NFC South Notes: Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers

Buccaneers

Jenna Laine of ESPN writes that there’s a “real chance” the Buccaneers release veteran DT Gerald McCoy this offseason.

Buccaneers GM Jason Licht specifically said they will have some “tough decision to make” when asked about McCoy’s status with the team.

“We have a lot of tough decisions to make,” Licht said. “A lot of people have a lot of tough decisions to make.”

Falcons

• Falcons spokesman Brian Cearns told the Associated Press on Wednesday that DE Takk McKinley “is in a good spot” and has been in “constant communication” with the team.
• According to Cearns, McKinley has spoken to Falcons HC Dan Quinn is now with an uncle in Oakland.
• This comes after a report from Tuesday that McKinley was detained by police and taken for a mental health evaluation after an incident that occurred at a hotel.

Panthers

Panthers owner David Tepper told reporters on Tuesday that he would like to bring in some game-management help for HC Ron Rivera next season.

“I think there’s some sort of evolution that should be happening here,” Tepper said, via Pro Football Talk. “I’ve talked about analytics before; we’ve talked internally about a game management person of some sort — a coach; things like that. You want to do everything you can to give you every edge you can on that field.”