Trevin Wallace, linebacker for the Carolina Panthers, is set to return to play after missing two games due to a shoulder injury sustained in Week 10. Wallace described his eagerness to get back on the field and reflected on his upbringing in South Georgia. “I grew up in South Georgia, where if I got hurt, my dad was like, ‘You ain’t going to the hospital. You better walk it off,'” Wallace said this week.
He acknowledged that sitting out was difficult but necessary for his recovery. “So I grew up like that. So, like, I felt like it’s been games where I was, like, when I sat out, oh, I could have played. But just the professional aspect of being smart and knowing, like, ‘Hey, your body is your money. So just get prepared for the next game and then see what you can do after that.'”
Wallace credited team staff with keeping him from returning too soon: “They really had to protect me from myself because I was telling them straight up, like I can go out there, shoulder, no shoulder, amputate it off so I can go out there and play with one arm.”
During his time away from active play, Wallace focused on learning by observing more experienced teammates and analyzing defensive strategies from the sideline. He admitted that stepping back gave him a new perspective: “Obviously you know I started off rough. Everybody knows that,” he said. “But I progressed over and over so I felt good about myself… So after I got hurt, I was like OK you’ve been playing good. So maybe sit back a little bit and learn from the other linebackers.”
Wallace also commented on the team’s defensive strength: “We got a heck of a physical defense,” he said. “Defense is real physical. I’d hate to be on the other side of the ball from them.”
Despite trying to maintain patience during recovery—especially as he watched his team win against Atlanta in Week 11—Wallace admitted frustration at not being able to contribute directly: “Just frustrating seeing…like I love the game of football and I ain’t out there playing…I still be watching films…but it’s like I’m calling it out but I’m not out there to execute or help my teammates.”
Now fully participating in practice again—and with fellow linebackers Christian Rozeboom rehabbing injuries and Claudin Cherelus still in concussion protocol—head coach Dave Canales expects Wallace will return Sunday against Los Angeles.
“I feel good. Body feel good. Shoulder feels good,” Wallace said ahead of Sunday’s game.
