Buccaneers
During an appearance on The Jim Rome Show, former Buccaneers LB Lavonte David said that even with WR Mike Evans moving on to the 49ers, the team’s wide receiver group is still in good hands with Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin.
“You’ve got a receiving room that can fill the void of losing Mike Evans. You won’t say everyone can replace Mike, but it’s a collective group that can do a lot of great things.” David said.
Falcons
- Falcons RB Bijan Robinson is entering the final year of his rookie contract before his fifth-year option starts in 2027. Joel Corry of CBS Sports notes that Robinson or Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs should reset the running back market with their next contract.
- Corry could see Gibbs being more likely to get a deal before the start of the regular season, given Detroit has been more proactive about signing first-round picks to new contracts while the Falcons typically allow players under their rookie contracts play out the fourth year of their deals.
- Corry thinks both Gibbs and Robinson will look to become the league’s first running backs to eclipse the $25 million per year mark, while both should get “significantly more” than Eagles RB Saquon Barkley‘s $36 million fully guaranteed at signing.
Panthers
Not a lot of teams could lose both starting tackles and still feel solid about their outlook on offense. Yet that’s where Carolina finds itself despite losing LT Ikem Ekwonu to a torn patellar tendon in January and RT Taylor Moton to blood clots on the eve of camp. Panthers GM Dan Morgan said he feels confident with the team’s anchors on the offensive line with LT Rasheed Walker on the blind side and first-round RT Monroe Freeling on the other side.
“I think we’ll be covered there,” Morgan said, via the team’s website. “We feel good about it, and I know T-Mo will definitely support Monroe there at right tackle and teach him all he knows. So, yeah, we feel good about it. I think that’s why depth matters so much in this league. And drafting Monroe and taking the best player available, it happened to be a tackle, it worked out really well for us. So we feel really good about him. We’re confident in him, and I know he’s going to attack it and he’s going to be out there competing.
Panthers G Robert Hunt isn’t too concerned about the turnover and said that the job remains the same, protecting the quarterback.
“Obviously we got new guys here, and that’s kind of different than what we had last year,” Hunt said. “But as you’ve seen last year, there’s a lot of guys playing everywhere, and I think for the most part the group in general, the core still kept the main thing the main thing. I think it’s going to be the same deal today and throughout camp and through the first couple of games is we’ve got to keep the, the main thing, the main thing. That’s protecting the quarterback, that’s running the football, and that’s helping us win games. So, that’s kind of going to be what the message is at the end of the day: the guys that got the opportunity to play, it’s the opportunity to play. So we’ll do with that as we need.”
Morgan added Freeling is a blank canvas and while he has all the tools to succeed, he’s confident in the coaching staff to help him reach his full potential.
“I know what Monroe is made of,” Morgan said. “He’s a competitor. He’s super smart. He’s going to go out there, he’s going to attack this thing, and we have full confidence in him. There’s some little things that he’s going to have to get used to, but he’s a young, moldable rookie, you know, a guy that’s going to come in here; he’s going to be coached really well by Joe Gilbert. Joe will do a great job with him. We have full confidence in him. We have full confidence in Monroe, and they’re going to attack it together, and I know Monroe is going to put the work in, and I feel good about it.”
- As for Ekwonu’s recovery from a knee injury, Morgan said he’s “in a good place” with his recovery and is optimistic he’ll play at some point this season. However, he did not disclose a timeline for his return, per Joseph Person.
- Morgan mentioned second-round DT Lee Hunter has gotten a lot of good feedback from their starting offensive linemen: “A lot of good feedback [from teammates]. Just talking to starting linemen who went against him, I got a lot of good feedback on how strong he is, how physical he is, and he’s quick off the ball. He’s quicker and more mobile than you think.” (Kaye)
- As for QB Will Grier recently deciding to retire, Morgan said they don’t have any plans on bringing in a fourth quarterback. (Person)
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