The NFC South keeps delivering the kind of roster and quarterback updates that can reshape a week in a hurry, and this latest round touched all four teams in the division.
In Tampa Bay, Todd Bowles made it clear the Bucs are not interested in living with the mistakes that have crept into Baker Mayfield’s game. The head coach said Mayfield needs to be sharper with the ball and cut down on turnovers, even while acknowledging that the offense did plenty well enough to put points on the board.
“ Well, he knows he’s got to take care of the football, and we don’t want the turnovers, ” Bowles said, via Bucs Wire. “ He doesn’t want them either.
We’ve got to get better at that and understand there are times you just have to get down - understanding the play call and knowing when you’ve got the first down, knowing when the game’s on the line, and knowing when it’s not. So, obviously we don’t like the turnovers, and he’ll be better this week.”
Bowles also pointed to the bigger picture on offense. Tampa Bay put up 27 points, but the turnovers kept the unit from being as clean as it could have been.
“ We scored 27 [points] and still had the turnovers, so we’ve got to do a better job not turning it over, ” Bowles said of Tampa Bay’s offense. “ We just want to be effective and have positive plays, and I think we can be an effective offense.”
In Atlanta, Michael Penix Jr. is still pushing toward a return, and he’s not hiding the fact that he wants to get back on the field. He said he remains in the middle of his recovery process, even as he keeps insisting he’s close.
“I’m still working (toward playing). I’m close.
I’m close. I know I’ve been saying that, but I’m close.
… There are just some goals I want to hit. I am going to keep those to myself.”
Penix also said the work is about his own timetable, not a mental hurdle.
“I am running my own race. It’s not really a mental thing.
Mentally, I want to be out there with the guys. I want to be out there with the guys.”
Cooper Rush said he and Penix split first-team reps at practice on Wednesday, and Penix was listed again as a full participant on Thursday.
In Carolina, the Panthers made a move that caught attention when they waived cornerback Jimmy Horn. Dave Canales explained that the decision was tied to creating a roster spot so the team could promote linebacker Tyrel Dodson from the practice squad, but he also stressed that the team still sees Horn’s growth.
“Yeah, the roster spot drove it,” Canales said, via PanthersWire. “But certainly for Jimmy, and we had a great conversation-he and I and Dan [Morgan] talked about it.
Wanted to make sure he understood that we see the progress that he’s making, we see the strides. And right now, with what the roster was doing, I didn’t want him to go in the tank and be discouraged.
We want him to come back. We want him to be here on the practice squad, because he brings a lot to what we can do.
And this isn’t the end of that story. This is just a part of it.
And right now, we have to make the best decisions, I have to those hard decisions along with Dan to make sure we get guys out there that we feel confident with.”
The Saints were also included in the latest NFC notes roundup, though no additional update was provided.
In Other News...
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For the Falcons, it is the kind of noise that follows any team still trying to settle its long-term answer under center. Newton said he understands a return is unlikely, but he made clear he would at least welcome the chance to be asked, drawing a contrast with other retired quarterbacks who have found their way back onto the field. For now, it is more a reminder of Atlantas ongoing search than a true sign of movement, but Newtons name has a way of keeping the discussion alive. [Read more 🡒]
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Even with those concerns about both health and performance, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has continued to speak in unmistakably strong terms about Terrell, publicly calling him the best boundary corner in the NFL. For Atlanta, that creates a real crossroads: the Falcons still need Terrell to look like a shutdown player, but now they have to balance confidence in his track record against the possibility that the decline is more than just a one-game blip. [Read more 🡒]
Brian Robinson Jr. Is Giving The Falcons A New Decision To Make
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The more interesting part for Atlanta is what comes next, because the Falcons have been clear that they see him as a versatile fit alongside Bijan Robinson rather than just a depth add. With a meaningful role expected in the coming games, Brian Robinson Jr. is making the kind of case that can force a coaching staff to keep adjusting how it divides the backfield work and special teams duties. [Read more 🡒]