The Carolina Panthers have had themselves a busy Tuesday.
First, they hired former Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell as a senior assistant. Then, they officially named Duce Staley to their staff—bringing on the former rusher as the team’s assistant head coach and running backs coach.
And now, they might be getting another one in before the clock strikes midnight.
As first reported by Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic and later confirmed by Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer, the Panthers plan to hire Jonathan Cooley as their next defensive backs coach. Cooley has spent the last three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, where he crossed paths with Carolina’s new defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.
Hearing the Carolina Panthers intend to bring former Rams DBs coach Jonathan Cooley aboard their defensive staff, as a DBs coach. Cooley – another young assistant – was first hired in 2020 to help Brandon Staley install their new defense and has worked w/ DBs since.
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) February 14, 2023
The former defensive back cracked the NFL sidelines with the Rams in 2020, after a nine-year run at the collegiate level. He began as a defensive assistant and quality control coach and was promoted to defensive backs coach in 2022.
