NFC Notes: Dave Canales, Raheem Morris, Bryce Young, Falcons, Panthers

Falcons

Falcons HC Raheem Morris admitted that the team would be keeping a close eye on pass rushers in the draft this year.

“This year, we probably got to increase our pass rush, like we did towards the end of the season,” Morris said, via the team’s website. “We’ll definitely have an eye for those guys.”

Morris is confident that the organization has the correct people in place to identify players to bolster the pass rush, whether that be from within or externally.

“It starts with the people,” Morris said. “We’ve got the people to be in place to be able to find those guys. … Then, it goes to the coaches and them being able to develop some of the players that we already have on our roster. (We have to) be able to add some new players to roster, whether it be for agency, whether it be trade or whether it be the draft. I just think all of those things play a part in it.”

Falcons GM Terry Fontenot said this year’s draft class is loaded with defensive talent, and the team won’t need to reach to solve one of their needs.

“Super deep on defense, and it’s unique,” Fontenot said. “Look at last year’s draft. The first defensive player didn’t come off the board until 15, right? This year, that’s not going to be the case. This is loaded, defensively. When I say best player available for us, we’re talking about not reaching for needs.”

Panthers

Panthers HC Dave Canales admitted that he didn’t know how QB Bryce Young would react to his mid-season benching and commended him for responding well and coming back stronger.

“I did not know how he was going to respond to that,” Canales said, via PFT. “What I knew was I needed to make the best decision for the Panthers at the time, and that’s truly, I want to win this game, and I felt like Andy gave us the chance to win that game in Vegas, and we went week to week. I don’t know if this model works, but I know it worked for Bryce. I know Bryce took the challenge, Bryce grew, he took every day as an opportunity. He never stopped leading through that whole time. He was working his teammates in the locker room, he was working the sideline during games, he was there as support for Andy while he was playing. He literally did not bow out. A lot of times you see these things happen and the quarterback all of a sudden starts to retreat. He just stayed available and was consistent with his teammates and kept working on his craft until he got his next opportunity. So I have to give Bryce all the credit.”

• Panthers GM Dan Morgan was pleased with how Young responded last season: “The way he handled the challenges last year with getting benched after the second week and then returning and playing the way that he did. It shows how resilient he is and how much he loves football. To see him come back, I was like a proud dad. I can’t wait to see what he does in the future, I think big things are ahead for him.”  (NFL on CBS)

Panthers

Panthers GM Dan Morgan said the team hopes to build up the trenches on the defensive side of the ball in order to bolster the run defense.

“We’re looking to build that defensive line like we built that offensive line last season, give the fans a good product on the field — give all of us a good product on the field,” Morgan said, via NY Times. “And we’re excited about the guys in free agency. We’re excited about the guys in the draft and we think we can fill some of those holes.”

Panthers HC Dave Canales reiterated that defensive line help would be a top priority for Carolina this off-season.

“Let’s be honest, we know we have to address the run game,” Canales said an hour after Morgan’s podium appearance. “We know it starts up front. We did that on the offensive line last year, so we’re very clear about that being a high priority for us.”

Canales was excited when talking about the defensive line prospects in this year’s draft.

“There’s just a lot of quality players that fit the traits, that have the physical attributes and have the play style and all that,” Canales said. “That’s a cool thing for us as we continue to build our defense.”