“Rehab’s done now, so I finally put that behind me,” he said, via the team’s website. “I’m back out here. I’ve been looking forward to this for a while, so it’s good to be back. So far it’s been feeling great. Right away I’m just trying to get used to playing with a knee brace again, but I was talking to Ben today and it’s like, it already feels…you’re not thinking about the knee brace. It feels back to normal. It was a great day. I wasn’t worried about the knee one bit, so that’s good.”

Mauch added that being able to participate in the first day of OTAs was a “big win” for him.

“It’s weird that the last time I was out on this field with a helmet on was September,” he recounted. “That just seems so long ago. I was really, really excited to get out here today. I just texted my wife, like I was just so happy that my knee felt great and everything. So we were just kind of pumped about that. I think the biggest thing with the whole rehab process is just taking your small wins, and I’m counting today a really big win. So I’m pretty excited about that.”

Tampa Bay will seemingly once again start the same offensive line that was so effective in 2024.

“That’ll be huge,” Bowles said. “Cody was kind of our unsung guy down there, but he’s one of the toughest and one of the smartest down there. He packed a lot of weight, as well, so to get him back at that position and get all five guys back was helpful.”

Panthers

Panthers DC Ejiro Evero said that he does not have a timeline for when DL Tershawn Wharton will return to the field and football activities.

“I do not. That’s a medical question,” Evero said, via Panthers Wire. “Certainly, he’s not working with us right now, but it’s been good to have him in the building and he’s taking his notes and doing all the stuff in the classroom. Know he’s rehabbing. Exactly when he’ll be back—I’m not certain of that. But the one thing I do know is that he’ll be ready when he is.”

Saints

Saints RB Alvin Kamara showed up to OTAs on Wednesday despite typically skipping them in the past, along with his uncertain future. Kamara said he caught teammates and staff off guard by showing up after flying in from Miami.

“I walked in this morning and I was just talking s— to some dudes and they looked up, like, ‘Man … who the f—?'” Kamara said Wednesday, via Matthew Paras The Advocate. “They were like, ‘Oh s—, AK!'”

Kamara doesn’t have any ill will toward the organization after signing RB Travis Etienne to a multi-year deal, and mentioned they haven’t had any discussions about a pay cut. 

“On my side, I feel no pressure. There’s no beef or bad blood, I don’t think. I’m just doing what I do every year, working. Whatever decisions have got to be made, they’ll be made.”

“I haven’t had any conversations in regard to that, so I don’t know. I think there’s a time and a place for everything. If that conversation comes up, then I’ll have an answer for you when it comes up.”