'He's got an aura about him': Panthers need 'Turk' Wharton's championship experience to boost D

CHARLOTTE, N. C. -- Carolina Panthers antiaircraft coordinator Ejiro Evero precocious showed his players a photograph of extremity Tershawn "Turk" Wharton wearing a greenish No. 1 jersey returning a fumble 53 yards for a touchdown astatine the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

"Everybody was, 'Who is that?' '' Wharton recalled with a chuckle. "A fewer walked up to maine and said, 'What schoolhouse was that?' ''

Evero utilized the representation due to the fact that helium is trying to crook a defence that ranked past successful the NFL past play into thing peculiar -- and Wharton is simply a large example. He went undrafted successful 2020 aft playing astatine an obscure Division II schoolhouse past went connected to triumph aggregate Super Bowls arsenic a cardinal contributor with the Kansas City Chiefs.

His rags-to-riches communicative is important not lone for undrafted players trying to marque the roster, it's important for the connection Evero wants to stock with his full group.

"Just letting them cognize that thing is possible, but it takes clip and it takes hard work,'' Wharton told ESPN.

In a cleanable world, Wharton would person remained successful Kansas City, wherever helium won 2 Super Bowls and went to four. But the Chiefs reportedly couldn't lucifer Carolina's connection of a three-year, $45.05 cardinal declaration that included $30.25 cardinal guaranteed with the anticipation of different $9 cardinal successful incentives.

So aft putting up a career-high 8.5 sacks for the NFL's fourth-ranked defence successful 2024, Wharton went to the league's worst defense, which tallied an NFL-low 36 sacks.

Evero couldn't beryllium happier.

"When you archetypal conscionable him, he's got a beingness astir him,'' Evero said. "He's got an aura astir him. You ticker him successful the classroom, he's a notetaker. He's into it each the clip successful the value room, connected the field.

"And we cognize that he's coming from a spot that has a truly large culture, and that played a truly bully defense, particularly connected the D-line.''

It's that winning civilization Evero is trying to build. It's a civilization manager Dave Canales is trying to found passim an enactment that has endured 7 consecutive losing seasons.

Wharton already sees signs that tin happen. He adjacent sees immoderate things successful Carolina backmost Bryce Young (despite a 6-22 vocation record) that helium saw successful Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes, the three-time Super Bowl champion and two-time NFL MVP.

"They some person a small vibe,'' Wharton said. "It's not excessively uppity. They're chill guys. They're relaxed. Some radical locomotion into the locker country and don't consciousness they tin speech to the quarterbacks. When Bryce is around, helium talks to everybody. Patrick did the aforesaid thing. He wasn't standoffish. Everybody could speech to him.''

Panthers manager Dave Canales loves the enthusiasm of the defence aft the interception to extremity practice. pic.twitter.com/c9P8H8ssit

Wharton is present due to the fact that the Panthers were outbid successful escaped bureau by the New England Patriots for erstwhile Philadelphia Eagles antiaircraft lineman Milton Williams. Carolina brought him successful due to the fact that of the power helium tin person connected younger players and for a tally defence that past twelvemonth was the 3rd worst successful NFL history, allowing 3,057 yards.

"It's conscionable a mentality, man,'' said Wharton, who played for a defence past play that ranked eighth against the run. "Don't fto a antheral predominate you with his game. That's what we're coming to do. Everybody successful that country and connected that defence knows it's going to stop.''

Like the extracurricular linebackers, wherever presumption manager AC Carter paired a seasoned with a young subordinate successful gathering rooms, the antiaircraft enactment is doing the aforesaid thing. Wharton has taken fifth-round antiaircraft tackle Cam Jackson nether his wing.

He shows him everything from however to "come successful each morning'' to the enactment ethic it took him to persevere arsenic an undrafted rookie and again aft suffering a torn ACL successful his 3rd season.

"I understand,'' Wharton said. "Just showing these young guys however to transition. Being capable to amusement them the way, connected and disconnected the field, connected however to bash things and found that civilization of winning.''

Wharton's past perpetually drives him. He was 1 of 46 Division II players who were connected an NFL roster past season. He is the 3rd 1 connected the Panthers' roster now, joining wide receiver Adam Thielen (Minnesota State) and David Moore (East Central).

Wharton had an adjacent tougher roadworthy than them, since helium had to marque the Chiefs' roster during COVID-19 erstwhile determination weren't preseason games and offseason workouts arsenic a proving ground. After the ACL wounded successful 2022, Wharton had to beryllium himself again.

"My communicative is simply a small different,'' said Wharton, nicknamed "Turk'' aboriginal successful his shot vocation due to the fact that radical said it looked similar helium had turkey legs.

According to the schoolhouse website, Wharton is the lone subordinate from Missouri University of Science and Technology (formerly known arsenic the Missouri School of Mines and Missouri Tech) to marque an NFL roster successful the modern epoch (since 1970).

He wears that badge with honor.

"Of course, we each imagination of having our sanction called successful the draft,'' Wharton said. "It's not similar you failed oregon anything, but yeah, you decidedly privation to spell beryllium yourself.''

Wharton has already proved to beryllium a subordinate Evero is counting connected to assistance Pro Bowl extremity Derrick Brown, who is coming disconnected a season-ending genu injury, and A'Shawn Robinson anchor the rebuilt antiaircraft front.

Having Brown backmost volition marque the defence better. But having much pieces astir him -- specified arsenic escaped cause acquisitions Wharton, chemoreceptor tackle Bobby Brown III, borderline rusher Pat Jones II and information Tre'Von Moehrig -- volition marque Evero's occupation easier.

"This feline has a intent successful everything that helium does,'' Evero said of Wharton. "And it's really, truly awesome to watch. ... So it's large to adhd guys similar that who tin bring that experience, that mentality and that enactment ethic.''