NFC Notes: Falcons, Panthers, Chris Olave, Saints

Falcons

• D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports the Falcons are hiring Alabama defensive assistant Dave Huxtable to their staff as a senior defensive assistant.

Panthers

• The Athletic’s Joe Person ranked Panthers QB Sam Darnold as No. 1 among their pending free agents, noting that because of the position Darnold plays he’ll draw a fair amount of interest from other teams as a backup or even a potential bridge starter. 
• Person lists veteran DT Matt Ioannidis and OT Cameron Erving as other players who’ll draw interest. Ioannidis had a solid season, including as a pass rusher, and could re-sign with the Panthers, while Erving’s experience and positional flexibility make him a valuable depth piece. 
• Person thinks players like RB D’Onta Foreman, C Bradley Bozeman, and K Eddy Pineiro will have a stronger market from the Panthers than they would from other teams. 
• The Panthers are hiring former Broncos LB coach Peter Hansen to the same position on new HC Frank Reich’s staff. (Person)

Saints

Saints WR Chris Olave spoke about hitting the “rookie wall” during his first season and mentioned that fellow Ohio State grad WR Michael Thomas helped him maximize his game in year one.

“Everybody told me it was going to come,” Olave said, via Katherine Terrell of ESPN. “But I ain’t expect it to hit me like that. “That bye week helped me a lot,” Olave said, “but I just feel like I got better on and off the field.”

“That’s my guy, man,” Olave said of Thomas. “He just wanted the best for me. He called me a lot and checked on me a lot. There was a time he was calling me like every day, checking up on me right after I got hurt. Mike’s a good dude. I respect him a lot. … Ever since I came in here, he’s shown me the way. I’ve got nothing but respect for him.”

“You gotta catch every target coming your way, but at the end of the day, he’s one of my biggest fans, so I can take critiques from him knowing that he’d be the first one to congratulate me too,” Olave added. “I want to be the one-on-one guy, third down, I want to be able to be the main target. When it’s a one-on-one, I’ve got to win 100 percent of the time. I know it’s something I’ve got to work on, and I’m going to get better at that this offseason. I feel like I’m a game-changer. So if I said it, I’ve got to do it on the field.”

• Nick Underhill reports Saints offensive assistant Kevin Petry is remaining with the team despite an offer to join Sean Payton’s staff in Denver.
• Cardinals DB coach Marcus Robertson is signing with the Saints to the same position. (Mike Jurecki)