NFC South Notes: Buccaneers, Falcons, Saints

Buccaneers

Buccaneers GM Jason Licht admitted that they were “getting a little frustrated” as the tackles came off the board in the early part of round one and opted to trade up with the 49ers to ensure they got Tristan Wirfs. 

“We saw that the run on tackles happened a little bit later than we expected,” Licht said, via ESPN.com. “And then we thought that there’s a chance that someone could come up and get him. We didn’t want to risk it. And as [coach] Bruce [Arians] says, ‘No risk it, no biscuit.’ And so we had to give up a little capital to get him, but in this case, we thought because of the player and the position, but especially the player, it was worth it.”

• Jason La Canfora reports that several NFL teams have spoken to league officials about QB Tom Brady interacting with staff members in Tampa despite restrictions.
• According to La Canfora, these teams are anticipating “stern discipline” from the NFL office.
• Mike Silver reports that the Buccaneers offered the Jaguars their third- and fourth-round picks to move up from No. 14 to No. 9 overall. Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell told ownership and HC Doug Marrone of the deal: “Tampa would give us a third and a fourth, and he wants us to give a 6 back. I don’t really want to give the 6 back.”

Falcons

• Ian Rapoport reports that the Falcons knew the Jaguars would select CB C.J. Henderson and wanted to trade up for him, but were unable to do so.
• This was due to the Cardinals, Chargers, and Dolphins being unwilling to move from their original positions. The Falcons were also unwilling to trade with the Panthers who are in the same division.

Saints

• Saints HC Sean Payton said of taking C Cesar Ruiz in round one: “He was one of the better interior linemen I’ve seen in a while. … He’s just one of those players that you continue to watch, continue to watch. And I don’t care what tape you put on, it all looked the same.” (Mike Triplett)
• Payton also believes that Ruiz will be a starter next season, saying: “We weren’t drafting (Ruiz) that high to be a backup”
• Nick Underhill mentions that Payton said that linebacker is a team need and would prefer to fill it through the draft, although it may not be possible. Payton said he expects the linebackers to go quickly and that the Saints would look to trade up if it made sense.