NFC Notes: Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers, Saints

Buccaneers

Although Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles said he often speaks to former HC Bruce Arians, he’s not seeking advice on how the “jumpstart” the team. 

“Well, this is my team not Bruce’s team, but we talk all the time,” Bowles said, via JoeBucsFan. “But you don’t jumpstart to by asking a former coach what to do. We have our own things to deal with and we understand that. We’ve been with Bruce long enough to know what he wants, but they’ve been with me long enough to know what I want. We’re working towards that and we’ll get through it.”

• Buccaneers S Mike Edwards (elbow) was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice. (Greg Auman)

Falcons

• Falcons HC Arthur Smith said they have been pleased with CB Darren Hall and are confident he’ll effectively fill in for CB Casey Hayward: “We’re very pleased with his progress. We have a lot of confidence in Darren Hall.” (D. Orlando Ledbetter)
• Smith said CB AJ Terrell (hamstring) will practice on Wednesday and they’ll observe him throughout the week. (Michael Rothstein)
• Falcons QB coach Charles London said third-round QB Desmond Ridder is doing well with his development: “Desmond has done a great job preparing each week, spends as much time here as Marcus does. We try to do stuff with him after practice or whatever to get reps. He’s developing, and I think he’s doing a great job of supporting Marcus.” (Josh Kendall)

Panthers

• The Athletic did a mock trade exercise regarding Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey, with beat reporters for each team role-playing as general managers. The 49ers, Bills and Rams were the interested teams. 
• San Francisco’s offer was one of their third-round compensatory picks in 2023 and a fourth, reflecting their view that McCaffrey might be a one-year rental and that they need to preserve their 2023 second to reload the roster. 
• Buffalo’s offer was a 2024 fourth-round pick and either RB Zack Moss and a 2023 second or RB James Cook and a 2023 third. 
• The Rams’ offer was a 2023 second and a 2024 third-round pick, with Los Angeles confident they’ll get at least one third-round comp pick in the next two years and willing to restructure McCaffrey to fit into their Super Bowl window over the next couple of seasons. However, their 2024 first is off the table. 
• Panthers beat reporter Joe Person, standing in for GM Scott Fitterer, was underwhelmed by these options and believes Fitterer would be as well. He says it’s important for the Panthers to at least get one first-round pick and thinks there’s a chance teams could sweeten their offers closer to the trade deadline. 
• CBS Sports analyst and former agent Joel Corry looked at some historical running back trades for comparisons of what a realistic asking price for McCaffrey is. He highlighted three: the Colts trading a first-round pick to the Browns for RB Trent Richardson in 2013; the Dolphins trading a first and conditional third that ended up becoming a first for RB Ricky Williams in 2002; and the Rams trading a second and fifth to the Colts for RB Marshall Faulk in 1999. 
• Panthers WR Laviska Shenault (hamstring) returned to Wednesday’s practice. (Person)
• Panthers’ interim HC Steve Wilks confirmed that QB Jacob Eason will be their primary backup in Week 7. (Person)

Saints

• According to Nick Underhill, Saints first-round OT Trevor Penning will begin testing his foot next week and is considered “week-to-week” going forward. 
• NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reports that Saints G Andrus Peat suffered a strained pec in Week 6 and is considered “week-to-week.” Rapoport adds that Peat will likely miss Week 7. 
• Saints HC Dennis Allen confirmed Peat, CB Marshon Lattimore (foot), WR Michael Thomas (foot), WR Jarvis Landry (ankle) and TE Adam Trautman (foot) have been ruled out from Thursday’s game. (Mike Triplett)