The Carolina Panthers gave cornerback Chau Smith-Wade his first start of the 2026 season in their loss to the Denver Broncos. And he made the most of it.
Smith-Wade finished with seven tackles and two pass breakups, both season highs. But more importantly, both pass breakups came in the end zone.
For a player who had largely disappeared from the Panthers' defensive rotation under previous coordinator Ejiro Evero, it was a pretty encouraging performance.
Chau Smith-Wade gave Carolina Panthers a lot to think about in Week 9
And with interim defensive coordinator Todd Wash now calling the shots, Smith-Wade may have an opportunity to earn a much bigger role moving forward.
Through Carolina's first seven games, Smith-Wade played just 40 defensive snaps under Evero, spending most of his time watching from the sideline.
That changed against Denver as Smith-Wade played 45 defensive snaps. And while his seven tackles were impressive, his two touchdown-saving pass breakups were arguably even more important.
Carolina's secondary had a rough afternoon dealing with penalties. Marco Wilson and Corey Thornton combined for four accepted defensive pass interference calls, repeatedly giving Denver opportunities to extend drives.
Smith-Wade, meanwhile, made two important plays on the ball without drawing a flag.
It's a small sample size, sure. But considering how little he had played entering Week 9, it's hard to argue he didn't take advantage of his opportunity.
Carolina Panthers could keep Chau Smith-Wade involved when injured stars return
The Panthers needed someone to step up in an injury-depleted secondary, and Smith-Wade gave them a reason to keep him involved.
Of course, Smith-Wade's increased playing time wasn't entirely because of the coaching change.
The Panthers have been dealing with several cornerback injuries, with starters Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson Sr. both on injured reserve. Akayleb Evans is also sidelined, while rookie Will Lee III suffered a hamstring injury against the Green Bay Packers.
Those absences left Carolina scrambling for healthy defensive backs, ultimately forcing the team to rely on several players who had spent time on the practice squad.
But Smith-Wade's performance against Denver could make things interesting once the Panthers start getting their starters back.
Horn and Jackson will presumably reclaim their starting jobs when healthy, and Lee has already received considerable playing time this season.
Still, Smith-Wade has experience playing inside and could give Carolina another option in nickel packages. That could help the young cornerback as he tries to establish himself in Wash's defense.
He was practically an afterthought through the first half of the season. Even so, Smith-Wade needed only one start to deliver arguably his best performance of the year.
Now the question is whether Wash will continue finding ways to get him on the field once Carolina's secondary returns to full strength.
Because after what Smith-Wade showed against Denver, sending him straight back to the bench would be a tough decision to justify.
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