The Panthers made a small roster move this week, promoting linebacker Tyrel Dodson from the practice squad after another team tried to poach him. At the same time, Carolina moved on from wide receiver Jimmy Horn, though head coach Dave Canales said he spoke with Horn and doesn’t want him to take the cut as a setback. Canales also said the team hopes to bring Horn back on the practice squad.
Owner Dave Tepper also stepped back into the spotlight for the first time in three years, and his message was clear: he trusts the people running the football operation now. Tepper said he feels more confident in general manager Dan Morgan, head coach Dave Canales and Brandt Tilis, and believes the team is in position to win now and in the future.
“Nothing is easy in the NFL. Seriously, it’s not.
I believe that we have everything here to win this year. And I believe we’ll have everything to win in the future, too,” Tepper said via The Athletic’s Joe Person.
“I do think we’re on the right track and I do think we have very good people here in Dan and Dave and Brandt (Tilis). So I think we have a good management team over on that side of the building.
I trust them. I don’t feel the need to be around as much here because I trust them so much.
And like I said, I’m optimistic. I’m realistic, though, OK?
But I’m optimistic.”
In New Orleans, rookie quarterback Tyler Shough opened up about the run-up to the Saints taking him in the second round, including a strange moment when a delayed flight kept him from meeting with team officials. He said the Saints had been direct with him about their intentions and made it clear they wanted him in the draft.
“I remember (the Saints scouts) trying to get me to come out in the draft,” Shough said, via Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com. “Specifically, the (Saints) scouts were like, ‘You need to come out.
We’re going to draft you. Or we’re going to sign you.’
And they stood by it.”
Shough said the flight situation felt like a test, and he handled it by taking responsibility rather than pointing fingers.
“I remember (Saints officials) asking me about the flight and trying to get me to see whose fault it was,” Shough added on the delayed flight. “It felt like a test.
I didn’t blame anybody. I didn’t blame the airline.
I just took the blame myself.”
He also said he thought Cleveland might take him, but once that possibility faded, New Orleans’ quiet approach told him what was coming. Other teams stayed in contact, while the Saints went silent, and Shough read that as a sign they were waiting for him to slide past the Browns’ two picks in the second round.
“Other teams were very communicative up until the draft, and with the Saints there was this kind of radio silence, like not wanting to necessarily give anything away,” Shough mentioned. “I think they were trying to keep it under wraps a little bit.
A little bit of gamesmanship. Once the Browns didn’t take a quarterback, I had a really good feeling I was going to come here, and we were elated.
It was kind of just like a culmination of that whole process. I know whenever I first got here, there was obviously a lot of talk about my history, playing in college a lot.
I’m sure some people weren’t fans of it, but I think for me it was a blessing to be here, because I knew that they believed in me and I believed in those guys.”
Atlanta’s injury picture remains unsettled, too. Falcons quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix were both ruled out for Week 1, though head coach Kevin Stefanski said the team is still not closing the door on anyone. Penix and Cooper Rush were both set to practice Wednesday, while Tagovailoa was not.
“We are working through it. Tua is not going to practice today but he is getting better. Mike and Cooper will practice,” Stefanski said.
The Falcons also have a big question around Bijan Robinson’s workload after he handled 21 carries and caught eight passes in the season opener. Stefanski said he isn’t sure whether Robinson will keep seeing that kind of volume, but Robinson has already told him he’s ready for it.
“Do I think he’s going to touch it 29 times each game? I don’t know.
I think he wants to. That’s what he’s told me.”
In Other News...
Falcons Already Face A Quarterback Problem That Could Define 2026
Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season already has a way of sharpening the questions around Atlanta, and quarterback is at the center of it. In a league where early games can quickly shape the bigger picture, the Falcons are being viewed through the lens of a problem that has lingered into the new year, even as the rest of the NFC begins sorting itself into tiers.
The broader conference picture only adds to the pressure. Atlanta is being measured against teams that opened with cleaner answers and better momentum, while the Falcons are left trying to settle the most important spot on the roster before the season's bigger decisions arrive. For a team trying to stay relevant in the NFC race, the quarterback issue is not just an early storyline, it could end up defining where this season goes next. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons QB Trouble Puts New Pressure On Michael Penix Jr. Return
Michael Penix Jr. still has not made his return from the ACL injury he suffered last November, and the Falcons have already chosen to keep him out beyond their season opener. For a team looking to settle its quarterback situation early, the delay only adds another layer of uncertainty, especially with the season already underway and the attention now shifting to when Penix might finally be available.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Falcons originally eyed Week 2 or 3 for Penixs return, though that window may have come too soon. Atlanta has not put him on short-term injured reserve, a sign the team still expects him back relatively soon, but there is still no official timeline. Until that becomes clearer, the Falcons are left managing the position without knowing exactly when their young quarterback will be ready to join the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Roster Shakeup Opens Door For An Unexpected Tight End Chance
An unexpected roster move gave Nick Muse a path onto Atlantas active roster, with the Falcons promoting the tight end after placing defensive lineman DaShawn Hand on injured reserve because of a major quad injury. The swap thins one area of the roster while creating a fresh opportunity for Muse, whose recent career path has included a series of short-term stops and contract moves that have kept him in the NFL conversation.
Atlanta also added some help in the background, signing defensive end Drake Jackson and running back Khalil Herbert to the practice squad. For Muse, the timing matters most, because the Falcons now have a tight end on the 53-man roster who arrived by way of a shakeup elsewhere, and what he can do with that opening may become one of the quieter developments to watch in the weeks ahead. [Read more 🡒]