NFC Notes: Buccaneers, Kyle Pitts, Falcons, Panthers

Buccaneers

Buccaneers CB Carlton Davis wants to improve on finishing interceptions after dropping several potential picks last season. 

“It’s about finishing,” Davis said, via Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times. “I’m an All-Pro corner 80 percent of the play, and the last 20 percent when the ball is coming, I’ve got to make that play. And that’s going to be the big turning point for me in my career, because I’m always around the ball.”

Buccaneers CB coach Kevin Ross is confident that Davis would’ve been an All-Pro cornerback last season if he caught more interceptions. 

“If Carlton would have caught half the balls he dropped last year, he would’ve been an All-Pro,” Ross said.

Davis believes his coverage ability is among the best in the NFL but reiterated that he must improve his ball skills. 

“My coverage is second to none,” Davis said. “But when I really dial in on my ball skills and just be a ball hawk, because I’m around it, that’s when I feel like I’ll get the notoriety and I’ll be able to make more noise than I’m doing now and really become (an All-Pro).”

Falcons

Falcons TE Kyle Pitts is preparing to become one of the team’s leaders on offense and HC Arthur Smith isn’t worried about his transition.

“He’s not facing the unknown, right,” Smith said, via Michael Rothstein of ESPN. “You see Kyle, you saw him as he progressed through last season, and I’ve said it many times, he’s just scratching the surface.”

“Just being able to mature a little more,” Pitts said. “I feel like I matured a little bit in my life, on the field, off the field, trying to have it all correlate to be the best player I can be. Just the mental side, that kind of helps you play faster. When you know what you’re doing, when you know what the defense is doing, just be able to be the best player you are. That’s something I want to try and work towards, to be one of the top leaders on the team, on the offense as well. That’s something that this offseason I want to go into and watch behind Marcus and Jake [Matthews] and all the other vet guys to learn how to be a leader. I feel like I’m slowly starting to step in the shoes.”

Panthers

Panthers CB Donte Jackson was excited to be able to re-sign in Carolina, the team that selected him in the second round of the 2018 draft.

“It was great, man,” Jackson said, via Panthers Wire. “This is somethin’ I’ve been dreamin’ about, ya know, workin’ towards since the day that I actually ever got here. So seein’ it all come together and all the hard work payin’ off and actually stayin’ home—where I grew the love, just become a Charlottean, whatever you wanna say, a Carolinian. But yeah, it’s definitely a dream come true, man. This has always been home to me. Just to know that it’s gonna continue to be home, we’re just ecstatic. My whole family, everybody’s excited.”

Jackson said “it was always Carolina” for him, adding that he really didn’t have any interest in testing the open market.

“The Panthers was the only team I was worried about gettin’ anything done with,” he added. “I wasn’t really focused on testin’ the market or anything. I knew what it was gonna be. I knew this was home. I knew both sides, me and the franchise, agreed that it was gonna happen. We knew. We just had to work out a few things. But it was always Carolina for me.”