The Panthers have made a change on defense, and Todd Wash is the man stepping into the spotlight.
Carolina announced Friday morning that it has moved on from Ejiro Evero, ending a four-year run that left the defense sitting as the NFL’s sixth-worst scoring unit as of the start of Week 8. For now, Wash will handle the coordinator job after serving as the team’s defensive line coach since 2023.
This isn’t a brand-new stage for Wash. He has already been a defensive coordinator once before, running the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense from 2016 through 2020.
That stretch came with mixed results in the overall rankings: Jacksonville finished sixth, second, fifth, 24th and 31st in total defense across those five seasons. The bright spot was the pass defense, which ranked fifth, first and second in his first three years.
Wash’s coaching background stretches beyond Jacksonville. He worked as a defensive line coach in Tampa Bay from 2008 to 2010, in Seattle from 2011 to 2012 and in Detroit from 2021 to 2022. His Seattle years overlapped with Panthers general manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales.
Scheme-wise, Wash has used a 4-3 base with the Jaguars and has experience with Tampa 2. Carolina, though, had been in a 3-4 base under Evero, and an overhaul that dramatic eight games into the season looks unlikely.
The move also triggered changes on the staff around him. Outside linebackers coach and run game specialist AC Carter has had his duties expanded into the defensive line group, and defensive passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley has been let go.
In Other News...
Panthers Loss Revealed Who Actually Held Up In Week 8
The Panthers Week 8 loss to Green Bay did more than add another result to the record. It also offered a useful look at which players managed to steady a lineup dealing with a makeshift offensive line and a thin cornerback group, and Pro Football Focus grades helped sort out who held up when the pressure mounted. Corey Bullock came out as the top performer up front, while Lee Hunter stood out on the defensive side in a game where Carolina needed reliable snaps wherever it could find them.
For a roster trying to survive injuries and patchwork depth, those evaluations matter because they point to more than just one rough afternoon. They show which pieces were able to function in a difficult setup and which areas still need help, especially on a defense that was already stretched at cornerback. The grades do not change the loss, but they do sharpen the picture of who the Panthers can lean on as the season keeps moving. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Just Sent A Clear Message About Their Biggest Problem
The Panthers moved quickly after their Week 8 loss to the Packers, parting ways with defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and defensive pass-game coordinator Jonathan Cooley in a clear sign that the defense had become the teams most urgent problem. Carolina pointed to the units struggles against the run and the steady stream of points it has allowed, making the changes less about one bad afternoon than a broader breakdown that had been building for weeks.
Todd Walsh will step in as interim defensive coordinator beginning in Week 9, giving the Panthers a new voice in charge of a defense that has been under heavy scrutiny. For a team trying to stabilize its season, the move puts the spotlight on whether a midstream reset can fix the issues that have been dragging the roster down and whether the front office is prepared to keep making changes if the response does not come quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers May Be Forced Into An O-Line Decision After Another Rough Day
A rough afternoon against the Packers put Carolinas offensive line back under the microscope, with Bryce Young taking six sacks and the protection issues becoming impossible to ignore. Dave Canales addressed the problem afterward, saying the group has to get better, and the timing is especially tricky with injuries already thinning the unit.
Damien Lewis and Corey Bullock have both been part of the disruption up front, and Brady Christensen is now part of the conversation after missing time with a hamstring injury. Canales said Christensen could be considered to help the line, which leaves the Panthers weighing how to patch together a group that has already been tested more than once. [Read more 🡒]