Panthers Fire Ex-Broncos DC Ejiro Evero, and Denver Will Face a Brand-New Play-Caller in Charlotte

Broncos Country, the defense waiting for Denver in Charlotte just got a new voice in the headset, and it isn't the guy who used to run ours.

The Panthers fired defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and defensive passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley on Friday morning, hours after Thursday night's 27-19 loss at Green Bay dropped Carolina to 3-4, the team announced. Defensive line coach Todd Wash is the interim coordinator and will call the defensive plays. Outside linebackers coach AC Carter picks up the defensive line, and Renaldo Hill keeps the secondary. Per the AP, Evero is the first NFL coordinator fired this season.

The numbers explain it. NFL.com says Carolina entered Thursday 27th in points allowed per game, 22nd in yards allowed and dead last against the run, with both starting corners lost to injury along the way. Even so, the Panthers are still tied with Atlanta atop the NFC South, per PFT.

Denver fans know Evero well. The Broncos hired him as defensive coordinator under Nathaniel Hackett in 2022. When Hackett was fired that December, Denver offered Evero the interim head coach job, and he turned it down to stay with the defense, per DNVR; Jerry Rosburg finished the season instead. After Sean Payton arrived in 2023, Evero landed in Carolina under Frank Reich and stayed on when Dave Canales took over.

Our Take: This makes Denver's trip tougher to scout, not easier. Wash ran Jacksonville's defense from 2016 to 2020, including the 2017 unit that ranked No. 2 in the league and reached the AFC title game, so this is not a first-time play-caller. Carolina also gets 10 days between Thursday's loss and the Broncos game to install whatever he wants, while Denver has a home game to handle first. What the tape from the last seven games can't tell Payton is which calls survive the change. What it does tell him is that this front has struggled to stop the run, and that should be the plan on Nov. 8. Run it early, run it often, and make the Panthers prove they've fixed it.

What to watch: Broncos at Panthers, Sunday, Nov. 8 at Bank of America Stadium (11 AM MT, CBS).

Story first flagged via Broncos Wire; firing details via the Panthers and AP.

Sources: Carolina Panthers, AP News, NFL.com, CBS Sports, Pro Football Talk, DNVR, ESPN Broncos schedule, Broncos Wire