Derrick Brown’s teammates hear the jokes, but they mostly see the work

That banter is contagious, and keeps the mood light throughout the long days.

“Shy and Derrick, they’re like brothers, always bickering going back and forth, but it’s hilarious, man,” outside linebacker D.J. Wonnum said. “I’m here for it. When you’re in the dog days and that kind of stuff, we need that. I mean, they’re both big dudes, bro. So really, the fat jokes are wild. Because a fat dude calling another fat — I’m not saying that they’re fat — but a big dude calling another big dude big, it’s actually hilarious.”

And like Bobby, Wonnum can quickly pivot to that other side of Brown that he sees from his vantage point, of how he can make an impact on an entire defense from inside.

“Oh my God, it makes my life a lot easier,” Wonnum said. “Man, just having him back, he can do it all, he can rush. Obviously, he’s a dominant run defender; he had over 100 tackles a couple of years ago. Just getting him back, man, it’s going to propel us to be what we should have been. He adds that dog nature, adds that physicality to this line, and we know that nothing’s coming his way.”