Buccaneers

• Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield never finalized a contract extension this offseason and is entering the last year of his deal. Tampa Bay HC Todd Bowles said Mayfield is always motivated to perform regardless of his contract status: “Baker’s pissed off every year and every game. He wants to beat the piss out of somebody. This is nothing new. It’s a normal deal for him, whether it was contract or no contract. We’ll get the best Baker Mayfield that you can probably get.” (Greg Auman)
• Bowles said WRs Emeka Egbuka (toe) and WR Jalen McMillan (knee) are trending in the right direction with their recovery and they’ll gauge their availability next week: “Headed in the right direction. I don’t know how fast. You know, I would have a better gauge the next week. They’re moving forward every day, so we’ll see next week.” (Rick Stroud)

Falcons

• Falcons GM Ian Cunningham said they still have not decided on their starting quarterback between Michael Penix and Tua Tagovailoa: “When the coaches are ready, when the players are ready, we will make that decision.” (Josh Kendall)
• Atlanta wound up keeping four quarterbacks on the roster with Penix, Tagovailoa, Cooper Rush, and Jack Strand. Cunningham said injury risk led them to keep Rush and Strand, per D. Orlando Ledbetter. 
• Cunningham added that Rush and Strand’s performance was another reason they retained both players, per Will McFadden. 
• The Falcons acquired DT Gervon Dexter and claimed LB Jared Ivey off waivers. Cunningham said they were looking for “big, powerful, rugged, explosive, violent players,” via Kendall. 

Panthers

• Panthers GM Dan Morgan said they were “committed” to keeping five tight ends on the active roster, per Mike Kaye. 
• At inside linebacker, Morgan said their current plan is to have Bobby Okereke start opposite Devin Lloyd, per Kaye. 
• Regarding final roster cuts, Morgan said they have a “formula” that shows the likelihood of players getting claimed and felt there was a “good chance” they’d sign second-year WR Ja’seem Reed to the practice squad, per Joseph Person. 
• As for undrafted QB Haynes King making the active roster, Morgan said he’ll be on the team for the “foreseeable future” and didn’t want to risk losing him to another team on the practice squad, via Person. 
• Morgan said OT Ikem Ekwonu (knee), OT Taylor Moton (blood clot) and DT Turk Wharton (neck) will be available at some point this season, but was unclear about their timeline: “When that is, I don’t know.” (Person)
• Morgan also expects RB Trevor Etienne (ankle), LB Bam Martin-Scott (hamstring) and OL Brady Christensen (hamstring) to return at some point, per Kaye. 
• Canales said RB Jonathon Brooks sat out Monday’s practice due to soreness, while TE Darren Waller has still been ramping up, via Person. 
• Canales said he is “very optimistic” that Brooks will be available for Week 1, per Person.