The Carolina Panthers have relieved Ejiro Evero of defensive coordinator duties, the team announced Friday. Longtime defensive line coach Todd Wash will serve as interim defensive coordinator for the remaining 10 games of the season.
Defensive passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley was also let go Friday.
Panthers head coach Dave Canales said team owner Dave Tepper, GM Dan Morgan and EVP of football operations Brandt Tilis were "involved in the process the whole time -- ultimately, this is my decision," Canales said of the call to move on from Evero.
"This falls squarely under the responsibilities of the head coach. And so, as I was evaluating it, and looking for what was best for the 2026 Carolina Panthers, this was a decision that we discussed. And weighed in all the factors -- the timing of it, the position of our group -- all of those things to make the best decision going forward."
As a result of the changes, outside linebackers coach AC Carter will add defensive line duties with Wash's promotion, and secondary coach Renaldo Hill will oversee the entire defensive back operation following Cooley's departure. The Panthers are also considering adding to the defensive staff given the aforementioned departures, a source told ESPN.
Carolina lost 27-19 to Green Bay at Lambeau Field on Thursday night, a game that highlighted many of the inconsistencies that have plagued the defense this season. The Packers racked up 354 net yards and four touchdowns against the Panthers' defense.
The group allowed 291 rushing yards and eight total touchdowns in a Week-1 loss to the Chicago Bears and 258 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in a Week-6 setback against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Through seven games, Evero's defense ranked 30th against the run, ninth versus the pass and 23rd in total defense. The Panthers are also allowing an average of 27.6 points per game, the sixth most per game in the league.
Wash previously served as the Jacksonville Jaguars' defensive coordinator from 2016 to '20. In 2017, Wash oversaw the league's second-ranked defense and the Jaguars made it to the AFC Championship Game.
"Just want to see the guys connected," Canales said about his expectations for the defense under Wash. "I want to see them excited about going out there and executing the plan and playing fast and playing the physical brand.
"The effort's been there and those things are right, but I know that we can make strides with being able to get everybody on the same page -- tying in the whole unit. Eleven as one -- do your one-eleventh and being able to execute that way. That's what I'm hoping happens, and for me, philosophically speaking, it starts with the run game. It starts with owning first and second down. And being able to be aggressive and attacking in different ways."
Evero, 45, had led the Panthers' defense since 2023 (59 games). He was already on staff when coach Dave Canales was hired in 2024. Despite finishing as the fourth-ranked overall unit in his first season at the helm, Evero's group became the first defense since 1980 to allow 3,000 rushing yards in a single campaign during the 2024 season.
Since 2024, Evero's defenses have allowed a league-leading 12 games of 200 or more rushing yards by an opponent. That's six more games than the next defensive units in the category (Giants, Commanders).
The unit improved across the board in 2025 following the additions of safety Tre'von Moehrig in free agency and outside linebackers Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen in the draft. But the start of 2026 featured extremely mixed results. While the group held standout running backs Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs to pedestrian numbers -- for them -- in impressive wins against the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions, respectively, the defense also had massive letdowns against the Bears, Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns.
Evero and Cooley won a Super Bowl together with the Los Angeles Rams