NFC Notes: Buccaneers, Brian Burns, Panthers

Buccaneers

Kentucky QB Devin Leary praised his former coach, Liam Coen, who is now the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator, 

“It was an awesome opportunity to learn under Coach Coen,” Leary said, via PewterReport.com. “He really taught me a lot, especially from an NFL standpoint being able to see it at the most elite level. I think the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are getting a really good one. I know he’s going to bring his expertise, his mastermind of the offensive brain. I’m really excited to see what he does with them.”

Leary called Coen a “mastermind” when studying film when asked about his bast attribute as a coach. 

“I would just say his mastermind in the film room and the way that he could just get up and draw plays that he’s been thinking about all week that could help against a defense,” Leary said. “I think that’s really impressive when you sit in the film room and you watch him get up on the board. That was my biggest takeaway learning from him.”

Leary said Coen’s departure from Kentucky took him by surprise.

“Honestly a little bit [surprised], but opportunities come up sometimes,” Leary said. “There are some you can’t necessarily turn down. I know he still has a lot of love for Kentucky, but it did take me by surprise.”

Brian Burns

• According to CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson, front-office members around the league feel a third-round pick is fair compensation for DE Brian Burns in a trade because of the massive contract a potential suitor would have to pay him. 
• We have him included in our Top 100 – 2024 NFL Free Agents list.

Panthers

Panthers new HC Dave Canales said retaining Ejiro Evero as their defensive coordinator was a part of the “master plan” that he laid out to Carolina’s ownership.  

“It was huge,” Canales said, via PanthersWire. “I mean, that was the whole part of my master plan. I’m like, ‘Hey, Mr. Tepper and Mrs. Tepper, I’ll fix the offense.’ You kinda have what’s in place here in Ejiro, I really have high respect for him.”

Canales reiterated keeping Evero to run the defense was a “real selling point of mine” during the interview process. 

“And it was a real selling point of mine was, like, if we could just get this done, to have these two guys, this is a dream team of sorts. Really to put these two young guys who are committed to their players, committed to these schemes. So, I’m excited to go against him every day in practice, and to see the evolution of the offense and the defense as we face each other and kinda learn the ins and outs of what we’re doin’. So I can’t say enough about how big that has been.”