Panthers Fire Defensive Coordinator Ejiro Evero a Day After Losing in Green Bay

By The Arena Staff

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 30, 2026 — The Carolina Panthers did not wait long after Thursday night in Green Bay. By Friday morning, their defensive coordinator was gone.

Head coach Dave Canales parted ways with defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and defensive passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley, the team announced. Defensive line coach Todd Wash was named interim defensive coordinator and will call the defensive plays.

The move came hours after a 27-19 loss to the Packers at Lambeau Field. Carolina slowed Green Bay's running game, which entered the night as the league's worst, but Jordan Love completed 30 of 41 passes for 288 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, according to CBS Sports.

It was the latest in a string of rough nights for the defense. The Panthers opened the season with a 59-37 loss to the Chicago Bears, the most points the franchise has ever allowed in a game, and lost to Tampa Bay by 30 points at home in their previous game, CBS Sports reported. NFL.com noted that Carolina entered Thursday 27th in the league in points allowed per game, 22nd in yards allowed and last against the run.

Evero came to Carolina in 2023 under former coach Frank Reich and was kept on when Canales took over in 2024. Before that he was Denver's defensive coordinator in 2022 after five seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. NFL.com reported that his Panthers defenses never ranked higher than 15th in points allowed and finished last in 2024. CBS Sports pointed to one strength, a pass defense that allowed the fourth-fewest passing yards per game in the league since 2023.

Injuries did him no favors this fall. Cornerbacks Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson and Akayleb Evans were all on injured reserve for the Green Bay game, according to CBS Sports, and NFL.com noted that pass rusher Jaelan Phillips has missed time and Nic Scourton was lost for the season before it started.

Wash has run a defense before. He joined Carolina's staff in 2023 and has 31 years of coaching experience, 20 of them in the NFL, according to the team. He spent five seasons as Jacksonville's defensive coordinator from 2016 to 2020, including the 2017 season, when the Jaguars had the league's second-ranked defense and reached the AFC Championship Game.

The rest of the staff shifts with him. Outside linebackers coach AC Carter will add the defensive line to his duties, and secondary coach Renaldo Hill will keep overseeing the defensive backs, the team said.

There is still something to play for. At 3-4, the Panthers are tied with the Atlanta Falcons atop the NFC South, which Carolina won last season with an 8-9 record, according to CBS Sports.

Sources: Carolina Panthers, NFL.com and CBS Sports.