Falcons

Falcons QB Jack Strand threw for 212 yards and one touchdown in their 34-6 preseason win over the Colts. Atlanta HC Kevin Stefanski said Strand will continue working with their second-team offense, but they are “very excited about his development.”

“At this point, Jack is going to continue to work with the twos and threes, but we’re very excited about his development,” Stefanski said, via Josh Kendall of The Athletic. “Player development is huge in what we do, and being intentional about how we bring players along is important to us.”

Stefanski added that Strand is “doing everything we are asking him to do.”

“We want to make sure we put all our young guys, Jack included, through a process,” Stefanski said. “He’s doing everything we are asking him to do, but we are not going to put those types of conversations out there for our guys to worry about. He’s got to focus on the day-to-day.”

Strand isn’t focused on whether he’ll make Atlanta’s active roster and is just trying to play good football. 

“I just want to be the best football player I can be, help the team in whatever way possible,” Strand said. “I’m not really focused on (cutdown day). I want to be where I’m at today. I was focused on practice today. I just want to be where my feet are.”

Panthers

On Tuesday, Panthers HC Dave Canales was hosted by Stephen A. Smith for an interview on SiriusXM Radio and was asked if he felt Bryce Young was the franchise quarterback.

“He is right now,” Canales said with a smile, via ESPN. “He’s our guy — he’s our guy, and I love the trajectory that he’s on. And not just the stuff that he’s growing in — from just an operational standpoint, moving the offense, finding chemistry and all that stuff — but it’s also just the critical moments, you know? It’s those games, it’s the close games, it’s the one-score game at the end. Whether we’re up or down, I love having Bryce out there. I love that he stays cool, calm and collected and aggressive, and he attacks at the right time. So, all those things are pointing in the right direction.”

“I’ll just let the rest of the stuff just sort itself out, with all the conversations with his whole group and party and our front office here with (general manager) Dan (Morgan) and (executive vice president of football operations) Brandt (Tilis) working that part out,” Canales added. “But for me, especially now not calling plays, I get to just enjoy this road, help him improve on a daily basis and really take that input and get him to take the next step.”

Saints 

Tyler Shough reflected on emerging as the Saints’ starting quarterback last season after being a second-round pick. Shough said that his mentality was to just “go for it” and is hoping to continue rallying their teammates together in 2026. 

“My mindset was to just kind of go for it,” Shough said, via Jeff Howe of The Athletic. “I’m here for a reason. If I can go out there and not be afraid to make mistakes, knowing it’s going to be far from perfect, but the more I can keep my head looking forward and getting everyone going on the same mission, that’s the goal. That was my mindset all of last year, and it’s continuing into this year. We have high expectations for ourselves; we also have a good sense of urgency. We set a standard last year of how we can play together as a team, and I want to be the driving force of that.”

Shough said being able to showcase his talent is building his confidence as he enters Year 2. 

“Being able to showcase what I can do on the field, it gives me so much more confidence,” Shough said. “When we have games and bumps in the road, I can hang my hat on that experience. I love being around the people in this building. I love that they can rely on me, and I can rely on them.”