New Carolina Panthers defensive line coach Todd Wash is apparently the cat’s meow.
In a fresh feature from team reporter Darin Gantt, lineman Derrick Brown gave his early impression of Wash—who was hired as part of the organization’s staff overhaul this offseason. And according to the fourth-year defender, he has quite the presence. The article reads:
“He’s a very loud cat,” Brown said of his new position coach. “So every single day, he’s pushing us, pushing us. And that’s what we need.
“He wants us to definitely be in shape and be able to play as many plays as you can. So at the end of the day, that helps all of us.”
Ironically enough, this cat’s previous pair of NFL stops came with a couple of feline-themed squads. Wash served in the same position for the Detroit Lions between 2021 and 2022 and, before that, spent eight seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a defensive line coach, run game coordinator and defensive coordinator.
He, in turn, had some complimentary words for Brown—who is learning to adapt to Carolina’s switch to a 3-4 base defense.
“I think right now, everybody out there understands, he’s a great run defender,” Wash said about Brown during his press conference on Wednesday. “He’s big, strong, stout, and he can play all the positions across the board. The biggest thing we’re going to start working on is the pass-rush side of things. He’s a big athlete. He’s 330 pounds, but he has the ability and speed and explosiveness to get on the edges of guards. That’s the biggest thing we’re working on.”
So when it comes to the offseason plan for Brown, perhaps you can say the cat is now out of the bag.
