Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales stuck with Ejiro Evero through parts of three seasons of leaky run defense before making a change Friday, less than a day after a 27-19 loss in Green Bay dropped the Panthers to 3-4. Evero and defensive pass game coordinator Jonathan Cooley are out, and longtime NFL coordinator Todd Wash now has 10 days to fix the defense before the Denver Broncos come to Charlotte.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler first reported Evero's firing Friday morning, followed minutes later by Cooley , calling it "a sizable cleaning of defensive house in Carolina." The team confirmed both moves, along with Wash's promotion to interim defensive coordinator .
Oct 29, 2026; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Carolina Panthers safety Nick Scott (21) forces a fumble by Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson (9) during their football game at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Dan Powers USA Today Network via IMAGN images
Evero arrived in Charlotte in 2023, a year before Canales, and was one of the few holdovers the new head coach kept. Canales' loyalty to him raised the stakes on both of their futures this week, and ESPN's Mike Kaye reported that Evero had signed an extension in 2025 running through the 2027 season .
The run defense never held up. Carolina entered Thursday allowing a league-worst 153.2 rushing yards per game, 7.5 more than any other team. The Bears rang up 291 yards and six rushing touchdowns in a 59-point opener, and Tampa Bay ran for 258 yards last Sunday. That was the 12th time the Panthers allowed 200 rushing yards under Evero, the most in the league since he was hired.
In 2024, his defense gave up 3,057 rushing yards, the first unit since 1980 to allow more than 3,000, according to ESPN . The unit climbed to 20th against the run in 2025, but that improvement didn't carry into 2026 .
Canales put part of that on the staff after the Bucs loss. "Together, we've got to coach it better, collectively," he said Monday .
The defense actually stopped the run at Lambeau Field, holding the league's worst rushing offense to 66 yards. Safety Nick Scott forced a fumble, Bobby Okereke recovered it, and Zakee Wheatley picked off Jordan Love in the fourth quarter. But Love still threw for 288 yards and three touchdown passes, and the Packers converted 9 of 16 third downs.
"We did a great job on first and second down, owning the run game and minimizing them," Canales said after the game . "Really should have been an advantage for our defense in those modes."
Carolina Panthers cornerback Chau Smith-Wade (26) tries to tackle Green Bay Packers wide receiver Matthew Golden (0) after being held by wide receiver Savion Williams (83) on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers won the game, 27-19.Tork Mason/Green Bay Press-Gazette
Wash has coached Carolina's defensive line since 2023 and called plays as Jacksonville's defensive coordinator from 2016 through 2020. Outside linebackers coach AC Carter will take over the line, and Renaldo Hill stays with the defensive backs.
Hill's room is the bigger problem. Cooley's dismissal comes with the Panthers down their top four cornerbacks . Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson and Akayleb Evans are on injured reserve, and rookie Will Lee III left Thursday with a hamstring injury. Marco Wilson, who joined the team this month, started at Lambeau and led Carolina with eight tackles.
Up front, Derrick Brown and Okereke give Wash two veterans to build around, and edge rusher Jaelan Phillips could return from his hamstring injury after missing the last two games. Carolina had just 11 sacks entering Thursday, though, and the pass rush was a problem again on Thursday night.
The timing gives Wash an extra weekend. Carolina doesn't play again until Nov. 8 against the Broncos, and the trade deadline falls two days later. With $533,061 in cap space, the Panthers are more likely to lean on the staff change than a big addition.
Canales is also tied to this decision now. Wash's first month will go a long way toward deciding whether Carolina's defense, and its head coach, get through the rest of 2026 intact.
This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 30, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
