CHARLOTTE — Dave Canales knows he's going to be adjusting at linebacker this week; he just doesn't know how extensive those adjustments will be yet.

Canales said Thursday they're planning to be without Christian Rozeboom on Monday against the 49ers, after he left the Falcons game with a hamstring injury late. He was not on the practice field during the portion open to the media on Thursday.

But they're still playing wait-and-see with Trevin Wallace, who missed last week's game with a shoulder injury suffered the week before against the Saints.

They started Claudin Cherelus next to Rozeboom last week, and finished the game with Maema Njongmeta on the field when Rozeboom left in the fourth quarter. But they have other options, including former Packers and Cardinals starter Krys Barnes, who has one more elevation from the practice squad left this year. They also brought Jacoby Windmon back to the practice squad, giving them someone familiar with their plans and their language.

"We have to evaluate, first and foremost, we have to evaluate Trevin, to see where he's at for this week," Canales said. "So again, told you he was week to week on that, and we'll have more information on that. But brought Jacoby in here, a guy that's familiar with what we do, from a special teams standpoint and linebacker standpoint. Love what Claud did in the game. Krys Barnes, another guy that's been around that's ready to go, and Maema Njongmeta, he got into the game a little bit at the end as well, so we have a couple of guys, a couple of options there.

"The picture will get a little bit clearer once we know what's going on with Trevin."

Wallace has battled that shoulder issue in recent weeks, with Cherelus coming in late for him in three straight games before starting last week and recording a career-high 10 tackles.

Of course, this isn't a great week to have uncertainty at that position, since they're playing some guy named Christian McCaffrey — who even the people who weren't here when he was know by reputation, and since he leads the league in yards from scrimmage, and leads the 49ers with 74 receptions.

"We have to be aware of the way that they use him in the pass game and the run game, all those different things," Canales said. "A versatile player, a guy that I really respect for a long time now, and the stories I've heard from being here around the guys around the players, the staff that have been around him, in terms of his preparation, the way that he takes care of his body, how intentional he is with the game plans and executing his fundamentals, stuff that I really respect about him. And of course, the product is great, and he's able to make plays in different ways.

"We have to be aware of that part and make sure it's not just about the linebackers, right? It's the whole thing tied in, in the run game and the pass game."

Bryce Young on those old Cam Newton dance moves

Panthers quarterback Bryce Young said when he heard Migos during the postgame celebration last week, he just naturally did the dab — the dance made famous by former Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.

And during his 4th & 1 show on YouTube, Newton smiled widely when he watched the clip, and praised Young's performance on the current Panthers QB broke his old single-game record of 432 yards by throwing for 448 against the league's top pass defense.

"Bryce Young — you're having fun," Newton said. "This will be the challenge moving forward. Bryce Young, if you play every single game like you're playing the Atlanta Falcons — we'll be all right. Throwing for that many yards, taking control and taking command, . . . oh, man, that's beautiful to see. But the challenge will be — and I'll say it again — play every single opponent as if they were the Atlanta Falcons. And if you do that, you'll be good to go."

Young was likewise all smiles when asked about the moment on Thursday, as he's shared his respect for his No. 1 overall pick predecessor here on multiple occasions.

"I didn't see the video, but I very much appreciate that," Young said. "Obviously, I have a ton of respect for Cam, for everything he meant to the team, to the city, all the success he's had, everything he's doing now. I was a big fan of him growing up, continue to be a big fan, as long as he has been playing and all the stuff he's doing. So, yeah, that definitely means a lot, and again, I have a ton of respect for him."

Young said they've connected in the offseasons in the past.

"Obviously, he's super busy doing stuff, obviously it's the same here, locked in," Young said. "But again, I have a ton of respect for him. Every time I have talked to him, he's been very gracious, taking the time to speak with me, give me advice, give me his opinions and feedback, and everything. Which again, means a lot to me, so I have a ton of respect for him."

Oh, and about Bryce Young's ankle

Asking Young about his own physical condition is generally a waste of time, since he has a stock answer for that.

But when someone tried on Thursday, Young was ready.

"Good, good," he replied when asked how his ankle felt. "I'm blessed. Practiced, I'm able to do things, so I'm excited."

When pressed, Young mostly shrugged.

"Everyone's fighting through something at this point in the year," he said. "Other than practice, I'm in the training room all the time, doing everything I can. I have a great training staff, so doing all the stuff they want me to do and it's always getting better, always feeling better from a day to day basis. Everyone's dealing with something, that's just the nature of football, of this league, especially at this time of the year. So again I'm excited. I'm focused on football."

Canales was equally revealing, saying that Young participated fully in practice, and they wanted to make sure he could go fully after he received treatment on Sunday, but finished the game without missing a snap.

Talent and prayer helping Brown dominate in one area

Derrick Brown is a menace as a tackler, pancaking linemen, terrorizing running backs, and getting into the face of quarterbacks. But, as this season has clearly shown, opponents also need to account for the Pro Bowler as a pass defender.

Since entering the league in 2020, Brown has produced 26 passes defensed, the second most among defensive linemen in that span.

The trick, according to Brown?

"Put your hand up and pray. That's it," laughed the defensive tackle. "That's all God right there."

He has five passes defensed already this season, including a dominant performance against the Jets in Week 7. That particular game, Brown registered three passes defensed, a new single-game high, and the sixth multi-passes-defensed game of his career, tied for the sixth-most among active defensive linemen.

"Put your hand up in the direction that it's going and maybe you catch it," Brown continued. The DT has two career interceptions, both in 2023.

The batted passes are cool, Brown admits, and help the team in the moment. But it's not how he's measuring his career.

"I want some sacks," stated Brown. If I get an interception, great, but I want some sacks."

Brown has 3.0 sacks so far this season. He needs three passes defensed to pass Mike Rucker (28) for the second most by a Panthers defensive lineman.

Keeping it on schedule

Today remains Thursday, but in the Panthers' world, it isn't.

All the video boards at Bank of America Stadium are calling it "Work Wednesday," and Canales had a perfectly reasonable explanation for it.

They took a bonus day on Monday, and then just started with their Monday routine on Tuesday, staggering the week by a day.

"We took our bonus Monday and then basically just started off our week a day later so that we could just be in the rhythms and the flows of what we're doing," Canales said. "And that's what it felt like today, you know, I know it's Thursday for the rest of the world, but in our minds it's Wednesday. It's our work Wednesday, and went through our meetings and our preparation the same way, so that helps to just kind of get back in that rhythm, and then of course following the Monday night game, then you have a different set of opportunities to look at a shorter week and how do we condense our game plan and try to make it feel as normal as possible for the preparation."

Now, that doesn't help the rest of us know what day of the week it is, but it works for them.