passing-game coordinator Jonathan Cooley after defensive struggles. Todd Wash takes over as interim coordinator, with ten games remaining this season. The Panthers rank last against the run and allow 27.6 points per game.