CHARLOTTE — When the Panthers set out to upgrade their run defense this past offseason, general manager Dan Morgan and crew built it from the inside out. A team is only as good as its defensive line, and after posting all the wrong kinds of numbers as a rush defense last season, the club knew it needed to beef up the front this season.

Through six games this season, the investment is paying off.

The Panthers' run defense has allowed an average of 94.5 yards per game, which is the ninth-best mark in the league. It's an accomplishment made more impressive by the fact the last two weeks were against two of the top rushers in the league, in De'Von Achane (Miami) and Javonte Williams (Dallas). They've also played against the league's leading rusher in Atlanta's Bijan Robinson, who had 72 of his 484 yards in Week 3.

"It looked great," bragged corner Jaycee Horn of his team's run defense. "They're shutting down the run, and like I said before the season, we do that, teams going to have to work to beat us, and that's what's been going on."

It's been working too. The Panthers have won their last two games, thanks in large part to the rushing offense (Rico Dowdle has gone over 200 yards in both wins) and the rushing defense, allowing only 50 yards the last two weeks. As in, 50 yards total, in both games. Combined.

"This year, with this group of guys, I've had faith in this group the whole time, you know it's just about getting it done and starting being able to put it on tape," said defensive tackle and captain Derrick Brown.

The group of guys and the scheme are part and parcel in making a difference. Because while the run defense was rebuilt from the inside out, it is being set from the outside in.

"Setting edges," responded Dave Canales on Monday, with no hesitation as to the key to this rushing defensive performance.

" Patrick Jones II, D.J. Wonnum, Nic Scourton, Princely Umanmielen. Princely had a couple of nice plays on first and second down, setting edges and chasing it on the back half."

The rookie Umanmielen began the season primarily on passing downs, strictly as a pass rusher. He credits his increased involvement and production on rushing downs to hours of film study.

"Man, I think with my role like increasing a little bit more and more on first and second down, I think, just to be honest, for me it's been a lot more off the field, to be honest, like just watching a lot more film," the outside linebacker shared Monday. "A couple of them plays where I ran down the backside, yesterday I, in a sense, knew what plays were coming. So just honing in and studying more and more, that really gives you a big edge, no pun intended, when it comes to defending the run."

Once the outside linebackers have established their perimeter, the corners are shoring it up from their position, "and all of a sudden," Canales explained, "your pursuit, it's a shorter run…You can set a tight edge; it's a shorter run to the ball, and it works that way. It's all got to be tight."

It also helps that those corners are throwing themselves into the run defense. Mike Jackson, in particular, has nine tackles over the last two weeks, including one for loss.

"Even when you watch the film today as a team, you're seeing Jaycee and Mike Jack show up in the run game," bragged Canales of his corners.

The Panthers also added safety Tre'von Moehrig to the defense this offseason, a defensive back who loves to get into the box and become an enforcer in the run game.

"You got an outside linebacker like Tre, he goes out there and he sets the edge," joked rookie safety Lathan Ransom of Moehrig. "Defensive end out there."

Call him whatever you want. Moehrig, who is second on the team with 40 tackles, is just focused on creating a boundary.

"I would just say just trying to be dominant every day in practice, and then, having it translate in the game, but it's important setting the edges and turning it back into the defense," explained Moehrig. "So that's how leaky yardage gets out, is when the edge is not set, and so, we've been doing a pretty good job with that so far, and it's been helping the run."

Once that edge is set and enforced, to Canales' point, it pushes everything inside where all those maulers Dan Morgan brought in or kept this offseason can get to work.

"Then of course, having Bobby Brown III, having A'Shawn Robinson, LaBryan Ray coming back, he's playing great against the run, knocking things back, but it starts with those front five," continued Canales. "And then it's Trevin Wallace and Boom ( Christian Rozeboom), just running like crazy."

Added Derrick Brown, "It's a challenge every week, right? For our edges, for our OLBs to be able to set the edge on us, to be able to help keep the flow inside contained. Teams try to run reverses, get the ball into the speedy guy's hands, get around us on the end. It's just a lot of moving factors right now, people trying to find a way to move the ball against us, and every single week, there's another challenge ahead."

Once the rusher is turned in, it's every hat to the ball.

It's a philosophy coaches preach all the time—everyone swarms to the ball—but it isn't always executed. As the Panthers have strengthened their run defense this season, swarming has become increasingly evident.

"One of our values on the team is effort," said Umanmielen. "Everybody just tries to give full-out effort, you know, we don't really, we try not to tolerate low effort, so whenever that ball gets out or whenever that ball is handed off, we try to get all 11 guys running to the ball."

It's an effort that has shown itself time and again in recent weeks, as the Panthers have established a new identity with their rush defense, from the trenches to the edges, and everyone in between.