Returning Panthers pass rusher D.J. Wonnum shows off ‘special trait’ in win vs. Giants
D.J. Wonnum sat by himself in front of a locker in the middle of the tiniest locker room he’d probably ever changed in as a professional and smiled. It felt good to be in recovery mode following the Carolina Panthers’ 20-17 overtime win against the New York Giants on Sunday at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.
For nearly a year, he was forced to watch the game he loved from the sideline. He had undergone quadriceps surgery, suffered a blood clot and an infection, and had a grueling recovery process on the way to his Panthers debut in Week 10. But as he processed what had happened on the field and what he had accomplished on that chilly afternoon in the heart of Bavaria, he couldn’t help but vocally assert that this is the standard he wants to set for himself in Carolina.
“It’s really special,” Wonnum told The Observer. “But it’s not really nothing new. I’ve been doing this since I’ve been in the league. But just going out there and being able to do it today was great.”
To borrow a word from Wonnum, he was “great” against the Giants. Frankly, he set the tone for the entire defense during the first series of the game.
On second-and-10 from the Carolina 38-yard line, Wonnum and defensive end A’Shawn Robinson — who also had an excellent outing — combined for a quick stop after a 2-yard gain by running back Tyrone Tracy. Two plays later, the Giants punted away their first series.
It only got better from there.
His next stop, a joint tackle with linebacker Josey Jewell, went for a loss of 2 yards for Tracy. While Jewell would later produce two huge late-game turnovers, Wonnum kept piling on the pressure in the first half.
On third-and-1 from the Giants’ 49-yard line, New York tried to pull off a flea flicker with QB Daniel Jones. But instead of getting off a deep pass, Jones was rocked from behind by Wonnum for a sack and an 8-yard loss.
“Oh, man, really special,” Wonnum said about his first sack as a Panther. “I think I celebrated with literally everybody, offense and defense, all the coaches. Just knowing those guys, they have been there and seen me come into the locker room every day and how hard I work. So it’s just amazing seeing those guys come cheer me on.”
Defensive end DeShawn Williams is one of the guys who has watched Wonnum recover on the sidelines in practice during the first half of the season. Williams, a well-traveled NFL veteran, knows what Wonnum has gone through behind the scenes, and that’s why he can truly appreciate the performance Wonnum put forth, especially in the first half.
“It’s great to see him get that sack, and I think y’all saw it, I can only imagine what it looked like from y’all’s point of view and everybody just ran on the field, excited for him,” Williams told The Observer. “You could just tell — it’s a true testament of his hard work, battling through an injury, his frustrations. He wanted to come back two weeks ago. And the timing wasn’t right. And you gotta trust the process. But now, he looked like he didn’t miss a beat, like he did in Minnesota. I know of him and I watched his tape while he was in Minnesota. So to have a guy like that back, man, it definitely helps a whole lot.
“He got a special trait that nobody can coach, and that’s getting to the quarterback.”
Wonnum actually got to Jones twice Sunday, as he produced a total of two QB hits. He also forced a fumble on a short completion from Jones to Tracy, but the ball ultimately fell out of bounds on the sideline once it left the running back’s hands.
Not too shabby for a guy who hadn’t played in a game since he was a Minnesota Vikings defender in December of last year.
“I think that’s one of the cooler stories of today, for sure,” said safety Jordan Fuller, who also returned from injury in the win. “Because I know he’s been chompin’ at the bit to get out there.”
Wonnum signed a two-year, $12.5 million deal with the Panthers in March during free agency. The pass rusher, who played college ball at South Carolina, was coming off surgery in January, but he also had a career-high eight sacks last season.
Against the Giants, particularly against fill-in left tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, Wonnum showed glimpses of that breakout campaign from 2023.
“I knew, once we signed him, it was a great pickup because I played with him in college,” cornerback Jaycee Horn said. “And seeing him go through all the ups and downs through his injury history, with his surgery — I had some of that, too — so I was just excited to see him back on the field and practice. See him back doing what he loves to do. And for him to come out here and get a sack, it was nice, man. I loved it.”
Another guy who loved seeing Wonnum excel was head coach Dave Canales. The Panthers came into Sunday’s game with just 10 sacks on the season, and Wonnum was able to add to the limited pile in his first game with the squad. He finished the win with six total tackles (two for loss), a sack and a forced fumble.
After watching Wonnum work vigorously with the training staff to get back on the field, the return to action was a fulfilling moment for the outside linebacker and those around him, including Canales.
“It’s an amazing story of adversity for him to overcome some setbacks and find himself back on the field,” Canales said. “And just the whole process — I have to give a lot of love to (director of health, performance and nutrition) Andrew Althoff, to (head trainer) Kevin King, all the return-to-play guys that were working tirelessly to just get him back out to a point where he felt confident.”
Wonnum is 1-0 in his return to the field. He’s also put forth a lot of positive tape before Carolina heads into the bye week.
With seven games left in the season, Wonnum is in position to make an impact on opposing quarterbacks. He’ll send a warning shot to those NFL passers with what he did Sunday in Munich.
“If they don’t know, they gonna know real soon,” Wonnum said. “But just part of the process, man. I’m going to keep going. Keep getting better. Obviously today, I had some errors, but we’re going to continue to fix those and I’m gonna be better.”
This story was originally published November 11, 2024 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Returning Panthers pass rusher D.J. Wonnum shows off ‘special trait’ in win vs. Giants."
