Detroit Lions lose another assistant coach to the Carolina Panthers

Duce Staley is not the only assistant coach the Detroit Lions are losing to the Carolina Panthers, as defensive line coach Todd Wash is also making that move.

The Detroit Lions didn’t want to lose assistant head coach/running backs coach Duce Staley. But his mom’s health situation prompted a move to the same position on the Carolina Panthers staff to be closer to her.

While there may be something to the idea of Lions free agents following Staley to Carolina, a Lions assistant coach will be doing so.

On Thursday evening, the Panthers announced the hiring of Todd Wash as their new defensive line coach.

Wash spent the last two seasons under Dan Campbell in Detroit as the Lions defensive line coach.

With talent added to Wash’s unit (Aidan Hutchinson, Josh Paschal, James Houston), the Lions’ pass rush notably improved in 2022. After ranking 30th in the league in sacks and 29th in pressure rate in 2021, the Lions were top-10 in pressure rate (ninth) with nine more sacks this past season.

Todd Wash another assistant coach leaving Detroit Lions for the Carolina Panthers

Before coming to Detroit on Campbell’s staff, Wash was the Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator for five seasons (2016-2020). Dom Capers was a senior defensive assistant in Jacksonville in 2019, and he served in the same role with the Lions in 2021. Capers is now a senior defensive assistant on Frank Reich’s new staff in Carolina.

As Justin Rogers of The Detroit News noted, the new Panthers’ coaching staff has a heavy influx of Lions’ influence. Wash is joining Staley, Capers and former Lions’ quarterback Josh McCown, who is the Panthers’ new quarterbacks coach.

As for who could replace Wash in Detroit, assistant defensive line coach Cameron Davis is an easily mentioned candidate and the top internal candidate. Davis just completed his first season as an NFL coach, but his resume as a college coach goes back to 2013.