CHARLOTTE — At a basic level, the situation is not ideal. The Panthers are running short at cornerback, against a team good at throwing the ball.

And running short as in, one of the top cornerback tandems in the league (Pro Bowler Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson) still on IR, leaving three cornerbacks on the 53-man roster, and one of those three (a replacement starter in Akayleb Evans) not practicing the last two days.

So as the Panthers prepare for Thursday night's game against the Packers (a top-five passing offense), they're trying to jam as much as they can into as little time as possible.

But not too much.

"There's a healthy balance; there's an expectation that you have for Jaycee and Mike, and then when you have guys that haven't been in the system long or new guys or stuff like that, it's simplified, right?" veteran safety Nick Scott said. "Whether it's guys that don't have the reps, some of these guys are coming from new teams, it can be tough in some aspects in terms of communication and getting guys up to speed. But at the same time, we're not throwing the whole book at them, so it's like there's some comfort for everybody within that.

"It's not totally unique. I've been in situations where, you know, it's just the nature of the league. Multiple guys go down. Multiple guys come up, and you've got to work with who you've got. So, not totally foreign. Rare, yes; but it's doable."

Who the Panthers got right now is a mix of two healthy cornerbacks on the active roster — rookie Will Lee III and Chau Smith-Wade.

That is supplemented by a group of six practice squad cornerbacks, including Robert Rochell, Corey Thornton, Marco Wilson, DeVonta Smith, Zion Childress, and Malcolm DeWalt IV.

Healthy and available CBs

PS  — Indicates player is a member of the practice squad.

That's a lot, and to Scott's point, he's asked if he can name them all. He got four of six (Corey was easy) before getting enough hints and nudges to get him across the line.

"There's one who I'm just not going to get who got here, I believe, on game day last week," Scott said with a puzzled look on his face. "His name may not be an American name?"

Nick, Malcolm DeWalt IV is a perfectly American name — he was born in Bremerton, Wash. — but it's reasonable not to be familiar with his game, as he made the Falcons as an undrafted rookie but was a healthy scratch in six games before arriving last Saturday.

Rochell has used all three of his practice squad elevations this season, so to play again he'd need to be added to the active roster, which is possible; he's been on it before (in 2023 and 2025).

Otherwise, they have Wilson, with 64 games and 37 starts in the league, and Thornton, who played 12 games as a rookie and won the nickel job before breaking his leg in San Francisco, and Childress, who played three games for the Cowboys last year. Smith's a rookie on the practice squad, who occasionally gets underwear in the mail meant for others.

Wilson got here Oct. 6, so even though he's the most experienced, he's among the least familiar with the material since he hasn't been here a month yet.

Smith-Wade, to his credit, nailed all six. He said part of that was because, in special teams coordinator Tracy Smith's meetings, one rule is to call each other by name — not by number.

But with such a mixed bag of options, the Panthers are putting together a game plan in a hurry, to compete against the league's fifth-ranked passing offense.

Scott said one of the benefits in a short week is that defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and defensive passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley.

"It can be tough operating at 400 level each week," Scott said. "But the coaches do a good job of just having an understanding of who's in there, what they're working with, and what guys are good at. I think one of E's strongest attributes as a D-coordinator is he has a real deep understanding of what each guy brings to the table and putting them in positions to be successful; I would say Cooley is the same way.

"So I don't, I don't perceive them doing anything to a guy that that person's not comfortable with. So it should be good."

And that includes getting Smith-Wade ready to play outside if need be, though that shouldn't be hard. He played almost exclusively on the perimeter in college at Washington State, but got shifted inside here in part because of his size (at 5-11, 192 pounds, he's the small one when everyone is well). But he's also smart enough to handle the responsibilities, so with Evans sidelined the last two days, he's preparing the way he always has.

"I mean, every game, every week; whether it's special teams, whether it's the other two phases of football, you got to find your opportunity," Smith-Wade said. "That's ultimately the goal, being able to be optimistic about the opportunity, and take advantage of it."

With 35 games played in the league, he's one of the elders of the current crop of corners, but everything is relative at the moment. And with things changing this year — he's only played 40 snaps of defense this year, after 927 combined in his first two seasons — he's been waiting for an opportunity like this week might be.

"Just like anything, it's like going to the store, you're waiting in line, and you're trying to check out," Smith-Wade joked. "It's hard to wait for everything, but I mean, patience is a virtue, and I believe in patience, so being able to stay patient and stay fast to the process.

"Our coaching staff does an amazing job of being able to keep everybody engaged, and they have their tactics, but individually, if you are optimistic about an opportunity to go back in, you're going to naturally fall in line and engage in the material that's being presented."