CHARLOTTE — Offseason rosters are stuffed with players. With 90 guys on the field, it can be hard for one guy to stand out at any time, much less day after day.

Maybe it's because of where Jaycee Horn lines up and who he is next to, maybe it's the fact he's hearing one voice over all the others, or perhaps it's just because the Pro Bowl corner knows how to identify defensive back play, but there is one teammate that has impressed him tremendously.

Chau Smith-Wade.

"Man, I think he's been the most impressive player," Horn said without hesitation of Smith-Wade's performance throughout OTAs and minicamp.

When the Panthers released Troy Hill during the season last year and elected to start a rookie over former corner Dane Jackson in Week 13, it was a calculated risk predicated mainly on the development of Smith-Wade.

"Chau took advantage of an opportunity," coach Dave Canales said of starting the rookie Smith-Wade over the veteran at the time. "He made tackles; he owned his leverage for the most part. There were things that he still has to clean up. He had an opportunity on an interception, and he made it, and he came up with the ball, really proud of that. Proud of him just taking advantage of another opportunity."

By season's end, the fifth-round draft pick out of Washington State had started four games, including three in a row on the back half of the season, before an injury placed him on IR for the final two weeks. In his 14 games, Smith-Wade finished with 39 tackles, one interception, and a pass deflection.

It was his first time playing as a nickel corner in football, and it came at the NFL level.

When the Panthers signed safety Tre'von Moehrig in free agency, bringing in the former Raider who had 104 tackles last season while showing the ability to play nickel, some thought he would take over that role here. And while it is still June with much to determine before the beginning of the regular season, it has instead been Smith-Wade still taking the first team reps from the slot during OTAs and minicamp.

Some of that has to do with a safety unit still working itself out. But a large part is also the Panthers' comfortability with Smith-Wade.

"He communicates very well, he's got intentionality about how he goes with his work. He's gained a lot of experience," defensive passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley bragged of Smith-Wade this week.

"If you notice from the Cardinals game last year, the Tampa game, he started getting in a really good field down the stretch. It was a bummer he got hurt."

But the rookie, heading into his second year, used the time on the sideline to dive into the scheme, learning it in whatever way he could. And by the time OTAs rolled around, Horn saw a teammate who had made the jump needed to take control of the secondary.

"He got the defense in one year," Horn noted of Smith-Wade, "and he out there making the calls for the safeties. He played line up at corner, he lined up at nickel, he lined up at safety. He lined up everywhere. He's just making a lot of plays."

Added Cooley, "he's gotten more comfortable down there, and it allows us to be a little bit more versatile with him, and then we can move him around a little bit...You listen to him communicating, and it's just been at a high level. He's been anticipating things and he's flying around, playing fast. When a player is playing fast that means they understand what's going on, and he's been working at it very hard since day one when he got here.

"But this offseason, it's really the other players have noticed they can rely on him."

That communication comes with being more comfortable, and that comes with knowing the defense in-and-out, meaning Smith-Wade understands not only his role, but everyone else's. It's why Horn likes having Smith-Wade right next to him in the slot.

"The communication is the biggest thing for me. Like a second-year player communicating like that, he even calmed me sometimes because at corner I sometimes, I get lazy and don't want to go to the huddle, so I can depend on Chau every time they break the huddle to get me the play, tell me what I'm supposed to do," laughed Horn.

"So it's just I'm, I'm proud of him. I think he's doing a good job."