Buccaneers rookie defensive back Keionte Scott may be staring at a bigger role right away, and the early signs in camp suggest Tampa Bay is already finding ways to use him all over the field. The fourth-round pick missed plenty of spring work because of a wrist issue, but he’s used training camp to stack reps and get a clearer read on where he fits and where he still has to sharpen his game.
“Yeah, very appreciative of that, just to get the time in there to get the reps,” Scott said, via the team’s website. “Obviously, in this league, it’s more so about what you see and how many times you’ve seen it. So, to get those reps has been super helpful for me to just slow things down and be able to have some more film time, extra film time and looking at things and seeing where I did right, where I did bad and ultimately helping me change and critique myself.”
Scott’s role in Todd Bowles’ defense comes with a clear edge: he takes real pride in getting after the quarterback from the slot.
“That’s definitely something I prioritize in my game, especially being a DB. Sometimes when you get sent, you know the guys behind you are holding it down. So my goal is to just get back there and cause a mess, just to help those guys back there, too.”
In Atlanta, Billy Bowman Jr. is working his way back after a frustrating 2025 season that was cut short after only six games. The Falcons defensive back opened the year well, then a hamstring injury turned into a torn Achilles, and now the focus is on staying mentally locked in while he gets healthy again. Falcons HC Kevin Stefanski said Bowman has done that by staying plugged into every detail even when he can’t go full speed.
“Billy is right there, making sure that even though he’s maybe not getting a full-speed rep, he’s right in the thick of it,” Stefanski said, via the team’s website. “(Bowman is) making sure he’s not missing out on any mental reps.”
Falcons GM Ian Cunningham also pointed to Bowman’s drive to get back, saying the young defensive back has handled the rehab process with serious commitment.
“It’s a testament to him,” Cunningham said. “His work ethic, his resilience, the time in which he’s put into his body to fight to get back.”
Over in Carolina, Tetairoa McMillan is showing up bigger and stronger for year two. The Panthers receiver is listed at six-foot-four, 220 pounds, about 17 pounds above his rookie-year weight, and Dave Canales said McMillan attacked the offseason with the weight room as a priority. The goal was simple: get better against press coverage and downfield physicality.
“He kinda was just a man on a mission to get stronger to be able to feel that power in his game. That really is a part of his game that needed to be addressed,” Canales said, via Joseph Person of The Athletic.
“He really wanted to do that and he attacked it, put on some good, solid mass. He’s been great at the line of scrimmage, rugged to the ball.
And he’s still got all the same (other) stuff, so I’m excited to see him this year.”
McMillan’s numbers from a year ago - 70 catches, 1,000 yards, seven touchdowns - already put him in rare air. If he matches that production again, he’d become the fifth player in league history to clear those benchmarks in each of his first two seasons. McMillan knows the stat line is eye-catching, but he’s keeping the focus on something more basic: staying on the field.
“That’s a cool stat, by the way. But I feel like at the end of the day, you’re not able to achieve those stats if you’re not healthy,” McMillan said.
“Everyone says they’ve got sophomore slumps and people get hurt and stuff like that. The main thing to be able to achieve those things is to be healthy.
That’s all I can wish for.”
New Panthers running back AJ Dillon came away impressed with McMillan’s approach, calling him “Wise beyond his years,” and praising the way he carries himself.
“He kind of has that poise where you would expect from a veteran guy. I know he’s going into Year 2 (after a) tremendous Year 1.
Obviously, the football piece … he’s great. But my thing is his mindset.
Nothing seems to rattle him. He goes out there and he just has fun.”
In Other News...
Falcons Just Got Dragged Into A Quarterback Trade Debate
The Falcons found themselves pulled into a quarterback conversation they had nothing to do with directly, thanks to a speculative idea from Bleacher Reports Kristopher Knox. His proposed three-team structure would send Tua Tagovailoa to Cleveland, while Atlanta would be attached to the deal through Dillon Gabriel and a conditional 2027 first-round pick, a wrinkle that immediately puts the Falcons in the middle of a much broader debate about how teams sort out their quarterback futures.
It is still just an idea, not a move or even a confirmed negotiation, but it does speak to how the league tends to view Atlanta whenever quarterback speculation starts heating up. The article weighs the pros and cons for all sides, and for the Falcons, the real intrigue is less about what has happened and more about whether their name keeps surfacing in these kinds of discussions as front offices look for creative ways to reshape the position. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Just Let A Familiar Receiver Slip To A Division Rival
Cedric Tillman was available after his release from Cleveland, and the Falcons had a familiar connection to weigh in their favor. He had previously been coached by Kevin Stefanski, and Atlanta had a chance to bring in another receiver after the cut deadline, but instead chose to keep moving with the wideouts already in the building.
Now Tillman lands with the Saints, who had a clear need at receiver and can offer him a path to elevation from the practice squad. For Atlanta, it is a small but notable miss in the division, the kind that barely registers in August and can look different later if a rival turns a waiver pickup into something useful. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Defense Gets A Needed Boost At The Perfect Time
Da'Shawn Hand was back on the practice field with the Falcons after missing most of training camp because of a leg injury, a welcome development for a defense that has been sorting through injuries and suspensions. Hand had been listed as questionable for Week 1, and his return at least gives Atlanta a better chance of having a veteran defensive lineman available when it opens the season.
For a group trying to hold up in the trenches, even one healthy body can matter, especially a player with Hands experience helping with depth and run defense. The Falcons still have work to do before game day, but getting him back in the mix gives the defensive front a little more stability at exactly the right time. [Read more 🡒]