Carolina Panthers defensive end Charles Johnson roared to life during team drills at Wofford College last week as he ran down scat back Fozzy Whittaker.
At 6-2 and 278 pounds, he would have eaten Whittaker’s breakfast, and his lunch too, had he been allowed to hit at full power.
It was a flash of the skill often displayed by a younger Johnson, the one who became the No. 2 on the franchise’s all-time sacks list over what has so far been a 10-year NFL career, and a welcome burst after a long spring.
Johnson’s 31-year-old motor is working now, but in February, he woke up in his stately Charlotte home and realized he couldn’t walk.