NFC Notes: Jeremy Chinn, Falcons, Panthers, Saints

Falcons

Former Syracuse and current Mississippi State OL coach Mike Schmidt had high praise of second-round OL Matthew Bergeron‘s preparation while with the Orange. 

“The thing that separates him is his competitive spirit is really high,” said Schmidt, via Josh Kendall of The Athletic. “He treated the game in college like he was a pro. He has taken care of his body like he’s a pro. He studied football like he’s a pro. He competed like a damn pro in college.”

Falcons HC Arthur Smith thinks Bergeron plays with intent and they would like to clean up some issues with his technique. 

“We like the intent that he plays with,” Smith said. “We like guys who we have to pull them back. We may have to clean up some technique, but (Bergeron) is trying to put somebody into the sideline every play. I’ll deal with that. The guys you have to push to go harder, that’s a problem for (general manager) Terry (Fontenot) and I.”

Falcons’ director of player personnel Kyle Smith said Bergeron plays with the physicality they are seeking. 

“He plays with violence, plays with physicality, plays with the temperament that we want, and he’s got power in his lower body,” Smith said. “There’s going to be some growing and things he’s going to have to work out, but when you combine all his skill sets and then you get the makeup and hear how they describe this kid, his smarts, his intelligence, that’s when you feel really good about it.”

Panthers

Panthers DC Ejiro Evero refused to label Jeremy Chinn as a safety, linebacker, or cornerback when asked about his position going forward. 

“Well, we don’t wanna talk too much about that,” Evero said, via PanthersWire. “I’ll say this — we think very highly of him and I think he’s a heck of a player. He’s a weapon that we’re definitely gonna try to utilize. And I know that he’s an asset for us to have.”

Evero wouldn’t elaborate on how they would use Chinn but said they will figure out how to use him best. 

“I don’t wanna get too much of the specifics,” Evero said. “But we just value his skill set. He’s a guy that can do a lot of different things and you just gotta have him on the field. And we’re gonna figure that out as we work through.”

Saints

Saints GM Mickey Loomis believes WR Michael Thomas can catch 100 passes again next year if the team can get him fully healthy.

“Absolutely he can be,” Loomis said, via PFT. “Just got to get him healthy. He’s worked so hard at that over the last two, three years and, look, the results haven’t been good as we all hoped, but it’s not because of a lack of effort or desire by him, that’s for sure.”

• The Saints have promoted Tosan Eyetsemitan to pro scout. (Neil Stratton)