NFL Trade Rumors
Panthers LT Ikem Ekwonu said the team has been building through the trenches and he’s happy to take on the responsibility as part of the engine that powers the team’s offense.
After signing with the Panthers this offseason, DT Bobby Brown III talked about what it’s been like sharing a position room with DT Derrick Brown. He praised Derrick Brown‘s work ethic but also touched on his outgoing personality, which helps keep things fun during the hardest mental days in the offseason.
“Oh man, he’s a character, man; full of life,” Brown said, via Darin Gantt of the team’s website. “But you know he’s a hard worker, you know what I’m saying?
“While he’s working, you’re going to have fun, you’re going to laugh. But it’s real work in there.”
“I didn’t expect him to be as goofy as he is; I didn’t expect that. Him and Shy [Tuttle], they sit next to each other in meetings and everything, and all they do is talk trash, like all day every day during the workouts… They both call each other fat. Like they’re both not over 300 pounds.”
Carolina OLB D.J. Wonnum also talked about the goofy dynamic between Derrick Brown and DT Shy Tuttle, and also outlined what Derrick Brown does for him and the rest of the defense on the field.
“Shy and Derrick, they’re like brothers, always bickering going back and forth, but it’s hilarious, man,” Wonnum said*. “I’m here for it. When you’re in the dog days and that kind of stuff, we need that. I mean, they’re both big dudes, bro. So really, the fat jokes are wild. Because a fat dude calling another fat — I’m not saying that they’re fat — but a big dude calling another big dude big, it’s actually hilarious.”*
“Oh my God, it makes my life a lot easier. Man, just having him back, he can do it all, he can rush. Obviously, he’s a dominant run defender; he had over 100 tackles a couple of years ago. Just getting him back, man, it’s going to propel us to be what we should have been. He adds that dog nature, adds that physicality to this line, and we know that nothing’s coming his way.”
Veteran WR Sterling Shepard is entering his second year with the Buccaneers. Shepard played alongside Baker Mayfield at Oklahoma and is glad to see the organization trust him after Mayfield’s tumultuous time with the Browns, Panthers, and Rams.
“I love playing with Baker,” Shepard said, via Ira Kaufman of JoeBucsFan.com. *“Ever since I was with him in college, he has played with that chip on his shoulder. He’s going to find some reason to give himself motivation. Everything he went through gave him that kind of motivation. He just needed someone to believe in him — and that’s exactly what this organization has done. With his toughness, you can’t help but feed off him. You see Baker play every...
