New Panthers' Linebacker Turning Heads in Early Stages of Training Camp
Day by day, linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill is making the case to be a part of the rotation at linebacker. Through two days of training camp, the veteran linebacker has pulled down two interceptions one of which really caught the attention of head coach Frank Reich.
"Phenomenal interception," said Reich. "I was standing behind the offense, Kamu made a great play. Great anticipation, great play on the ball. I just think he's playing with confidence. He's just played a lot of football. He came into the league and really made a name for himself as a special teams player. But then he's really taken that to a new level, playing linebacker. He's fast, he's instinctive, he's smart. And then he can make plays on the ball like you saw today."
Grugier-Hill spent two seasons with Reich in Philadelphia (2016-17) and was a key special teamer during his tenure there, including in 2017 when they won the Super Bowl.
In 2021, he finally got a chance to be a regular starter on defense while with the Houston Texans and made the most of his opportunity racking up 108 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, five QB hits, three sacks, and an interception. He split time with the Texans and Cardinals last season and started just six of the fourteen games he played in, so the numbers weren't quite what they were in 2021. But should he keep making plays during training camp and in the preseason, he's going to be on the field. Even fellow linebacker Shaq Thompson says so.
"Kamu is just one of those guys that's like a silent killer. They brought him in for special teams, but I definitely think he's going to be one of those guys playing [defense]. They got to put him on the field somehow, some way. He's been making plays. He's fast, he's smart. He's a veteran. I feel like you got to find a way to get everybody on the field and you definitely got to find a way to get him on the field."
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