Panthers UDFA LB Chris Orr on unprecedented offseason and comeback story
Comeback is an overused word in sports. It can be used to describe a team coming back from a game they appeared out of or an athlete that defeats seemingly insurmountable odds.
Chris Orr is one of many undrafted free agents on NFL rosters this year that are facing an unprecedented situation. Not only are preseason games gone, but with offseason programs conducted virtually, there has been less time than ever before for players to prove they deserve a spot on the roster. On top of that, there are new limits on roster sizes with teams having to cut to 80 players by July 28 or at the latest Aug. 16, if the team chooses to break players up into two different groups for practice. Many won’t get an opportunity in camp at all
A comeback opportunity presents itself, if you will.
Orr isn’t trying to overthink the obstacles ahead. The Wisconsin linebacker tore his ACL in 2016, was not invited to the Combine after his senior year and despite watching all seven rounds of the 2020 draft, went unselected.
He grew up as the youngest of four brothers in a football family. His father, Terry, was a tight end in the NFL from 1986 to 1993, winning two Super Bowls in Washington. His eldest brother, Terrance, played football at Texas State and coaches high school football in Texas. And his youngest brother Nick spent the 2018 training camp with the Bears after signing as an UDFA.
His second oldest brother, Zach, played for the Ravens for three years after being signed as a UDFA and was named Second Team All-Pro in 2016, but his career ended abruptly after that season due to a congenital neck/spine condition. He is currently a coaching analyst for the Ravens.
Now, it’s the youngest Orr’s turn to show what he can do. While awaiting the official start of training camp at Bank of America Stadium, he is staying at veteran teammate Stephen Weatherly’s house, the pair share the same agency. Here is some of a conversation Orr had with The Observer last week, edited for clarity.
The Observer: What have the past few months been like?
Orr: “I’m just so blessed that my problem is when I’m gonna be able to play football or when am I going to be able to do my dream job? Everybody’s in the same position at the end of the day, so I don’t necessarily look at myself going through something more than anybody else. Everybody’s pretty uncertain about what’s going on, so I just took it day-by-day and tried to enjoy each and every day and each moment with my family, honestly it was a blessing in disguise because I went to school in Wisconsin, I’m from Dallas, Texas. I wasn’t able to get home that much, but this is like the most time I was able to spend my family so it was a blessing in disguise for me.”
What was your first experience at the stadium like getting tested this week?
“I saw the outside of the stadium. We had to get ready for all the protocols, but we still haven’t been able to go in for sure yet, because they still want to get everything ready for us, which I appreciate so we’ll see.”
Had you gotten tested for COVID-19 before?
“Yeah, I had gotten tested prior. Me and my mom went.”
After not getting invited to the Combine, Wisconsin had one of the earliest Pro Days and it occurred before things started shutting down. How appreciative are you that you were able to show what you can do?
“I’m so happy I had my Pro Day, because the numbers that people were predicting that I was going to do, it was disrespectful, it was disgusting. All of that. So I’m very thankful that I was able to have my Pro Day. I definitely feel for the guys that weren’t able to have theirs. It’s crazy because when I first started training, and then some of the guys I was training with were figuring out what everybody’s Pro Day was and they were like, ‘man you’re early, it’s so early. I would hate to have mine that early.’ (But then I) was like one of the only ones as they do it.”
What was the experience like for you tearing your ACL in college?
“It was life changing. It made me really appreciate life, appreciate having the ability to play football. Being able to walk. For a very brief moment you can’t really walk on your own power. I know some people that are actually paralyzed. It just makes you appreciate life itself so much more, so it definitely changed my life a lot. It was hard mentally, but at the end of the day it made me stronger, made me the person I am today. I attacked it head on, that’s how I’ve always been.”
Comeback seems like a word that comes up for you a lot.
“I always look at myself as like a comeback kid, I’ve always been the underdog. My dad played in the NFL. I had three older brothers who were always achieving at high levels in football at every level they touched it seemed like they were just achieving great things. So, I always heard like you’re not gonna be anything like your dad. You’re not gonna be anything like your brothers.”
Really? Someone said that to you?
“You hear it from everybody. People you thought were your friends, random people in your town. But, I mean, you would hear from I would hear it from coaches, or even old coaches that I had. That kind of helped me develop into the person I am. I find my confidence in myself. I find my confidence in the preparation that I put in. In the work that I put in and at the end of day, nobody can tell me anything I’m just going to prove everything that they say about me, I’m just going to prove it wrong. I always have those things in the back of my mind.”
Did your dad talk about being in the NFL growing up?
“No, no, he never talked about it, like you would see the NFL jerseys, but when you are that young, you don’t necessarily put it together, ’like yeah my dad played in the NFL,’ whatever. And then you look at his old VCR tapes and you see like, ‘man, this dude was really good.’... He starts to open up and tell us about all their stories but that kind of just, growing up like that and with my dad being how he is, that just let us know that no matter what level you reach... he’s probably the most the humble person, the most selfless person I know.”
Is there anything about the Panthers specifically that you are excited about outside of the coaching staff?
“There’s a history here of like the underdog story. First of all it’s an expansion team. They have players like Sam Mills and Steve Smith Sr. come through here. People would swear was undersized or too small to play in the NFL, both Hall of Fame-caliber players like I would love to have my name sketched in right along with those guys, Sam Mills is one of my favorite backers of all time. May he rest in peace. It was a combination of that, combination of the genuineness of the staff and the front office that made it (an) easy (decision).”
I haven’t met a lot of new Panthers who know much about Sam Mills. Do you spend a lot of time watching old games?
“I love to cook I love to eat. I love to spend some quality time with my family... Majority of time people ask me I say, ‘man, I love football.’ I really can’t tell you much else, but I love football. I love how you can never know enough about the game of football. I think with my dad playing in the era that he did is why I know a lot of these older players. It’s not hard for me to recall them like I knew about him. I knew when he played with the Saints when he was in the USFL. His whole story is just so amazing to me and the list goes on and on, like, Mike Singletary he’s right there. It’s a never ending list, but yeah I’m an old school player playing a new game.”
What are you most looking forward to once camp gets underway?
“I’m most looking forward to just playing, just getting back to football at the end of the day.”
