Falcons
- NFL Media’s Charley Casserly writes Falcons first-round CB A.J. Terrell and second-round DL Marlon Davidson figure to feature prominently on defense as rookies, with Terrell pushing for a starting role and Davidson playing end on run downs and sliding inside to rush the passer on third down.
- At guard, the Falcons will sort out between James Carpenter, Jamon Brown and third-round OL Matt Hennessy.
- Falcons CB Kendall Sheffield will start as the slot corner and push CB Isaiah Oliver to start outside in base defense, per Casserly.
- The Falcons hired Kjahna O. and Shelly Harvey to the front office in full-time roles that will rotate between scouting assistant and scouting coordinator. (Lindsay Jones)
Panthers
Panthers second-round rookie Jeremy Chinn was announced as a safety when Carolina traded up to draft him. But the team has a much bigger role than just safety in mind for Chinn.
“I wouldn’t even give myself a position,” Chinn said via Myles Simmons of the team website. “I think I’m just a defensive weapon. I think I’m just a threat.”
Chinn’s size and speed made him a coveted prospect for the Panthers as they look to rebuild their defense. So far, they haven’t eased Chinn in, as he revealed he’s been attending position meetings for nearly every single group on defense.
“They’ve showed me that they want me doing a lot,” Chinn said. “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.”
Saints
The NFL world won’t have to wait long to see the Saints and QB Drew Brees take on new Buccaneers QB Tom Brady, as the two teams will play each other in Week 1. In addition to the obvious challenge of playing a Hall of Fame quarterback, Saints DC Dennis Allen also won’t have the benefit of film to evaluate the new-look Tampa Bay offense.
“It’s certainly a huge challenge for us,” Allen said via Sam Shannon of the team’s website. “I think it’s a challenge for us opening up the season and playing these guys because you really have a couple of things that you’re looking at. There’s the study that we’ve got to do of Tom in New England and the things that he was doing there as well as studying Bruce Arians and Byron Leftwich, their offense, their philosophy and then trying to merge those two together to find out or see exactly what we’re going to get to open the season. That’ll be a challenge. That will be difficult for us to deal with, but it is a challenge that we are excited about.”
Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!
