The Carolina Panthers fired defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero on Friday, less than half a day after his unit collapsed again in primetime.

Evero and defensive passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley both lost their jobs following the 27-19 defeat at Lambeau Field, the Panthers announced. Defensive line coach Todd Wash moves up to interim coordinator and will call the defensive plays, the team said.

Canales said he made the call himself, though owner David Tepper and general manager Dan Morgan took part in the process, according to ESPN. "This falls squarely under the responsibilities of the head coach," he told the outlet.

Through seven games, Evero's defense ranked 30th against the run and gave up 27.6 points a contest, ESPN reported. His 2024 unit became the first since 1980 to allow 3,000 rushing yards in a season.

His defenses have surrendered 200 or more rushing yards in a league-worst 12 games since then. Green Bay piled up 354 net yards and four touchdowns on Thursday night, according to ESPN, and Carolina gave up 70 points over its past two games, Sports Illustrated reported.

The defense had improved from a last-place 31.4 points allowed in 2024, Fox News reported. It held star backs Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs in check during wins over Atlanta and Detroit. Carolina also sat atop the NFC South at 3-4 on the morning of the firing. The team had signed Evero to an extension through 2027 earlier this year, multiple outlets reported.

Wash brings 31 years of coaching experience, 20 of them in the NFL, the Panthers said. He ran the Jacksonville defense from 2016 to 2020 and guided the league's second-ranked unit to the AFC Championship Game in 2017, according to the team.

Outside linebackers coach AC Carter will add the defensive line to his duties, the Panthers said. Renaldo Hill continues to oversee the secondary, according to the team.