NFC South Notes: Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers

Buccaneers

• In a video shared to his Instagram, Buccaneers DE Jason Pierre-Paul can be seen still wearing the neck brace following the car accident he suffered this offseason.
• Greg Auman notes that Pierre-Paul is set to be re-evaluated at the end of this month.

Falcons

• Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer says that negotiations with the Falcons and franchise-tagged DT Grady Jarrett on an extension will continue right up until the July 15 deadline. 
• ESPN’s Vaughn McClure listed Falcons RB Kenjon Barner as a potential veteran cut. Barner was signed as running back depth and a potential returner, but Atlanta addressed both those positions in the draft. 
• In an analysis of player’s entering their contract year, former agent and CBS analyst Joel Corry says Falcons LB Vic Beasley can earn a large second contract after 2019 if he proves his 2016 season where he recorded 15.5 sacks wasn’t a fluke. 

Panthers

Panthers DE Efe Obada is hoping to be with the Panthers when they travel to his hometown of London to play this season. But first, Obada has to make the transition from playing defensive end in a 4-3 scheme to the Panthers new 3-4 look. 

“It’s an adjustment. But I think with effort and just reps I’ll get used to it,” Obada said via the Athletic’s Joe Person. “I don’t really have a say in that. It’s above my pay grade. But I just have to make sure I do my best and try to contribute to my team’s success.”

To prepare for the change in responsibilities, Obada has bulked up considerably. The 6-6 defensive end played at around 250 pounds in 2018. Now he says he weighs 280. 

“I’ll be playing more inside, so I’ll probably be taking a bit more double-teams. I won’t have as much space as I would outside, so my reaction time must increase. There might be some new key recognitions that I have to get adjusted to,” he said. “But apart from that, it’s just football really. It’s just go out there and just play.”

• ESPN’s David Newton listed Panthers WR Torrey Smith as a potential veteran cut. Carolina signed veteran WR Chris Hogan and Smith has already taken a $2 million pay cut.