Trevin Wallace on what Panthers defensive vets told him going into his first NFL start

Carolina vets like Jadeveon Clowney and Jaycee Horn showed their trust in Wallace, who will call the defense this week.

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - AUGUST 17: Trevin Wallace #56 of the Carolina Panthers runs onto the field before a preseason game against the New York Jets at Bank of America Stadium on August 17, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. / (Kara Durrette/Getty Images)

The Carolina Panthers have a long history of drafting excellent linebackers. At least during the preseason and training camp it seemed like rookie Trevin Wallace might be the next one. Carolina head coach Dave Canales had better hope that's the case, because whether he likes it or not Wallace is being thrust into a major leadership role. Thanks to Shaq Thompson's season-ending Achilles injury, Wallace is going into his first start in the NFL, and he'll also be calling the defense.

It seems that the group believes in Wallace's potential, at least for now. Here's what Wallace says several veterans told him this week, according to Alex Zietlow at the Charlotte Observer.

Trevin Wallace on Panthers vets

"“It’s crazy, the team told me that it’s my defense now... 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.”

Wallace also told Zietlow that vets told him to get the call right and make sure they can understand him on account of his heavy Georgia accent. We'll have to come up with some way to get Wallace to compete with equally-non-understandable rookie Xavier Legette in this department, but the Panthers have more pressing needs at the moment.

It seems unlikey that Wallace could single-handedly make this defense respectable, given the way it was (under)performing with Shaq Thompson having the green dot. However, it also seemed unlikely that Andy Dalton could transform what was the worst passing offense in the league with Bryce Young starting into one of the best. Leadership matters, and if the defense responds positively to Wallace's, they might yet turn things around.

Then again, this defense is not nearly as loaded personnel-wise compared to Carolina's offense. They have many problems, but the biggest one is a lack of a pass rush threats. ESPN has the team ranked 25th in pass rush win rate and PFF has them graded out 31st in pass rushing. Unless Wallace is capable of getting pressure like a 10-sacks-a-year kind of edge rusher, it'll be quite difficult getting this unit up to even an average level.

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