Buccaneers

• Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles indicated that outside linebacker Markees Watts is expected to remain on injured reserve for the remainder of the season, as his activation window closed on Wednesday, according to Greg Auman.

Falcons

• Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has been named Atlanta’s starting quarterback for the foreseeable future. The rookie expressed his eagerness: “Obviously, everybody wants to be on the field, but I knew coming into here what my role would be. … I’m ready. I have to be because you never know when that opportunity will come, but at the end of the day, it’s not up to me.” (Josh Kendall).
• Head coach Raheem Morris shared his hope that quarterback Kirk Cousins could regain his former performance level, but the veteran has not been able to do so, raising questions about the drop in his production, as reported by Tori McElhaney.
• Morris praised Penix Jr.’s maturity, stating, “He has a maturity that goes beyond his years. He deserves it. We’re going to go out and see how this thing goes.” (McElhaney).
• Morris noted that Penix Jr. lacks extensive experience with the first-team offense and emphasized the significance of this week for the rookie, according to McElhaney.
• Cousins refrained from discussing his future with the Falcons, stating, “It’s one day at a time right now. The offseason is when those conversations happen.” (McElhaney).
• Despite challenges, Cousins remains confident in his abilities as a quarterback: “I didn’t forget how to play quarterback. … I didn’t forget how to play.” (McElhaney).
• Acknowledging his struggles, Cousins remarked, “It’s pro football and there’s a standard that I have for myself and the organization has for me, and I wasn’t playing up to that standard.” (McElhaney).

Panthers

Panthers rookie wide receiver Jalen Coker has navigated various injuries to transition from an undrafted free agent to a vital part of the team’s offense.

Coker shared his challenges: “Even coming into OTAs and rookie minicamp and stuff, I still had lingering things, and I just never really had that time to kind of chill out, especially coming off of a hamstring, and then I ended up doing the other hamstring and then the quad, so I kind of was just getting bombarded with injuries after having no injuries in college.” He added, “So it was kind of a tough couple of months to balance all that stuff and get right and try to maintain focus. But you know, I just control what you can control, so I mean that’s what my mom always tells me: you just got to control what you can control, and just having that unwavering confidence that when I’m back, I’m going to be able to prove to everyone why I belong.” (via the team’s website).

Panthers wide receiver coach Rob Moore acknowledged that Coker’s background from a smaller school and injury history contributed to him going undrafted, but he is glad to have him on the team and believes in his talent.