Falcons
The Falcons took DE James Pearce Jr. with the No. 26 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, trading their 2026 first-round pick to the Rams in the process. Atlanta HC Raheem Morris feels Pearce was worth relinquishing their future pick to pair him with fellow rookie DE Jalon Walker.
“Yeah, we love James Pearce,” Morris said, via Josh Kendall of The Athletic. “He’s done a great job of providing us a lot of relief in our pass rush this year. Being able to get Jalon and double it up and get James, I love those guys.”
Pearce leads all rookies with a 15.3 percent quarterback pressure rate, while Walker’s two forced fumbles are tied for the lead for all rookies. Morris said they expected both players to perform well in their debut seasons.
“It was expected for us,” Morris said. “We talked about these guys being able to provide immediate pass rush for us, and to see these guys go out and provide what we expected in the draft is satisfying.”
Both Pearce and Walker have recorded five sacks so far this season. Although Morris says they don’t want to put high expectations on rookies getting sacks, he’s been impressed by both of their performances.
“You never really want to put big sack expectations on rookies,” Morris said. “Sometimes you put unrealistic expectations on some of these young guys. It’s hard to get to the quarterback. It’s a process, but I think they have done a nice job in those roles, and they are getting better and better every single week.”
Panthers
- ESPN’s Dan Graziano spoke to people in the Panthers organization and feels the team still believes in QB Bryce Young.
- Young’s play has been up and down, yet he set a single-game franchise record for passing yards in a victory over the Falcons.
- The team has also used ten different offensive line combinations and has a young wide receivers group, which is something Carolina has taken into consideration when looking at how Young has played.
- Graziano expects them to pick up his fifth-year option at around $26.5 million.
Saints
Saints DE Cameron Jordan called former DL coach Todd Grantham “the worst D-Line coach of his life” and was motivated to prove he still had a lot left to offer at this stage in his career.
“I was reenergized [starting] last year. Yeah, I was. I didn’t think so. I was like, ‘They’re trying to put me out to pasture,‘” Jordan said, via ESPN. “I got enraged and once you get enraged, you realize it comes from a place of passion. I was like, ‘No, I’ve got too much love for this game.’”
Jordan said once Grantham left, he began to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“Once the position coach left, it’s like the light opened up,” Jordan said. “It was like, ‘Hey Cam, we’ll give you a chance.’ That’s all I’ve ever asked.”
Saints DC Brandon Staley has said that Jordan’s ability to adapt has helped make him successful.
“It’s just a testament to him that he can do anything,” Staley said. “What he is doing now is he’s really, I think, in a comfort zone within the scheme. And then now you’re seeing the playmaking, that rush with the strip sack, that’s textbook Cam Jordan. But I also thought there were a lot of little things in there in the run game where it was also textbook Cam Jordan in a different scheme, but doing it the same way that he’s always done.”
Jordan added that he’s committed to the team, even if he’s on the back end of his career and the Saints are in the middle of a rebuild.
“My goal is to win. Sitting at 2-10 and the team has always incentivized some part of my contract. I’ve never once played for those incentives,” Jordan said.
- Saints OC Doug Nussmeier on rookie QB Tyler Shough balancing staying in the pocket and making plays out of structure: “There’s a fine line when you play the position, really fine line. Obviously, in order to be successful playing the position in this league, you have to extend plays.” (NOF Network)
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