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NFC Notes: Lavonte David, Matt Ryan, Buccaneers, Falcons, Saints
Apr 6, 2026Wyatt GrindleyNFL Trade Rumors
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Buccaneers Recently retired Buccaneers LB Lavonte David revealed the injuries that QB Baker Mayfield was dealing with last season. “The season’s over now, I can talk about it ,” David said, via JoeBucsFan.com . “Man, Baker was going through a lot, bro. Baker had a lot of injuries that you didn’t expect a quarterback to play through. You know what I’m saying? He had the oblique injury, he had the shoulder injury, he had a lot of things. You know, ankle injury, knee injury. . . . He was really trying to push through and really trying to be the player that we needed him to be.” Falcons Atlanta has one of the more interesting QB rooms in the league after signing Tua Tagovailoa with Michael Penix Jr. recovering from a partially torn ACL. Falcons president Matt Ryan wants Penix to focus on his rehab and getting healthy, but admitted the timeline could impact his chances on winning the job. “I think all of us view it as competition, and so, the most important thing for Michael right now, you know, coming off injury, is to attack the rehab and get his body in a position to go out there and play football,” Ryan said, via SiriusXM NFL Radio . “And really he’s done an incredible job of that. I mean, since I’ve taken the job and the season had just ended at this point, he has been in there consistently getting after his rehab and being diligent about that.” “And then for Tua, like you mentioned, my player perspective with injuries is no matter how on schedule you are, you just don’t know, until the end, you just don’t know. We want Michael focused on that. But no plan, or not having depth at that spot doesn’t put our football team in the best position to be successful.” Saints Coming off a rookie year where he played 204 defensive snaps and 281 special teams snaps, Saints 2025 fourth-round LB Danny Stutsman opened up on the culture change of going from Norman, Oklahoma, to New Orleans. “So, when I got drafted to New Orleans, I really had no idea, you know, what New Orleans was like,” Stutsman said, via General Booty’s podcast . “You know, I kind of went into it with an idea that it was like Oklahoma or Texas, which obviously, it’s quite opposite from that. You know, I think I was a little shocked at first, but not in a bad way. I think New Orleans is a city that’s one of a kind, filled with culture and incredible people that, you know, breathe, live, and sleep, you know, New Orleans Saints football, which is awesome to be a part of. Incredible, man. I’ve had no complaints, you know, when it comes to that.” Stutsman reflected on his time training with former NFL HC Jon Gruden before the draft, who has worked with plenty of Saints’ staffers. “Being with Gruden was a, it was a cool experience, man. You know, he’s a great offensive mind, you know, and he was a great head coach and so being out there was a little surreal. He does this thing. It’s like ‘knock on wood if you’re with me,’ you just have to bang on the table. And in New Orleans, they got a lot of guys that were with him in the Raiders. And I get there and like in the meetings where everyone’s just knocking on wood.” The post NFC Notes: Lavonte David, Matt Ryan, Buccaneers, Falcons, Saints appeared first on NFLTradeRumors.co .