NFC Notes: Dan Morgan, Trevor Penning, Falcons, Panthers, Saints

Falcons

• Albert Breer reports the Falcons are hiring Chargers TE coach Kevin Koger for the same position in Atlanta. 

Panthers

• Panthers’ new GM Dan Morgan said they want to find players who can help create a feared product: “As [Jonathan Stewart] would say, we need some dogs. We need to bring that back to Bank of America Stadium. When people drive up to this stadium, they need to fear that logo. … Right now, it’s not feared,” per Darin Gantt. 
• Panthers HC Dave Canales said their offense is going to be formed around QB Bryce Young and discovering where he’s most confident: “We are going to become what Bryce (Young) is great at. in the passing game. We’re going to grow to the capacity that he can handle. There’s got to be a commitment and a discipline about that…Based on the information we have, let’s get into the situation to see where he looks most confident,” via Joe Person. 
• Morgan said their front office and coaching staff must be on the same page: “If we want to win, we all have to be on the same page.” (Gantt)
• Canales intends to be Carolina’s offensive play-caller, via David Newton. 
• Canales’s goal is for Young to consistently release the football in 2.7 seconds or less. (Newton)
• Canales believes there are “ways to find” more windows for smaller quarterbacks like Young, but refused to elaborate. (Person)
• Morgan indicated acquiring a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft is not high on his priority list, but pointed out that they still have the No. 33 selection: “We have a plan and we’re going to execute on it.” (Newton)
• When Panthers owner David Tepper was asked if he’d join in on interviews on Thursday, he responded: “No, I’m in the background now.” (Person)

Saints

Saints assistant GM Jeff Ireland said the team will continue to draft and develop young offensive linemen each season.

“Well I think you should add young offensive linemen pretty much every year,” Ireland said, via Saints Wire. “With Trevor (Penning) and Nick (Saldiveri) in particular they’re really young, developing, high-upside players that we’re looking for. But right now we wish we had a little bit more information on both of them. We wish we could say, ‘These guys, we can plug them in and they can start.’ I don’t know that we can say that right now. What we do feel about both those players is they should compete to start. They should give us real good depth if they don’t get there, but they should compete to start.”

Ireland said the team will continue to develop former first-round OT Trevor Penning but his position along the offensive line is still unclear.

“He’s had one season, he’s from a small school,” Ireland said of the Northern Iowa product. “There’s some things he obviously needs to work at and he knows what those things are. I do feel like there’s too good of an athlete, too strong of player, too many things that he does well that he shouldn’t develop into a good player. Now whether that’s inside, outside, right or left, those are all going to be determined by his coach. We have a real good plan and make sure we get the upside out of him.”