Panthers 'Expected' to Hire Jonathan Cooley

The Carolina Panthers are expected to hire Jonathan Cooley as the defensive backs coach, according to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic.

Cooley spent the last three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. He joined the organization in 2020 as a defensive assistant/quality control coach and then transitioned into the defensive backs coach this past season.

In his lone season as a position coach, the Rams allowed 226 passing yards per game, 6.9 yards per attempt, and a completion percentage of 67.4%. Those three statistics ranked in the bottom half of the league, but it doesn't tell the whole story. L.A. was hampered with injuries all season long, including losing defensive lineman Aaron Donald for six games which impacted their ability to get after the passer.

But it wasn't all bad. Cooley's unit ranked fifth in opponents passer rating (83.8), third in interceptions (19), and did not allow any quarterback to throw for over 300 net yards.

During two of those three years in L.A. he worked alongside Ejiro Evero.

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