NFC Notes: Bryce Young, Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers

“If you want to say we have a chip or if people want to think [we] have a chip on our shoulder then that’s fine, [but] that’s not how I think of it,” he said. “Yeah, we won the [NFC] South but there wasn’t much to it really. So, I think what we’re going to do this year is we’re going to establish a good culture and kind of let that breed itself. We want it to kind of affect the whole team and everyone will be on the same page and us to be a unit. We have got a new thing up on the board it says, ‘Attitude breeds responsibility.’ I think that kind of speaks for itself. Responsibility is not just going to come, you guys have heard me say it so many times, there are two things you can control, attitude and effort. I’ve been saying it for three years, so I think if everyone kind of buys into that it’s going to be really good.”

• Buccaneers OL Matt Feiler signed a one-year, $3.79 million deal that includes a $1.25 million base salary, $1.29 million signing bonus and a $1.25 million roster bonus. There are four void years to spread out the cap hit. (Over The Cap)

Falcons

• Falcons DE Bud Dupree earned a one-year, $3 million contract including $2.49 million fully guaranteed. Dupree received a $1.25 million signing bonus and his base salary for the 2023 season will be $1.24 million. Dupree also has up to $510,000 in per-game roster bonuses. (Over The Cap)
• Falcons WR KhaDarel Hodge signed a one-year deal that includes a $1.08 million base salary and a $120,000 roster bonus. (Over The Cap) 

Panthers

The S2 test has been one of the big buzz topics in this year’s draft season, although it’s been around for a while. The Panthers are one of the teams that subscribe to it and indications are it’s one of the reasons they’re so high on Alabama QB Bryce Young, the expected No. 1 overall pick who had the best score of any quarterback in this class and one of their best scores, period. Perhaps seeking not to reveal too much of how they stack their board, Panthers GM Scott Fitterer downplayed how much impact the test had for them in zeroing in on Young. 

“Obviously, we use it so we believe in it. But it’s a tool. There’s a lot of different tools that we look at, analytics (and) everything else,” Fitterer said via the Athletic’s Joe Person. “It all comes back to the tape. It’s the most important thing that we do when we watch and we evaluate. S2 is just another tool that we use. It is something that we believe in, though.”

• In a radio interview on WFNZ, Fitterer said he was very impressed by Young after sitting down with him over dinner: “All the guys did really well …but Bryce in particular did a great job when we sat down at dinner. Every time we talked to him it’s like talking to a 40 year old man..the other 3 guys were all on par with that as well but Bryce in particular was really strong” (The 4 Man Rush)
• Although Fitterer likes the edge rushers on their roster, he plans on addressing the position through the 2023 NFL Draft: “I like the guys that we have on our roster, but it is a need. You need two legitimate pass rushers in the NFL to make a run. So, it is something we’ll look at in the draft.” (Mike Kaye)
• Panthers WR Damiere Byrd signed a one-year, $1,317,500 contract with $600,000 guaranteed. He has a base salary of $1.165 million in 2023 and a $152,500 signing bonus. (Over The Cap)
• Panthers DL John Penisini signed a one-year deal with a $940,000 base salary. (Wilson)