How Panthers are testing homegrown defender’s versatility in minicamp workouts
Chau Smith-Wade’s versatility is being tested by the Carolina Panthers this summer.
The 2024 fifth-round pick, who was the team’s primary nickel corner in 2025, worked with the safety group for a portion of Tuesday’s mandatory minicamp outside of Bank of America Stadium.
While Smith-Wade received some safety snaps last season, he’s always been classified as a cornerback. But now, with a stacked secondary depth chart and Corey Thornton appearing to be the favorite for the nickel corner job in 2026, Smith-Wade is getting to explore different avenues of the defensive backfield.
“Chau is such a cerebral player,” head coach Dave Canales said Tuesday. “He’s a guy we really trust, and someone we’ve trained — with our first draft class — and he gives us versatility. He can play the nickel (package), he’s played the safety for us in that position, and to be interchangeable with those positions, you can give different looks. He can also play outside.”
Smith-Wade had an up-and-down second campaign with Carolina last year. While he helped seal the team’s first win of last season against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3 with a pick-six, he also lost his job to Thornton — a then-undrafted rookie — in the middle of the Panthers’ playoff push. Smith-Wade regained the nickel position after Thornton suffered a season-ending injury a couple of weeks later, but it’s clear he will need to battle for a prominent role again this summer.
To his credit, Smith-Wade has seemingly been willing to adjust to the Panthers’ plans in his two-year career. The former Washington State cornerback had never played the nickel position in college, but he quickly converted to the slot role and ended up starting for the Panthers down the stretch of his rookie season. He even collected a memorable interception against Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 13 of that campaign.
Last season, with safety Tre’von Moehrig being used all around the secondary, Smith-Wade adapted to the “big” nickel package by playing deep in coverage. Smith-Wade was able to get adjusted quickly, while allowing Moehrig, Nick Scott and Lathan Ransom to be moved around the backfield.
As Smith-Wade battles for a job this summer, it’ll be important for him to expand his horizons as a coverage player. Being able to move to safety or even outside cornerback within various packages would make him more valuable to the overall numbers game in the secondary.
“He brings a lot to the table, and it’s a really competitive DB room,” Canales said. “And we love that. We love that it’s bringing out the best in these guys. And the more these guys can bring value-wise and have versatility — it’s gonna help Chau, as we get further and further into camp.”
With a few new faces in the secondary — including fourth-round pick Will Lee and fifth-round pick Zakee Wheatley — Smith-Wade might find himself on the roster bubble this summer. But if he can continue to adapt and evolve, he could turn out to be a valuable, experienced piece of the secondary puzzle.
For now though, the Panthers are simply trying to figure out where he fits entering training camp.
