Jewell travels a great distance to go to his new squad.

CHARLOTTE—In the dark of night, Josh Jewell awoke. At 2:30 am, he and his spouse, Micole, departed and traveled through the fields of Iowa for two hours until they arrived at the closest airport. Earlier this week, Jewell and the Carolina Panthers reached an agreement for the free agent to play middle linebacker in Ejiro Evero’s defense.

Jewell was going to the building immediately, even if it meant staying up late, taking the long way,and making things official. Carolina wanted him in there as soon as possible.

Nonetheless, Jewell’s one-day trip to Bank of America Stadium served as a metaphor for his NFL career up to this time. Always eager to push himself a little bit further, go above and beyond, and put in more effort than necessary in order to achieve his goals.