Buccaneers

Buccaneers OLB coach and run game coordinator Larry Foote praised second-round LB Josiah Trotter‘s ability to get downhill and make plays against the run.

“He is mean,” Foote said, via the team’s website. “I was happy that we got him. I do not think since we have been here that we have had that true Mike linebacker. What I mean by that is he is able to hit the guard and make the play and get off very easily. He can strike those guys, there is a little old-school football. I am pretty sure he gets that from his daddy. He is the definition of that Mike linebacker. It helps you when you have those guys because you do not have to have a lot of guys in the box. You can go light box, protecting the run because you know he can two-gap. He handled his A-gap and he can get to the C-gap.”

Bucs ILB coach Mike Caldwell said that Trotter has the same instincts that his father, former LB Jeremiah Trotter had.

“You talk about instincts all the time and what are instincts?” Caldwell explained. “[It is] being able to see plays and recognize plays. If you grow up doing that and you hear your dad talk about it over and over and over again, it is eventually going to sink into you. It has sunk into him and he is a student of the game, just like his dad was so we are excited about him.”

Falcons

Falcons HC Kevin Stefanski said the team isn’t going to try and change QB Michael Penix, Jr.‘s mechanics. Instead they’re going to try to optimize what he does.

“A lot of players, how they throw the ball anatomically is how they’ve always thrown it, so you don’t want to get too into the weeds of changing releases and those types of things,” Stefanski said, via The Athletic. “There are subtle quarter-turn adjustments that I think you can make with technique … but once they’re at our level, we’re making them the most efficient that they can be with their current mechanics.”

Penix added that he does plan to operate more under center than in previous years.

“I expect to do whatever coach Stefanski calls,” Penix said. “It’s always been that. I want to execute whatever play is called the best I can, so I’m comfortable with whatever. I’ve always been comfortable with whatever.”

Panthers

Former Panthers WR Steve Smith said that he’s impressed with rookie WR Chris Brazzell, but is also wary about the track record of former Tennessee wide receivers who have entered the league recently.

“That’s the best thing about any business — is you hire specialists,” Smith said, via Panthers Wire. “You hire each individual guy that really does a good job in that (specific) area. Chris Brazzell is a deep threat, downfield, 50-50 ball (specialist). It’s not a 50-50 ball when it’s thrown to him. He can get past you. He was excellent at Tulane. My only criticism would be, in years past, some of the Tennessee Volunteers wide receivers have not always had the same amount of production in the league that they’ve had in college.“