Panthers’ Dave Canales singled out 2 under-the-radar stars in win over Falcons
Fresh off his team’s come-from-behind overtime win over division rival Atlanta, Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales singled out two players who haven’t heard their name called much this year.
Those players? Claudin Cherelus and Corey Thornton.
The reason they were singled out?
Canales was in the middle of his opening statement Monday, praising the “resilience of the group” and “the physicality we played with all the way to the end” when they came up naturally.
“They showed up with big hits, and with a different group of guys,” Canales said of his defense. “Claudin Cherelus making some plays for us out there with the guys trusting in him, and Corey Thornton having the opportunity to impact the game. And then our usual guys that make plays for us, that we count on, showing up and doing their job when we needed them to. So a really exciting win for us.”
Depending on how well you knew the Panthers’ roster prior to the Atlanta Falcons game, you may not have heard of Cherelus and Thornton. But you surely have now.
How Cherelus got the start against Atlanta
Cherelus got the start at inside linebacker as second-year starter Trevin Wallace was sidelined with a back injury. (Wallace was listed as “week to week” by Canales coming into the Falcons game; all injury updates, Canales said, will be relayed Thursday.) Cherelus, 26, has made a home for himself on the Panthers’ active roster for his special teams ability. But Sunday, he was asked to do more. And he did, finishing Sunday with a career-high 10 tackles and playing a season-high 52 defensive snaps — or 79% of all defensive plays.
“We saw Claud at the end of the Saints game; he came back in and just picked up right where he left off,” Canales said. “I think collectively as a group we let some runs get out on us in the first half. But once they settled in, Claud started to see the runs really well and look for his opportunities to make a play. And when he did, he showed up with physicality, whether it was in the run game or in the pass game.”
Canales said that Cherelus did not call the plays on defense for the majority of the game. That task belonged to regular starter Christian Rozeboom before Rozeboom, too, had to exit the game with a hamstring injury.
It was with Rozeboom sidelined when Cherelus made arguably the biggest play of the day on defense. The play in question: The Panthers were down two and the Falcons were driving with 2:52 left in the game. An Atlanta touchdown would’ve sealed the contest. On third-and-5, Cherelus broke up a first-down pass with a huge hit that limited the Falcons to a field goal and kept Carolina in the game.
Canales remembered the play.
“He had a late, nice collision on a slant route to Drake London at the end of the game, where he just trusted his eyes and just bolted toward it, and made a really physical play right there to get the ball down,” Canales said of Cherelus. “I’m really proud of the way that Claud stepped up for his teammates.”
Short-yardage specialist
The same could be — and was — said about Thornton.
The rookie cornerback was a training camp standout and played so well that he was one of the mere handful of undrafted free agent rookies to make the team. He hasn’t played much this season. He’d played a total of 49 defensive snaps coming into Sunday; in Week 11 alone, he played 46 snaps (or 69.7% of all defensive snaps).
The reason for this was largely a schematic one, Canales said. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound cornerback spent most of his time lurking at the nickel position, impacting the Falcons’ short-yardage passing game. Another reason? The logical player to fill into this role — rookie safety Lathan Ransom — was out because of a hand injury.
“He’s been showing a lot of ability in practice that we can count on,” Canales said. “We’re watching him continue to improve his fundamentals, and he’s a guy that’s really into the game. Really focused on the details. Wants to know. A guy that competes with Chuba Hubbard, trying to be out on the field first every day. So competitive guy by nature.
“And he’s got length, he’s got size. We thought it would be a good matchup knowing they were going to move Drake London around a little bit. So he got some opportunities yesterday and made the most of it.”
Quick hits
— Canales will offer a detailed injury report Thursday afternoon ahead of the team’s Monday Night Football game against the San Francisco 49ers. But the team did suffer some attrition following Sunday’s game. Those who will need to be monitored this week: QB Bryce Young (right ankle), LB Christian Rozeboom (hamstring), WR Xavier Legette (hip), S Lathan Ransom (hand) and LB Trevin Wallace (shoulder).
— Panthers players have been racking up player of the week awards all season. Could more be coming later this week for the individual performances on display Week 11? Potentially. According to a release, Fed-Ex Air & Ground NFL Player of the Week nominees include two Panthers after their win in Atlanta. Those two: QB Bryce Young and WR Tetairoa McMillan. The other nominees: Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen (6 total touchdowns), Arizona Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett (452 passing yards and 2 TDs), San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey (121 scrimmage yards and 3 TDs) and Tampa Bay Bucs RB Sean Tucker (140 scrimmage yards and 3 TDs).
— More about The Bryce Young Game: Young earned his 10th game-winning drive in Sunday’s win over the Falcons. That means that he now has the most of such drives since entering the league in 2023; that’s now more than Josh Allen, Pat Mahomes, Jalen Hurts and Geno Smith.
— The Panthers’ season-long streak of preventing a first-quarter offensive touchdown ended Sunday. Ten straight weeks is nothing to slouch at, though. The only teams who’ve done so longer: the Philadelphia Eagles (2017, 11 weeks); the Dallas Cowboys (2022, 11 weeks); and the New York Giants (2002, 15 weeks), according to a team release.
This story was originally published November 17, 2025 at 3:47 PM.
