NFC Notes: Falcons, Panthers, Saints

Falcons

Falcons fifth-round RB Tyler Allgeier‘s led the FBS with 50 broken tackles and following the release of RB Mike Davis, HC Arthur Smith thinks he could be in line for an important role sooner rather than later.

“We love his yards after contact. Love the mental makeup,” Smith said, via Michael Rothstein of ESPN. “Think he’s a guy that should come in here, if he’s not contributing on first, second down right away, he’s a guy, hopefully, who helps us on fourth down. But the opportunity is there.”

• Georgia Tech OL Ryan Johnson has been invited to participate in the Falcons’ rookie minicamp. (Aaron Wilson)

Panthers

Panthers CB Jaycee Horn called his injury “one of the toughest things he’s had to deal with in his life” but used motivation from his dad, former NFL WR Joe Horn, to continue pushing forward.

“But sometimes it’s like, ‘Damn, I can’t even get a what’s up?’ You can feel that kind of vibe. Dad taught me though, that’s just part of the business. Now I’m back rolling,” Horn said, via PFT.

• Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes the Browns are confident they will be able to re-sign DE Jadeveon Clowney, however, if a team closer to where he grew up in South Carolina, like the Panthers, showed real interest, they could lose him. 

Saints

• Saints HC Dennis Allen said that they expect Jameis Winston to be fully recovered from his torn ACL in time for Week 1: “There’s a lot of days between now and Week One, but we certainly like where he’s at right now. We like the progress that he’s making. Man, I really loved a lot of the things that he did last year for us — 14 touchdowns, three interceptions. There was just some really good stuff that you see. and my vision and my hope is that he continues to progress on the same level as he gets another year in the system.” (ProFootballTalk)
• Allen reiterated that Winston is doing well with his rehab: “He’s doing well in the rehab process. … Jameis is probably one of the hardest workers that I’ve been around. He’s just got a tireless work ethic and he loves football. That’s his life. Everything is all about ball to him. He’s working his tail off.” (Katherine Terrell)
• As for Saints WR Michael Thomas‘ recovery from an ankle injury, Allen said he still has a “few hurdles” with his rehab but added that they have first-round WR Chris Olave as insurance: “There’s still a few hurdles that we’ve got to climb, with any of our guys that had any injuries they’re trying to get back from. … We drafted Chris Olave in the 1st round … getting Mike back, it’s almost like we had 2 first-round draft choices.” (Katherine Terrell)
• Allen believes recently signed S Tyrann Mathieu brings a “leadership aspect” to their locker room: “I think he brings an emotion and energy, a leadership aspect to our football team and he’s been one of the best playmakers in the NFL over the last 7,8,9 years. We felt like he was a perfect fit for what we needed and what we like to do.” (Katherine Terrell)