Three days ago, Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales reached the decision to officially relieve defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and defensive passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley of their duties. As he's stated multiple times since, the move wasn't an easy one to make—and that was even more obvious by his words from this afternoon.
When chatting with reporters on Monday, Canales was asked about the players' reaction to the dismissals of Evero and Cooley.
"It's been an appropriate reaction," Canales replied. "With 'E' and with Cooley, these are guys that I really respect, that I really enjoyed working with. That went for the players as well. An appropriate reaction, and there was some sadness. It feels like a loss.
"For me, certainly,
this was a heavy weekend. And at the same time, moving forward, we gotta lock in and be able to figure out what we're doing collectively—and the players are ready to that do that."
Evero and Cooley both came over in 2023, as part of the defensive coaching staff for previous head coach Frank Reich. They'd stick on through the hiring of Canales, with Cooley even earning a bump from his initial role as the cornerbacks and secondary coach.
Defensive line coach Todd Wash has taken over Evero's post as the interim defensive coordinator. The team also hired back DeAngelo Hall, a member of the staff from 2023 and 2024, as their new cornerbacks coach on Monday.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers HC Dave Canales talks about locker room's reaction to firing of DC Ejiro Evero
