The Carolina Panthers shocked their fan base by releasing linebacker Josey Jewell. He is still experiencing concussion symptoms seven months later, so health rightfully took priority over football.
After tallying the second-most tackles on the team with 97, despite only playing 12 games, Jewell’s contribution will be sorely missed. He was central to the Panthers punching above their weight in the last 10 contests.
This leaves a major hole in the front seven that the Panthers shockingly did not address in the draft. With the free agent pool being sparse, Dan Morgan is left either hoping to re-sign Jewell later if he can get healthy or looking for internal development.
That is where Trevin Wallace enters the picture.
Wallace's rookie season was the definition of a subtle difference-maker. He corralled offensive players consistently with 63 tackles in only eight starts, while adding a sack and six pressures with a 15 percent pressure rate on quarterbacks.
He was a work in progress as a run defender, but Wallace was able to get 23 defensive stops. That means 36% of his tackles came at or behind the line of scrimmage. He even forced two fumbles, recovering one.
Carolina Panthers need more from Trevin Wallace after stunning Josey Jewell release
What surprised me most as someone who was not high on the draft pick is his coverage ability. Pro Football Focus graded Wallace as the 50th-best linebacker out of 189 in coverage grade, coming in with a 64.2. It wasn't perfect, but he was further along than most rookie linebackers and even some of the veterans.
While the analytics say he wasn't that great in coverage, the tape shows a great foundation for a player with amazing athletic tools to build on.
When I rewatched all 234 coverage snaps of Wallace, I saw a player who is great defending in man and above average in zone. His speed and strength allowed him to pick up the seams and tight ends coming across the middle, superior to anybody the Panthers have on the books right now.
Throughout the season, Wallace realized when quarterbacks were trying to manipulate him in zone schemes. He was much better at finding a man to guard when receivers were being passed off. His sideline-to-sideline range and agility allowed him to cover running backs out of the backfield, giving Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero the freedom to blitz and play man when he was on the field.
Wallace is not perfect, or even close to it. There were plenty of times last season when he covered grass instead of finding his assignment one too many times. The former third-round pick out of Kentucky was wretched against play action, often biting so hard that his assignment was left wide open for chunk plays in the passing game.
The rookie also struggled when quarterbacks targeted him, allowing 12 receptions on 13 targets last season and a 133.7 passer rating. It reads horrendously, but he was only targeted on six percent of his coverage snaps.
The run defense drags Wallace's tape down, and the small sample size does scare me if the Panthers are going to rely on him as a starting option. Yet the foundation as a coverage player and athletic tools gets me excited.
Wallace will now get a full season as a starter with a year of learning from Panthers great Shaq Thompson under his belt. Evero had so much confidence in his coverage skills as a rookie that he was the sole linebacker out there in dime packages. The pressure is on, and I am optimistic that he will be a diamond.