“Having just competed against him, he has been a pain for us,” said coach Zac Taylor. “He is an incredible player.”
They thought about it enough to give it a reported one-year deal, $ 6.1 million, 6.1 million of the reasons they had to let Atkins go, saving $ 9.5 million. It took them out of a few other derbies too, but they needed a technique from three young men like Ogunjobi, with almost everyone after Atkins without a contract.
And as he will be only 27 when the season begins, Ogunjobi, they believe, is a rising player. In fact, he had more bags than Atkins in 2019 with 5.5, the second consecutive year he had 5.5, giving him 11 in the same stretch 2018-19 that Atkins had 14.5. Ogunjobi was only 2.5 last season, but he thinks he’ll be more productive here, leaving his nose tackle and playing alongside one of the league’s best noses on DJ Reader.
“It gives me more ability to use my ability,” said Ogunjobi. “A guy like a DJ who can really stop the race and is a top defender. I just think this duo can work very well. We prepare with each other, work with each other. We can make a lot of plays together. “
That’s exactly what defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has in mind to pressure you.
“A guy like DJ who will command respect and now Larry and you put Trey (Hendrickson) on the outside and Sam (Hubbard),” Anarumo wrote on Friday. “Hopefully, you will have one on one there. He has the skill and athleticism to win. He proved it and that is what makes us excited.”
They also have to love what this guy brings to the room. The media did. He’s coming out of a season when he was named the Good Guy by the media in Cleveland. The first player to be drafted by Charlotte, he had two specializations in science and biology. He also taught himself to play the piano and knows how to play Mozart and Beethoven.