CHARLOTTE — The Panthers put an emphasis on remaking the defense from front to back this offseason, bringing in a host of new linemen to go along with the return of Derrick Brown.

And for defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and line coach Todd Wash, that means getting back to the physicality they want to display up front.

"Everything that we do from year to year is always looking to improve, and it really doesn't matter how good or how bad you did the year before," Evero said Wednesday. "In this league, you always have to be evolving, and you always have to be trying to stay ahead of the curve, so that's what we're trying to do.

"We certainly know we need to play better up front; I need to coach better up front and, we're trying to really reinforce being physical and coming off the ball and getting some knockback and, we want to make sure that well that's a big part of what we do."

Along those lines, Evero said he's been impressed with what he's seen so far from free-agent addition Tershawn Wharton.

He had 8.5 sacks last year for the Chiefs (including the playoffs), and Evero said the production, as well as the postseason experience, was significant for them as they build out a new defense.

"This guy, obviously, so impressed by this person," Evero said. "When you first meet him, he's got a presence about him, he's got an aura about him. Then you watch him in the classroom; he's a note-taker, and he's into it all the time. In the weight room, on the field, this guy has got a purpose in everything that he does. And it's been really, really impressive to to watch. And we know that he's coming from a place that had a great culture and played a really good defense, especially on the D-line, so it's great to add guys like that.

"That could bring that experience and bring the mentality and that work ethic as well with it and so he's been great so far. And then when you look at what he could do on the field, I mean strong against a run, he could give you some pass rush, very, very, very versatile player and so so excited that he's part of what we're doing here and what we're building."

Offensive consistency allows Idzik flexibility

If Brad Idzik could use one word to describe his second offseason with the Panthers, it would likely be consistent. For the first time in a while, the offensive coordinator finds himself surrounded by familiar faces and familiar terminology.

"We're just blessed to go into a second year, for me too," Idzik said Wednesday, speaking to the media during the first week of Panthers OTAs. "I haven't been in a second year of an offense in a couple of years as well."

There will always be obvious positives from establishing consistency, particularly in football—a sport where the participants famously look for a routine in everything they do. But as the Panthers have transitioned from offseason workouts to OTAs in preparation for mandatory minicamp in two weeks, Idzik is seeing the minute details of that steadiness pay off for his offense, starting with quarterback Bryce Young.

"We're not teaching him what vocabulary is; it's teaching him the whys, it's teaching him the theatrics within a play, and he's done a great job," Idzik said of his now third-year passer.

"We only have one practice under our belt, but utilizing cadence, understanding the whys behind the motions, the splits, and helping get guys aligned, all that stuff, he can start to drive the ship for others and get guys where they need to be, because, you know, it's not new to him."

Young talked on Tuesday about the ability to add wrinkles since he's building instead of starting over, telling reporters, "I think it's just being able to build off of the foundation we laid last year. Around this time last year, obviously, it's a new system, new offense, so, we're getting the basics, we're ironing out the day one first stuff, and just the the the basics of the offense. And now, me too, we get to start so much further ahead."

Those wrinkles are a result of Young and, subsequently, the offense being in the mental head space to accept them. And that's an exciting time for an offensive coordinator.

"So, it's really cool to push the envelope of those details with all the guys and Bryce is doing a really good job of pressing into those details," Idzik said.

Another place the coordinator has consistency? The offensive line.

The unit returned the top nine in snap counts on the offensive line from last year.

"I think it's such a rare thing—we talk about teams changing—we brought everybody back in the offensive line room and added a couple of young guys, so they work great," head coach Dave Canales noted earlier this week.

The catch-22 of returning everyone, and one the Panthers are happy to have, means there are multiple returning starters at the center position. Austin Corbett and Cade Mays both took snaps at the position last season, with Corbett starting the year before an injury shortened his season, and Mays finished it.

For now, coaches are content to let the competition play out.

"I think, in the spring, you let the chips fall," Idzik explained. "Like with reps, you try to make sure that they're even and get enough reps leading the charge as the center, with the ones or with the twos. But then the real stuff comes up in training camp and preseason when you can actually play padded football.

"So you get these OTA practices in minicamp where you're hoping to see guys mentally engaged and work in the technique, and they all are that whole group. There's a reason why all of them are back. They've all been locked in and ready to go, so we're just, we're excited too; we think there's healthy competition at every position, center included, and then, we're excited when the real ball comes alive when you put some pads on, and you see who runs with it and takes it."

Kicking competition is in its early stages

Special teams coordinator Tracy Smith is accustomed to change — it's the nature of coaching special teams in the NFL — and this offseason brought plenty.

Perhaps most visibly, he's working with a new punter in Sam Martin and watching a kicking competition between veteran Matthew Wright and rookie Ryan Fitzgerald at the moment.

Wright has been around a bit (including in camp with the Panthers) and has a solid record during his time in the league. He's hit 87.3 percent of his field goals (55-of-63), including 7-of-11 from 50 yards or beyond.

Fitzgerald, signed as an undrafted rookie, hit 94.1 percent of his field goals his final two seasons at Florida State, and has shown range.

They kicked yesterday into some rainy and windy conditions (into a skinny set of goalposts, adding to the visual degree of difficulty), and Smith said he's planning to be patient to see how the competition evolves.

"We had them kick into the wind, try to make it as hard as possible, it's been good," Smith said. "It's two guys who are working really hard. They're good workers, both Ryan and Matt, and, they have different kind of skill sets, but they've been very cooperative. They've been challenging to each other and for everyone else, so all that's been great; no problem with either one of them work ethic-wise or fitting in with the team. It's been a nice experience."

"Matt is more experienced. He's played on several NFL teams. He has a whole year of the kickoff rule that he's dealt with. So all of that is kind of already, the box is checked. He knows what he's doing on that. He's ahead mentally on all that stuff.

"Ryan is coming straight from college, so all of the rules stuff, it's all first time out. Practicing with an NFL team is completely different, the lifestyle and all those things. So he's different in that way, but also it's had a very successful last two years in college, has a great leg, so we're kind of seeing pros and cons of each guy and, seeing where it goes. There's no reason to really call a leader anywhere in the near future."