North Charlotte Today

Chau Smith-Wade, a rookie defensive back for the Carolina Panthers, is learning from his experiences on the field. Despite a penalty for defensive pass interference against the Washington Commanders last Sunday, Smith-Wade remains optimistic about his progress.

"Anytime you have a penalty, I guess it's a learning lesson. I suppose I could have played it better," he said. He acknowledged that with more depth in his play, he might have avoided the penalty. "I got my eyes back and a lot of guys were saying you got to get your eyes back."

The Panthers are focused on developing their rookies like Smith-Wade and linebacker Trevin Wallace. Both players are contributing energy to the defense amidst numerous changes this season. Wallace and Xavier Woods each recorded seven tackles in Sunday's game, while Smith-Wade led with eight tackles.

Panthers head coach Dave Canales noted areas for improvement in Smith-Wade's game but praised his high energy performance. "The discipline of his eyes, staying with his matches, those are the things that we want to continue to see him improve on," Canales said.

Smith-Wade plays alongside experienced starters Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson, and Dane Jackson. The latter joined the Panthers from the Buffalo Bills this offseason and has been observing Smith-Wade's development closely.

"Chau, he's natural. He's a baller," Dane Jackson remarked. "So, I feel like the coaches, and players as well, we all believe in him to keep doing what he's doing."

Following Troy Hill's release last week, Smith-Wade was given an opportunity to step up as starting nickel. Coach Canales expressed optimism about Smith-Wade's future: "From snap one to his final snap of the game, he showed a lot of great energy and aggression out there."