NFC Notes: Baker Mayfield, Rachaad White, Buccaneers, Panthers, Saints

Buccaneers

Buccaneers RB Rachaad White wants to be the first 1,000-yard rusher the team has had in the better part of the last decade.

“My expectation is really just do my job,” White said, via Around The NFL. “Be the guy (GM) Jason Licht wants me to be, but really just be myself. Go out there, have fun, hang loose. Obviously, the Bucs haven’t had a 1,000-yard rusher in about eight years or so. So, I want to, of course, eclipse that.”

White also spoke highly of Bucs QB Baker Mayfield, who he credits for bringing energy to the team.

“Baker brings great energy,” White said. “He’s a great guy. Chip on his shoulder, which our team is big on that right now. So, just being that guy. Being confident. Just having the swagger, not as much swagger as me, but we’re working on that.”

White added that the NFC South is wide open and the team has the playmakers to compete on both sides of the ball.

“We got big-time playmakers. We got Pro Bowlers, All-Pros, I mean you know them. I can name them. Mike (Evans), Chris (Godwin), Lavonte (David), Vita (Vea), I mean I can keep going — Tristan (Wirfs) — just guys like that. Good vets, even that haven’t made a Pro Bowl or things like that. Jamel (Dean), Carlton (Davis)…I think we’re good. Like you said, it’s wide open. We got a great shot.”

Panthers

According to the Athletic’s Joe Person, the sense is the Panthers will sign another edge rusher at some point before the season opener on September 10. However, it’s not out of the question someone on the roster emerges across from OLB Brian Burns and veteran OLB Marquis Haynes is one of the candidates. The undersized Haynes has been a decent rotational rusher the past few years and the switch to the 3-4 might better suit his skill set. He got to first-round QB Bryce Young three times during minicamp. 

“He’s been great. There’s a lot of great competition here, so you see him in the backfield. It’s good on good. It’s elite guys going up against each other,” Young said. “It’s tough when you have to go up against him every day in practice. But on Sundays, it’s great knowing that you have a guy like that out there.”

• David Newton of ESPN thinks no other player stood out this offseason quite like Haynes and has made a compelling first impression in the race to find a starter across from Burns.