NFL Notes: Falcons, Panthers, Texans

Falcons

• Ian Rapoport mentions that it will be hard for the Falcons and RB Devonta Freeman to get a long-term extension in place, as Le’Veon Bell could possibly reset the market with his next contract in the coming weeks.

Panthers

Panthers TE Greg Olsen explained during an interview with Adam Schefter that he feels “business should reflect productivity.”

When asked if he would hold out for a new contract, Olsen said it’s early in the process right now, but he believes he should be among the highest paid tight ends in the NFL.

“I think it’s early right now,” Olsen said. “As the summer goes on and we get some feedback from the organization on how they feel, we’ll make the best decision we can. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that we feel very strongly about where we should be in that totem pole of top tight ends. I’d be hard pressed to find anybody who could make a reasonable argument to the contrary.”

Texans

Texans RBs coach Charles London explained that they’re looking to do a better job of keeping Lamar Miller fresh this year after they relied on him heavily in 2016.

“We relied on [Miller] a lot, particularly early in the season,” London said, via Sarah Barshop of ESPN. “A lot of times he had almost 30 carries in a game, which is a lot in the NFL. But I think he did a great job. And as coaches, I think we probably need to balance his workload a little bit more, we need to be able to use the diversity we have in the group so we can definitely have Lamar at his best in December and January.”

The Texans used a third-round pick on D’Onta Foreman and have Alfred Blue, Akeem Hunt, Tyler Ervin and Dare Ogunbowale fighting for playing time and roster spots.

“It’s probably the most competitive group that we’ve had since we’ve been here, and it’s a really diverse group,” London said. “You have guys that we consider three-down backs, we have some first- and second-down backs, we’ve got guys that can really help in the passing game. So, it’s a really diverse group that as coaches we have to find a way to maximize each other’s skill sets.”