This past Friday, the Carolina Panthers relieved defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and defensive passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley of their duties. And on Tuesday, for the first time since those firings, we got to hear from some of the players.
Defensive lineman Bobby Brown III spoke to reporters following yesterday's practice, and was asked if he and his teammates took Evero's dismissal personally. Here, via Joe Person of The Athletic, is what he had to say . . .
Asked if defensive players took Ejiro Evero’s firing personally, Panthers DL Bobby Brown said players are “puppets” no matter the scheme. pic.twitter.com/Qcojl8NquD
— Joe Person (@josephperson) November 3, 2026
With Evero out, the Panthers have shifted play-calling duties to former defensive line coach and new interim defensive coordinator
Todd Wash. Wash, who served as the defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars between 2016 and 2020, is known for using a 4-3 scheme—different from Evero's 3-4.
But despite some speculation about a change, defensive lineman and team captain Derrick Brown—per Steve Reed of The Associated Press—doesn't see a whole lot of makeover moving forward . . .
Panthers DL Derrick Brown on if it would be hard to go from a 3-4 base defense to a 4-3 midseason:
— Steve Reed (@SteveReedAP) November 3, 2026
“I don't think that's what we're doing. So it's one of those things where we just got a few different tweaks here and there. But for the most part we're going to do what we did.”
Carolina enters Week 9 ranked 23rd in total defense (349.6 yards allowed per game) and 28th in scoring defense (27.6 points allowed per game). They also rank 27th in third-down defense (45.8 percent conversion rate allowed) and have amassed the fifth-fewest sacks (11).
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers players react to the firing of DC Ejiro Evero
