NFC Notes: Greg Olsen, Bryce Young, Buccaneers, Panthers, Saints

Buccaneers

• The Buccaneers announced that QB Baker Mayfield and OT Tristan Wirfs have been named to the Pro Bowl as replacements.
• North Carolina Central QB Davius Richard, who participated in the Hula Bowl and HBCU Bowl, has met with the Buccaneers among other teams. (Ryan Fowler) 

Panthers

The biggest question for the Panthers going forward will be whether or not No. 1 overall QB Bryce Young is a bust. Young and the Panthers had a dismal rookie season, not at all like the last time Carolina used the No. 1 pick on a quarterback.

Former Panthers TE and FOX broadcaster Greg Olsen said it’s not fair to compare Young to Newton, however. For one, the two have very different play styles, as Newton had one-of-a-kind athleticism to lean on when adjusting to the NFL. Olsen still has a lot of hope that Young can be a viable NFL quarterback. 

“I think Bryce has always been a super cerebral quarterback. Everybody talks about his mentality, his approach and maturity. Those are incredibly valuable and essential for any quarterback in the NFL,” Olsen said via the Athletic’s Joe Person. “But it’s going to take a little while for that to really impact. You’re not gonna outsmart the NFL. He wasn’t 6-5, 250 pounds when all hell broke loose, just put the ball down, run and we’ll figure it out later. That’s not his game. His footwork needs to be right. His timing needs to be right. The pocket needs to be right. That’s just the style that he’s played since he was in high school, and he’s been one of the best quarterbacks in high school and college and so on and so forth. He’s gonna need guys around him. He’s gonna need an offensive line. He’s gonna need a system that plays to his strengths.

“I think that was a little bit of a disconnect. He’s gonna need some things to go his way. But to have just an all-out indictment and say his rookie year is what he’s gonna be the rest of his career, I don’t think it’s fair. The coaching situation with what we were trying to ask him to do schematically, the personnel around him, then losing your coach halfway through the year — it was about as bad a situation for a rookie quarterback to work within. Let’s take a deep breath and see what this next year or two had before we have a clear picture.”

Saints

• Saints GM Jeff Ireland said the team has a “nice grade” on Tulane QB Michael Pratt: “We’re looking forward for him to compete against these other quarterbacks in this game.” (Matthew Paras)
• The Saints announced that veteran LB Demario Davis has been named to the Pro Bowl as a replacement.