During his first stint with the Panthers, Tre Boston was one of the original members of the 2015 Panthers secondary that referred to themselves “Thieves Ave”.

When he returned last season, he brought the moniker back with him – now that he’s back on a three-year deal and one of the leaders of one of the youngest defenses in the NFL, Boston is trying to build a new Thieves Ave with new players in the Panthers defensive backs room. 

“It is [our] mentality here,” Boston said to reporters during a Zoom press conference on Monday. “You’ve got to just keep renewing it. It is like a lease, we just renew it. Everybody has to earn it. Guys might come and go, but it is a lineage we’re passing down. As long as I’m here, it is going to be here with me. It is going to be what we do.”

“We are thieves, we will rob teams of the rock and we will not give it back. I think having an identity helps guys coming to work every day, knowing it is a brotherhood, and we hold each other accountable.”

“What do thieves do?” Boston smiled.

“They steal.”

The nickname stemmed from defensive line coach Eric Washington in 2015, the season the Panthers won the NFC Championship. That season, the Panthers were able to record 24 interceptions and six fumble recoveries. Last season, the Panthers defense was able to record just 14 interceptions – and five of them in a single rout of Tampa Bay in London – on their way to a 5-11 season. 

While the faces on Thieves Ave have changed – players such as Kurt Coleman, Charles Tillman, James Bradberry and Josh Norman are long gone – the Panthers will rely on new players such as Donte Jackson, Jeremy Chinn, and Juston Burris to carry on the Thieves Ave tradition. 

Although the players since that first regime has changed, Boston believes that with him as the leader of the defensive backs room, it’s important to have a defensive identity.

Especially as the team put on the pads for the first time during training camp Monday. 

“I like that we’re fast, we are a fast unit,” Boston said. “We are young – and I think that has an advantage to it. I remember back in my younger days, our biggest advantage was, we didn’t know. So we played fast, whatever coach told us to do, we were doing it.

“Right now, we have a coach that’s played in the league, and he’s done a great job of coaching us up and getting these young guys ready. Me taking on a bigger leadership role, allowing these guys to understand we have a culture here that we want to start. It’s an identity that we’ve had before – it’s just reshaping it and getting guys up to par with how we want to do things.”

There’s also a new head coach that will be overseeing this Panthers team.

Early in training camp, Matt Rhule and other assistant coaches are taking part during individual and team drills. While Boston appreciates seeing coaches like Rhule participating in drills with the other players, what he really likes is when the defense does pushups after an offsides penalty, it’s not just the players dropping and giving five… it’s the coaches, too. 

“I think again, it just goes to Coach [Rhule],” Boston said. “I think the coolest thing is coaches going down there with us. We’ve had coaches doing it with us before. But seeing a coach willing to do everything [we’re willing to do] is a neat thing. It gains the respect of players. For him to hold us accountable, we love it. We love it because we put pressure on ourselves.”

“We are the Carolina Panthers, we go through defense first, and we hold ourselves to a higher standard. So I love it and when he does it, it just gets us fired up.”

Photo Credit: Brandon Todd/Carolina Panthers

Last season in his return to the Panthers, Boston recorded 68 tackles and three interceptions along with 11 passes defended. For his efforts, the team signed Boston to a three-year, $18 million contract. Rhule says there’s a lot of qualities that Boston brings to this Panthers roster. 

“He’s a guy that brings energy and spirit to everything,” said Rhule. “In the team meeting at night, he’ll grab the mic, and he will start singing. Here’s what I know about Tre Boston – he knows football. He likes to practice, he likes to play. He likes to talk about football, he’s a professional.”

“He’s exactly the type of guy I like to coach. He handles his business, he’s coachable, [he’s] trying to coach the young guys and mold the young guys and show them what it means to be a pro and does things the right way. So I’m fired up to have the chance to coach him.”

As they’re set to begin their 26th year in the NFL, the Panthers have never had back to back winning season in the history of the franchise. Boston, along with other players, are aware of that – he hopes that will change during his watch.

“Obviously, [I signed my] contract to be part of the way we rebuild this,” said Boston. “I was there at its peak, and I plan on getting us back and doing anything I gotta do – I plan on us getting back.”

“We have potential. Potential is a dangerous word because you gotta live up to something.”

It’s not just potential – they’ve got a nickname to live up to as well.

(Top Photo Via Carolina Panthers)

Antwan Staley
Antwan Staley has written for publications such as USA TODAY, Bleacher Report, the Miami Herald and the Palm Beach Post. Follow him on Twitter @antwanstaley.