NFC Notes: Falcons, Panthers, Saints

Falcons

Falcons S Keanu Neal admitted that he had a difficult time rehabbing after sustaining two consecutive season-ending injuries, including a torn ACL in the 2018 season-opener and a torn Achilles in Week 4 of last season. 

“The rehab was hard, but, you know, I stuck through it and made it through, but then, obviously the Achilles last year, that really hit hard,” said Neal, via the Jim Rome Show. 

Neal added that he is “feeling great” and fully recovered from his injuries. 

“My plan that I have rehab-wise; I’m feeling great. It was definitely tough but I’m glad to be back,” said Neal.

Panthers

Panthers rookie Jeremy Chinn is doing his best to learn the team’s defense during the offseason and says that he is a positionless player who can be a threat in any situation.

“I wouldn’t even give myself a position,” Chinn told Myles Simmons of Panthers.com. “I think I’m just a defensive weapon. I think I’m just a threat. They’ve shown me that they want me doing a lot. Just from meetings with me going back and forth between different positions and learning so many positions, and learning what guys are doing all around me from the D-line, to the backend, to the corners, and everything. So I think prioritizing my knowledge as far as what everyone is doing, I think that’ll open up a lot of positions for me that I’ll actually be able to play.”

Chinn says that not much has changed for him other than being drafted, but believes that all will change when he finally moves away from home to Charlotte, North Carolina in order to join the team.

“I was thinking about it the other day — when I got drafted, it was a surreal feeling. But nothing really changed as far as still living at home,” Chinn added. “I think when I actually move down to Charlotte, it’ll probably feel like I got drafted all over again because it’ll actually come full circle and I’ll settle in.”

Saints

Saints DL Ryan Nielsen said that DE Marcus Davenport has “done the best that he can with his rehab” this offseason and they’re looking for him to take a big step forward this year. 

“Every time I talk to him, he’s saying all the right things, he’s doing the right things,” Nielsen said, via NOLA.com. “It’s Year Three. Yep, we expect more from him, as we do with everybody else. I’m excited to start working with Marcus, but there is some growth and there’s some things that we’ve just got to do a little bit better and we’ll work on that.”