He played college football at Ohio State and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Carolina Panthers in 2014.

During his true freshman year, Norwell was the primary backup at right tackle in 2010 and played in 11 games.

Despite his decorated college career, Norwell went undrafted in the 2014 NFL draft and signed with the Carolina Panthers as a free agent.

[5] His emergence into the starting lineup helped the Panthers rank seventh in the NFL in rushing, including a league-leading 975 yards over the last five games.

Norwell was also among the least penalized players at the position and through the entire season, did not allow a single sack and only one quarterback hit.

On March 7, 2017, the Panthers placed a second-round tender on Norwell, who was set to be a restricted free agent.

[18] Norwell was placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list on May 30, 2023, due to an elbow injury, and was released on July 24, 2023.

[19][20] Norwell's older brother, Chris, is the head football coach at Thomas More University.