NFC Notes: Rachaad White, Ikem Ekwonu, Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers

Buccaneers

Tampa Bay RB Rachaad White continued to improve throughout the 2023 season and was a huge part of their late-season run to the Divisional round. Buccaneers RB coach Skip Peete explained the areas White can improve to take his game to another level.

“He’s got to run with more physicality in the run game, more authority,” Peete said, via Matt Matera of the Pewter Report. “He agreed. He did a good job last year, I thought he had a pretty good season but there’s areas that he can improve, areas that everybody can improve. He obviously got better as the season went on, it’s good to see that. You talk about young guys come into the league that have an opportunity to play early, they have some success but then your’e going to have downs too.”

“I thought he did improve. But I think early on his style was a little bit different in his mindset of more hesitation and then hitting the hole. Where in this scheme that we have, it’s more just set your track and hit the hole. The timing of the blocking as far as the timing with the back kind of meshes together, and that’s the most important thing that we’ve got to mastered. And that comes from everybody being on the same page and understanding exactly what we’re trying to get accomplished.”

Falcons

The Falcons are returning three linebackers who all have experience, including LB Troy Andersen who missed nearly the entire 2023 season due to injury. In his absence, Nate Landman stepped up and played well alongside Kaden Elliss. Atlanta HC Raheem Morris is excited about the potential personnel packages that are presented thanks to the versatility in that room.

“It’s an awesome problem,” Morris said, via Terrin Waack of the team’s website. “It’s so fun to watch them communicate, to watch them do different things. They’ve got different styles of play. They got speed differences. They’ve got all kinds of things.”

“It’s going to be exciting getting them on the field. Maybe all at the same time. Because they have that type of ability that warrants more playtime. And the only way you get more playtime? You get creative. You get innovative.”

Panthers

The Panthers spent a lot of money on interior offensive linemen in free agency, but they could use a bounceback year from LT Ikem Ekwonu to turn that unit around. Carolina HC Dave Canales feels his system is perfect for Ekwonu’s playstyle because of his run-first philosophy.

“It’s a great system for tackles,” Canales said, via Joseph Person of The Athletic. “We run the ball. We throw play-action passes, which engages as a run first. Gives them a little chance to get their hands on a guy and be physical. We run boots. Our keeper game where the line is really just selling the line the opposite way. And then in the pass game, the basis of it is to get the ball out quickly. When we do have to hold it, we’ll try to help our tackles as much as possible when we can.”

“I think it’s been great. I think we’re really playing to our strengths, which I’m excited for,” Ekwonu added. “Definitely excited to run the ball this year. That’s one of my biggest strengths, obviously. So excited to showcase that every chance I get.”