NFC Notes: Kirk Cousins, Lavonte David, Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers

Buccaneers

Bucs LB Lavonte David said he was most excited for the team to bring back DB Jordan Whitehead.

“Man, that might be the biggest one back,” David said, via Bucs Wire. “Whitehead was a guy who, obviously, I built a personal relationship with. Just having him behind me on the field gave me a whole bunch of confidence, knowing that I could count on Whitehead to do his job. For whatever happened, he didn’t have a chance to come back, but still he was communicating with us about how much he missed us and stuff like that … He wanted to come back here – that was his first priority, so I’m glad [they] were able to get that done. Whitehead, he is a special guy, not only on the football field, but as a person. For me, I’m all about energy and seeing the good in people and stuff like that. I’ve kind of got a sixth sense for that and Whitehead is one of those guys that is a joy to be around as a man and as a teammate. He just brings that type of passion to the game that you love. When you are playing with a guy like Whitehead, you can just look him in the eyes and know that he is ready to play, so you don’t even need to worry about him. Off the field, the way he carries himself and goes about things – he’s a pro’s pro and [those are] the [type] of guys we’ve got to have in this locker room.”

Falcons

• Falcons owner Arthur Blank on signing QB Kirk Cousins: “We think very highly of Kirk, which is evidenced by the contract. We needed significantly better play at that position, and I think Kirk will give us that opportunity. He’s had a lot of great years in the NFL and is playing really well of late.” (Josh Kendall)

Panthers

Panthers GM Dan Morgan believes the team will be able to come together on a contract extension with DT Derrick Brown.

“I’m not going to put any timetable on it; we have had some good discussions with his agent,” Morgan said, via PFT. “But as of right now, we’re working through that, and hopefully, it ends up working out at the end, which I think it will.”