CHARLOTTE – Back in June, when the weather was significantly warmer and rookies were significantly less experienced, defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero was heading home one evening when he passed by the secondary meeting room. It wasn't a special trip, it just happened to be on his route out of the building, but he peeked in the door when passing by and saw something that has stuck with him ever since.

Assembled in the room were all the rookie defensive backs on the offseason roster, representing drafted players and UDFA's. At the front of the room, where a coach would usually stand, was fifth-round rookie Chau Smith-Wade.

"He's running the meeting," Evero laughed, telling the story on Thursday as the Panthers prepare for their Week 15 matchup with the Cowboys. "And all the rookies are in there and they're watching tape and going through the calls. And so that was really, really cool to see a guy that we just drafted, who came in instantly with great habits. And we've seen that all the way along the way."

It was foreshadowing into what Smith-Wade would become for this defense by the end of the season, playing 67 percent of the defensive snaps over the last two games and becoming the starter at nickel as a rookie. He has 34 tackles, a forced fumble, a pass defended and an interception during that time.

"He's been in and out of the lineup, but that hasn't really deterred him. His preparation stays consistent, and he's really done a good job when he's gotten on the field," said Evero.

Usurpin' Turpin

It's no secret the Cowboys have the best return game in the NFL. Not only does that unit as a whole lead the league, it features one of—if not the most—dynamic returner in the game right now, KaVonte Turpin. The third-year receiver is averaging 36.3 yards per return with 762 total return yards, and a kickoff returned for a touchdown.

He's also averaging 12.4 yards per punt return, sixth in the league, and has a touchdown that way as well.

"He takes some chances that other guys don't take," special teams coordinator Tracy Smith noted on Thursday.

With such a threat in the game, there is something to be said for simply kicking away from him. It's a great plan, if you can get away with it, Smith admitted. The weather is a factor in that area, the coach explained.

"If the conditions allow, if what you have allows for that, there's ways to take the ball out of the returner's hand," Smith said. "If it's 50 degrees and the wind's blowing to you, et cetera, et cetera, you can't necessarily.

"And this is also a guy who's shown that he will take the ball out of the end zone on kickoff return, a couple of them, 8, 9 (yards) deep in the end zone this year that he's run back. So that's a chance where you're putting him in a more dangerous situation for your team with a longer runway kind of thing. So, you have to kind of weigh both of those options."

California's best in Charlotte

The Panthers signed wide receiver Trenton Irwin — the former Bengals receiver —to the practice squad this week. He brings with him six years in the league, and 46 receptions for 601 yards and five touchdowns in that time. He also brings with him an extensive background in commercial acting – a byproduct of growing up in Glendale, California, the son of a commercial actor – which has no bearing on his football impact but gives us a reason to share the link to one of his best works.

"I've done a handful of commercials," Irwin laughed, sharing his background on Thursday. "A big Microsoft one, Velveeta Cheese, Rice Krispies, Nissan Armada."

And actually, the above statement was a lie. It did have some bearing on his football career at one point. He missed a practice in high school to film the Microsoft commercial and was benched for the first quarter of the subsequent game as punishment.

It was slightly worth it, "It was like $15,000-$20,000, so yeah," but proved to Irwin that "it wasn't really my thing."

Instead, he made football his thing, going on to set a receiving record for the state of California (285 receptions for 5,268 yards) that left an impression on a younger local quarterback, so much so that simply bringing up Irwin's name to Bryce Young on Thursday made the Panthers passer perk up and proclaim, "Yeah he was a stud!"

The two crossed paths at football camps around Southern California, before Irwin went on to play at Stanford for then Cardinals and now Panthers offensive coordinator Brad Idzik.

"Trent's a great route runner, he's a technician and he's obsessed with football," Idzik offered as insight as to why the Panthers wanted him here.

"He can help our room grow. He can also get open on his own. Does a phenomenal job within similar schemes that they had in Cincinnati so some of the verbiage and all that, you know, should help him catch up to speed pretty quick."

Once in the NFL, Irwin joined a Bengals squad that featured Andy Dalton in his final season with Cincinnati, as well as Panthers offensive assistant Mike Bervovici. The points of contact made the transition easier after a week in which Irwin admitted he had no idea where he'd end up.

"I mean, it helps with the environment, it helps knowing I got people in my corner who want to see me do well," Irwin said. "And, I mean, it's a lot of these dudes have been here six to seven months, been learning the playbook for that long. So, I'm just trying to catch up."