NFC Notes: Bralen Trice, Hunter Renfrow, Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers

Buccaneers

Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles continues to field questions about the team’s intriguing undrafted free agent DT Desmond Watson, who could end up being the heaviest player in NFL history.

“To judge him right now is very early, and we didn’t get him for the tush push — we got him because we really thought he could play,” Bowles said, via Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. “It’s just a matter of getting him to the point where he can play more than two or three plays [per drive]. Right now, we just have to see how long he can stay on the field, and we put him on a program where we think he can make some progress. We didn’t get him to say, ‘Hey, we have to put you on the field right now.’ It’s, ‘Hey, we can try to put you on this program and see what we can come up with and see if we can get our endurance better,’ and have him become a better player that way, then kind of see where he is.”

“We just haven’t seen someone that size,” Buccaneers DL coach Charlie Strong added. “He works, and he don’t mind working. I know with his size, everybody wants to make a big deal about it. But our players — even the guys who are around him right now in our room — they just look at him like, ‘He’s just like us. He’s got to go about his work and do his job.’”

Falcons

Falcons OLB Bralen Trice is still recovering from a torn ACL. Raheem Morris said Trice is working hard on his recovery and training camp could be a realistic timeline for him to return. 

“He is at the point where he’s out there with our PT,” Morris said, via Terrin Wack of the team’s site. “I don’t want to misstep with my words. He is with him most of the time. He’s doing a couple things on the side. He’s doing a lot of the running things. But definitely not at the ‘full’ category yet if we were doing some of those things. So, he’s working his way back.”

Panthers

Panthers HC Dave Canales was asked about WR Hunter Renfrow, who hasn’t played in the NFL since 2023.

“You see weekly, he just makes these huge strides, just getting his feet under him,” Canales replied. “And I can tell too, just having coached wide receivers especially, but he’s got a lot in his game. Releases, top-of-the-route setup, avoidance, different things where he can double up stuff at the top of his routes. And you can see him kinda working through his inventory, kinda his tool bag—if you will. And it’s been really cool just to watch him, as his feet get underneath him and the explosiveness and all the little things show up, it’s been really fun to see.”