NFC South Notes: Falcons, Panthers, Saints

Falcons

Falcons DE Vic Beasley hasn’t quite returned to the level of his 2016 season, where he had 15.5 sacks en route to a Super Bowl appearance with Atlanta. Since then, he’s had just 10 sacks in two seasons. Entering a contract year, Beasley says he’s not feeling any pressure.

“There’s no pressure at all,” Beasley said via Emmanuel Morgan of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I just want to ball out and play my heart out with my teammates.”

Panthers

Panthers DT Dontari Poe is excited about the potential of a defensive line featuring himself, Kawann Short and Gerald McCoy.

“You can’t not be excited about that. It’s three dudes that are proven,” Poe said via Max Henson of the official team website. “We’re going to go out there, we’re going to work and we’re going to get it done.”

Poe is also looking forward to his second season in Carolina, where he says fans can expect to see him take a step forward after he only had 17 tackles and one sack last year. 

“There’s always growth between the first year somewhere and the second year,” Poe said. “I’m excited about it.”

Saints

• Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that it’s “pretty clear” that Saints WR Michael Thomas is next in line for a big-money extension that could make him the highest-paid receiver in the NFL. 
• According to Rapoport, signing Thomas is a “clear, clear priority” for the Saints this summer.