Panthers veterans told Trevin Wallace 2 things. The first? ‘It’s your defense now’

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Trevin Wallace said he has one responsibility that trumps all the others when he makes his first start Sunday against the Chicago Bears.

That responsibility isn’t about replacing Shaq Thompson, the veteran inside linebacker who tore his Achilles last week and is presumed out for the year. It’s not about replacing Josey Jewell, either — the other veteran ILB in the Panthers’ 3-4 scheme who hasn’t made a football move since the third quarter of the Bengals game.

It doesn’t have to do with Wallace’s speed or strength or any other physical gifts that inspired the Panthers to take him in the third round of this year’s draft.

It’s about his voice.

“Getting the call out right,” Wallace told The Charlotte Observer on Thursday after practice. He shed a big smile. “They say I got a strong accent, so just making sure they understand me. That’s one thing I got a big emphasis on.”

Wallace, the Kentucky product who sounds like the Jesup, Georgia native he is, has a pretty complex role for his first start of the season. With the Panthers without Jewell and Thompson, Wallace will effectively be running the Panthers’ defense on Sunday. That means calling the plays, yes. But it also means ensuring everyone’s alignments are correct pre-snap, holding everyone accountable — not to mention being a force in the pass game and run game.

“It’s crazy, the team told me that it’s my defense now,” Wallace said. “When I hear that from vets, it’s like, ‘OK, they trust me.’ So that’s good. From Jaycee (Horn). From Jadeveon Clowney, all them boys. Nick Thurman. Shy (Tuttle). They were telling me, ‘It’s your defense now. Control it.’ That showed me that they’re comfortable with me out there. It showed me they trust me.”

The Panthers have plenty of reason to trust him. Wallace has seen his snap count gradually increase in four games, and coaches and teammates say he’s shown his immense playmaking potential in all his reps, which the Panthers need.

Carolina ranks 31st in sack percentage at 4.17%; last year’s ILB Frankie Luvu was huge in the pass game last year, and this unit hasn’t been able to recoup that loss year. The defense also sits last in points allowed (32.3) and 28th in opponents third-down conversion (49%).

The defense has also struggled with tackling, which was on display in the worst way against Cincinnati. The most memorable play saw a Joe Burrow-Ja’Marr Chase completion go from a 15-yard gain to a 63-yard touchdown as Chase pinballed off and between defenders unable to drag him down before he scurried into the end zone.

Plugging Wallace in won’t heal the Panthers’ defense of all its ailments — particularly because Thompson was one of the best players on the field for the Panthers every time he stepped on it this year. But it’s clear his teammates want him to succeed. Thompson and Jewell have sung Wallace’s praises from Day One. They’ve also done some friendly hazing — including instituting a fine system for the ILBs similar to the fine system that safety Xavier Woods runs among the defensive backs. (Dropped INT in practice? Fine. Missed assignment? Fine. Forgetting a defensive assistant coach’s birthday? Yep. That’s a fine, too.)

Wallace also has the wish of his coaching staff, who are determined to make the rookie’s first start as clean as possible.

Pete Hansen, the team’s linebackers coach, said that the primary coaching point he’s drilling into Wallace is the motto: one play at a time. The other?

“My job is to try to make the whole thing simple for him as well, and all the guys in the room,” Hansen said. “So we started on Monday talking about alignments. And even though they’ve done a good job with alignments throughout practice, throughout training camp, we wanted to bring it back. Day One. Let’s align.

“If you can align, more than half your job is really done. That’s really been the focus of keeping things simple.”

Linebacker Claudin Cherelus, who will spend a bunch of time alongside Wallace on Sunday, said he’s excited to see what the rookie can do.

“Not too many guys that you’ll find can run like that, hit like that, at that size and put it all together,” Cherelus said of Wallace, who ran a 4.51 at 6-foot-1, 237 pounds. “I’d like to think me and Trevin as two similar type players because I can run myself, and we’re both bigger guys. We don’t shy away from coverage.”

As far as getting the play call out? Cherelus understands Wallace in this way too — as in: literally understands what he’s saying.

“Every now and then I have to tell the back end (of the defense), ‘Yeah, this is what he said,’” Cherelus said. “But we’ll be alright.”

Panthers offensive line, however dominant, still thinking about 1 play

The Carolina Panthers’ offensive line has been a strength for the team this season in pretty much every metric — from QB pressures, to PFF grades, to pretty much every aspect of the run game.

But many are still thinking about the one that got away.

Harold Goodwin, the team’s run-game coordinator, told reporters on Thursday that the fourth-and-1 goal-line stuff by the Bengals on the Panthers’ opening drive last week still stings for him and this offensive line group.

“For me, the first thing that stands out for me is that the guys get along,” Goodwin said. “They believe in each other. They fight for each other. They hold each other accountable. Austin, playing the center position, also being a leader of the room.

“Unfortunately, last week, we didn’t punch it in. If I was coach, I’d still go for it. We have to do a better job of coaching it. And do a better job of blocking it. And there were a couple plays Coach called, I feel like the ball should’ve got in. We just gotta block it better. As a group, the guys know we gotta do better than that. So hopefully it never happens again.”

Quick hits

▪ The Panthers’ injury report Thursday isn’t all that different from Wednesday. That is to say: it’s remarkably long. Here’s a rundown of the list. Those who did not participate in practice Thursday: ILB Josey Jewell (hamstring/groin), OL Andrew Raym (concussion), RB Miles Sanders (illness), WR Jalen Coker (foot), TE Tommy Tremble (knee), OL Taylor Moton (rest). Those who were limited in practice today: OLB Charles Harris (shoulder), OL Robert Hunt (hip), OL Damien Lewis (elbow), S Nick Scott (shoulder), NT Shy Tuttle (foot), CB Dane Jackson (hamstring), TE Ian Thomas (calf), WR Diontae Johnson (ankle), Lonnie Johnson Jr. (hip).

▪ Jadeveon Clowney, who pressured Burrow into an interception last week, said he can’t believe he didn’t get a sack on that play. He said with a smile: “I don’t really even want to talk about it.” But the Rock Hill native and Carolina pass rusher is optimistic about the defense heading into the game against the Bears — despite the defensive front being in relative injured disrepair.

▪ Follow Observer reporters Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) and Alex Zietlow (@alexzietlow05), and columnist Scott Fowler (@scott_fowler), on X, formerly known as Twitter, for the latest Panthers news and highlights.