Buccaneers

Buccaneers OLB David Walker enters the second year of his career after being a fourth-round pick last year. Walker said the message for their entire defensive line this offseason is to rush the quarterback as one. 

“Just get off- that’s how we talk in the whole D-Line Room, that the number one thing is, ‘Four Equals One,'” Walker said, via Scott Smith of the team’s site. “If we’re all rushing together, nobody can be wrong. So that’s something I picked up: just rush. Do your job first and the other things are second.”

Walker missed his entire rookie year after suffering a torn ACL in training camp. Walker said he is feeling good this offseason and is trusting what his knee is capable of doing. 

“Yeah, I feel good,” Walker said. “I’ve just got to trust the movements and trust what the coaches are asking me to do right now. When I first got back on the field [I felt good]. When you get back to doing certain movements, ‘Okay, I can trust that a little bit,’ and it just progressed and progressed. And the staff man, the training staff, did a really good job of tending to my knees, and when it’s hurting to back off a little bit. We’re just looking forward. Honestly, I’m big in my faith. As soon as I got injured, I knew that God didn’t bring me this far [just] to bring me this far. I was down for a little bit, but I was like, ‘Man it’s time to attack this rehab like I do everything else.’ So the process was really long but I got to learn so much, just being in the room with the guys and still being around the team. So I’m looking forward to this year.”

Walker is embracing competing for a role in their offseason program and is open to contributing on special teams. 

“I love competition,” Walker said. “I feel like that’s what’s going to make us better, just competing against each other. The coach is going to play who’s showing the most production. I’m just here to do my part, if that’s special teams are whatever. If he feels like I deserve to be in, he’ll put me in. For me, it’s just staying in my lane, controlling the controllable. I’m going to go out there, and when I get in I’m going to try to do the best I can do and not try to look to the left or the right to compete with the next guy. Just doing what I can do. If the coaches see that and they see the production, they’re going to play who they’re going to play.”

Panthers 

Panthers WR Xavier Legette failed to improve on his rookie season, as his numbers dipped in targets, receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. Legette said the team wanted him to get leaner this offseason, resulting in him dropping nearly 10 pounds. 

“I feel fast. But I also felt good and I felt fast at the weight I was at,” Legette said, via Joseph Person of The Athletic. “But that’s where they wanted me to get, and I don’t have no problem with it. I’m willing to do anything.”

Legette said there are no issues between him and QB Bryce Young, but he understands there is “always room to grow.” 

“Me and Bryce, we ain’t never had a problem. But there’s always room to grow,” Legette said. “Hopefully, we can play with each other for a long time.”

Saints

Although the Saints could have opted to use the eighth overall pick on a defensive player, one AFC executive thinks first-round WR Jordyn Tyson will complement WR Chris Olave well and give second-year QB Tyler Shough another dynamic weapon.

“They could have gone defense, but in my opinion, the move to help the quarterback [Tyler Shough] was the right one,” an AFC executive said, via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “And his game really complements Chris Olave‘s well.”