Falcons

• Falcons QBs Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix were both ruled out from Week 1. Atlanta HC Kevin Stefanski said they are “not ruling anybody out” at this point, while Penix and Cooper Rush practiced on Wednesday: “We are working through it. Tua is not going to practice today but he is getting better. Mike and Cooper will practice.” (Josh Kendall)
• Bijan Robinson logged 21 carries and eight receptions in the season-opener. Stefanski is unsure if Robinson will continue getting the same amount of volume, but the running back made sure to tell him he’s ready and willing: “Do I think he’s going to touch it 29 times each game? I don’t know. I think he wants to. That’s what he’s told me.” (Josh Kendall)

Panthers

Panthers owner Dave Tepper developed a reputation as a meddlesome owner in his first several years in charge. Since hiring GM Dan Morgan and HC Dave Canales, though, Tepper has made a concerted effort to be more in the background. In his first press conference in three years, he explained he feels more confident in the people he hired to run the team now. 

“Nothing is easy in the NFL. Seriously, it’s not. I believe that we have everything here to win this year. And I believe we’ll have everything to win in the future, too,” Tepper said via The Athletic’s Joe Person. “I do think we’re on the right track and I do think we have very good people here in Dan and Dave and Brandt (Tilis). So I think we have a good management team over on that side of the building. I trust them. I don’t feel the need to be around as much here because I trust them so much. And like I said, I’m optimistic. I’m realistic, though, OK? But I’m optimistic.”

• Mike Kaye reports that the Panthers elected to promote LB Tyrel Dodson from the practice squad after another team tried to poach him. 
• The Panthers elected to waive WR Jimmy Horn earlier this week, and Canales said he spoke with Horn and doesn’t want him to feel discouraged by getting cut, via Mike Kaye.
• Canales added that they hope to re-sign Horn to the practice squad. 

Saints

Saints QB Tyler Shough recalled the process leading up to his being selected in the second round by New Orleans, including a test of his leadership when a delayed flight canceled a meeting with team officials.

“I remember (the Saints scouts) trying to get me to come out in the draft,” Shough said, via Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com. “Specifically, the (Saints) scouts were like, ‘You need to come out. We’re going to draft you. Or we’re going to sign you.’ And they stood by it.”

“I remember (Saints officials) asking me about the flight and trying to get me to see whose fault it was,” Shough added on the delayed flight. “It felt like a test. I didn’t blame anybody. I didn’t blame the airline. I just took the blame myself.”

Shough believed the Browns could draft him, but noted that while other teams stayed in communication, the Saints went silent. He knew that meant New Orleans was waiting on him to fall through two Cleveland picks in round two in order to get him.

“Other teams were very communicative up until the draft, and with the Saints there was this kind of radio silence, like not wanting to necessarily give anything away,” Shough mentioned. “I think they were trying to keep it under wraps a little bit. A little bit of gamesmanship. Once the Browns didn’t take a quarterback, I had a really good feeling I was going to come here, and we were elated. It was kind of just like a culmination of that whole process. I know whenever I first got here, there was obviously a lot of talk about my history, playing in college a lot. I’m sure some people weren’t fans of it, but I think for me it was a blessing to be here, because I knew that they believed in me and I believed in those guys.”