At the very least, the Carolina Panthers will be getting everything that they can get out of their new defensive play-caller.
Todd Wash spoke with reporters on Thursday, his first chat with media since being named the team's interim defensive coordinator last week. When Vashti Hurt of Carolina Blitz asked Wash to describe himself as a coach, the 58-year-old got a bit emotional . . .
This means something to him…
— Carolina Blitz (@KeepBlitzin) November 5, 2026
Panthers interim defensive coordinator, Todd Wash, got emotional when I asked him to describe himself as a coach. pic.twitter.com/ydLGg0REiM
Wash has been coaching football dating back to 1996, when he was hired as the defensive coordinator at Fort Lewis College. His 30-year journey through the game also included stints as the defensive line
coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2008 to 2010), Seattle Seahawks (2011 to 2012), Jacksonville Jaguars (2013 to 2015) and the Detroit Lions (2021 to 2022) before taking up the post in Carolina.
That stop with the Jags also saw Wash serve as a defensive coordinator from 2016 to 2020. Wash, in his first three seasons on the job, led the league's sixth-, second-, fifth-ranked defenses.
Last Friday, Wash was named interim defensive coordinator following the dismissal of Ejiro Evero—who also joined the Panthers in 2023.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Todd Wash gets emotional when speaking for first time as Panthers interim DC
