Jeff Saturday and Tedy Bruschi agree that the Panthers don't have much to play for and take the Redskins to win on Monday Night Football. (0:43)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers safety Tre Boston wanted some heavy-duty tape.

He'd pulled out the "Thieves Avenue" sign that basically had been in storage since Super Bowl 50 and was looking for something to attach it to the wall above the row of lockers where the secondary resides.

It's back. The Thieves Avenue sign the Panthers' secondary took to Super Bowl 50. Was in... https://t.co/LIjZg37EJN pic.twitter.com/vt9GJAsHkF — David Newton (@DNewtonespn) December 15, 2016

The timing was interesting.

A year ago, the sign was a symbol of pride for a secondary and defense that led the NFL in interceptions with 24 and in total takeaways with 39. It made the trip to California for the Super Bowl but has been noticeably missing since the 24-10 loss to Denver.

But this week, with the Panthers set to face former "Thieves Avenue" resident Josh Norman in a Monday night game against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field, Boston decided to bring it out.

It wasn't a shot at Norman, who is in Washington because the Panthers rescinded his franchise tag in April. It was statement that perhaps thievery is back at Carolina.

After having no more than one interception in the previous 10 games, the Panthers (5-8) had three in Sunday's 28-16 victory over San Diego. They also had two forced fumbles, giving the defense a season-high five takeaways.

Daryl Worley has made more plays as his rookie season has gone on. AP Photo/Bob Leverone

The sign perhaps represented a sign that Carolina's young secondary, specifically rookie cornerbacks James Bradberry and Daryl Worley, was starting to grow up.

The evidence is in the numbers. Over the last seven games, the Panthers have allowed only a 35.3 completion percentage on throws of 15-plus yards downfield. They have allowed only two touchdowns of that distance while intercepting six passes.

That's comparable to the 2015 season, when opponents completed 37.4 percent of their passes of that distance for seven touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

It's light years better than the 54.3 completion percentage for eight touchdowns and only three interceptions during a 1-5 start this season.

So while much of the talk this week has been about how much the Panthers missed Norman early, it's only fair to point out they aren't missing him as much lately.

The improvement didn't happen fast enough to get Carolina into the playoffs this season, but it has provided optimism for a bright future.

"We hope the future is bright," defensive coordinator Sean McDermott said. 'We expect [James and Daryl] to grow and earn the right like all of us to win."

Bradberry and Worley don't know Norman, although Bradberry took Norman's No. 24 when he arrived as a second-round pick out of Samford. Worley never had been in an NFL stadium before Carolina selected him in the third round out of West Virginia.

They admitted the start to the season was rough, but they feel better now about handling whatever's thrown at them.

"Like a 10 on a scale of one to 10," Worley said.

Coach Ron Rivera feels better, too. He also admitted it was a "pretty bold move" he and general manager Dave Gettleman made to move on from Norman.

"It was a question mark going into the season at that position," he said. "As we go forward, and this is about going forward, you've got two young guys that could be part of what we're doing for a while. So we're excited."

Rivera compared Bradberry and Worley to defensive tackles Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short, taken in the first and second round of the 2013 draft. They have provided a solid foundation, at a below average cost thus far, for the middle of one of the top front sevens in the NFL.

Bradberry and Worley, playing under their rookie deals, will cost the Panthers a combined $7,298,732 million over the next four years. Norman, 29, was going to get $13.95 million this season alone.

He got a five-year, $75 million deal from Washington.

Neither Bradberry nor Worley have shown Norman's personality and flamboyance. Bradberry is extremely quiet and Worley is flashy but not flamboyant.

But remember Norman was benched twice and took three seasons to develop into a Pro Bowl-caliber player.

"It's going to be a good tandem," Rivera said of his rookies. "If they can continue to grow and develop it's going to be a good tandem for us."

The numbers show that. During the 1-5 start, opposing quarterbacks had a Total Quarterback Rating of 77, the second-highest in the league.

Over the last seven games, according to ESPN Stats and Information, that number has fallen to 51. That’s the fourth-lowest in the league during that span, which includes three games without Pro Bowl middle linebacker Luke Kuechly.

Bradberry and Worley are a big part of that improvement.

But it's not just those two that have improved. Boston steadily has progressed to playing at the level the Panthers hoped he would in training camp. Nickelback Leonard Johnson has provided stability since coming off the non-football injury list after the bye week.

Veteran Kurt Coleman has adjusted well in his move from free to strong safety.

This group gives the Panthers a nucleus heading into 2017 that makes the secondary arguably its most stable since Rivera was hired in 2011.

"We've got our fingers crossed as we go forward," Rivera said. "So we've got a good group of young guys, coupled with Kurt as the vet, you feel good about it. You wish they all could have played together earlier.

"Who knows where we'd be now."