CHARLOTTE — Panthers linebacker Josey Jewell is not one to employ hyperbole to make a statement. Direct and to the point? Sure. Dry humor to accompany said point? Absolutely. All things that can be done with exaggeration though.

So, when Jewell delivers a declaration, it's hard not to sit up and take notice.

Asked this week what this Panthers defense could become, Jewell didn't wafer when responding, "I would say top five defense."

The Panthers did finish in the top five of defenses last season, fourth overall, only allowing an average of 293.9 yards per game (though they were 29th in points allowed). But the unit, with a bevy of new faces added in the offseason and then a litany of presumed starters lost to injury for much of the season, has struggled. The current defense, through 11 games, is 30th in the league, allowing an average of 387.3 yards per game.

So what gives Jewell the confidence that this unit could jump that far in the league? Well, for starters, he is looking ahead to next year. Furthermore, as someone who played in this system under defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero in 2022, when the Broncos defense was seventh overall, Jewell knows what is needed to rise in the ranks again.

"That takes a lot of execution; it takes a lot of things, so we just need to keep on getting better, and maybe we can get there," Jewell offered. "There's a lot of things to fix, still a lot of mental mistakes, fundamental mistakes, some communications stuff, so things to fix on the players' end. But, with the players we have, I think we can be really good on defense. And I look forward to that…and it's fun to see the progression of everybody, especially the young guys."

That progression has come steadily over the last few games, providing more of an upward trajectory. In the first four games, opposing offenses went 11-of-12 in the red zone. In the second four, they went 10-of-18; in the last three games, they have gone 9-of-17.

In those same stretch of games, the Panthers defense notched four sacks, then four again. In the last three games, there have been eight sacks, including five last week against the Chiefs. As it turns out, getting some of their people back has caused the results to improve.

"We found some kind of more of who we are the last four or five weeks and understanding the type of football we want to play. Honestly, just trusting each other," Jewell explained. "This defense is a couple of new guys here and there, where everybody's got to get used to communication, everybody's got to get used to playing off each other. And I think we're, the last four or five weeks, we finally got there. And I think it's only up from here."

Added defensive end A'Shawn Robinson, "Everyone's chemistry just gelling together."

Perhaps the best example of this was on the back-to-back sacks that forced punts against the Chiefs on Sunday, giving the offense a chance to tie the game in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Then, Patrick Mahomes did his Patrick Mahomes thing, scrambling for 33 yards to put the Chiefs in game-winning field goal range. It was three drives that served as a microcosm of the Panthers defense right now; so much potential, with a few things still to overcome.

"We just need to be able to get off the field, whether it be penalties, and I think, you know, those two downs, I'm not sure if those two series we had any penalties or not. But those are definitely the biggest things, playing clean football. Honestly, I don't know what else there is besides that. The penalties and doing your job," Jewell said.

"Everything's not perfect. We're not exactly where we want to be. We're getting close, and everything's coming together."

Jadeveon Clowney has played on three different top-five defenses in his time. The former No. 1 overall pick joined a Houston Texans defense as a rookie that was firmly in the middle of the pack. By Clowney's second year, a defense that included J.J. Watt and Brian Cushing, was third overall in the league in total defense. The next year, they were first. The 2021 Cleveland Browns team featuring Clowney boasted the fifth-overall defense, and last season, the veteran pass-rusher was part of a Ravens defense that was one of the best all year, finishing sixth in the league.

In other words, he knows what it takes.

"I think all the dominant defenses I played on, that was the biggest thing for me, was the communication level. We knew exactly what was going on heading into that game," Clowney explained. "It was like, all right, we studied this all week; communication was there during the week at a high level. So, when we got to the game, there was really nothing that we haven't seen, that we haven't communicated on, which made the game a lot easier."

The Panthers, as mentioned, have played musical chairs with their presumed starters this season. Two captains were lost early on to season-ending injuries— Derrick Brown and Shaq Thompson. Others, like Jewell, Jordan Fuller, Clowney, Dane Jackson, and D.J. Wonnum, have all missed significant time at different points of the season.

Simply having more time together with those brought in specifically for this system will go a long way towards achieving that communication, Clowney believes.

"We definitely missing DB in the middle. We see AR (Robinson) coming along, playing great football, Jaycee Horn playing great football, both corners looking good. We got X ( Xavier Woods ) at the safety position.

"I think we'll be a dominating defense. We just got to continue to be on the same page, to continue to communicate at a high level."

There are six remaining games to play this season, so for all this talk of next year, this schedule still has much to play for. But there's also something to be said for a roster compiled of so many veterans excited for the future (considering reinforcements are coming this offseason).

"Hopefully, we can just keep on stringing this out throughout the rest of the year, and we can finish strong," Jewell said. "And then we'll see what next year brings."