NFC Notes: Jessie Bates, Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers, Falcons, Saints

Buccaneers

Former NFL QB and current Buccaneers QB coach Thad Lewis told reporters that the chip on QB Baker Mayfield‘s shoulder will likely never go away even though he is considered to be an NFL starter.

“It’s different because we know who the quarterback is, that’s first,” Lewis said, via Pro Football Talk. “Secondly, he has a contract so the guys know it’s his team — he knows it’s his team. He’s confident and comfortable because he’s been in this scheme before, before he came here, and it has some similarities. So, he’s not thinking. I think the chip on his shoulder can not completely fall off, but … he can be at ease a little bit. And I think that’ll never go away because of how was brought up and I think that’s his motivating factor. But, at the same time, he’s confident, comfortable. You can tell he’s getting guys in order. They’re communicating. He’s demanding it from the guys and himself — so you can kind of see it’s not a learning curve right now. It’s more, let’s grow as a team and as a unit.”

“I think anybody with a chip or not, you’re playing the quarterback position, you have to go out there and let it rip,” Lewis aded. “I think right now, he can see where things can go, what guys can do best, what he can demand out of certain guys, what he can demand out of himself. He can push the envelope in that aspect because he knows what’s going on. I think it gives us an added confidence that he can just go in and play … freely. Last year, his message was that we allowed him to be himself. He knows that we’re going to allow him to be himself — as long as it’s within the grand scheme of the offense, with him being himself, we can be a great unit, for sure.”

Lewis noted that he continues to help Mayfield work on his footwork ahead of the 2024 season.

“[D]oing the dance with the passes, giving the running backs the lane with the footwork, getting the ball deep — just little things like that to grow in this offense,” Lewis mentioned. “So, he’s going to have that confidence in that aspect, you’re going to give him the keys to the car. But as long as he stays hungry and humble and just goes and continues to be the guy he is, the offense can continue to push and get better. He’s been working on that, so that’s a good sign for him and this unit going forward.”

Falcons

Falcons S Jessie Bates is confident in the direction GM Terry Fontenot is taking the team.

“There’s no question about what Terry and those guys got going upstairs,” Bates said, via the team’s website. “I truly believe in everything that they’re doing. They’re going to build this thing the right way.”

Bates is excited to work with DC Jimmy Lake, who will lead the defense under new HC Raheem Morris.

“I think Jimmy Lake has an idea of what we can do,” Bates said. “We’re going to be under his defense now – maybe a different terminology here and there – but we’ll be fast, physical and nasty, just like last year.”

Saints

Saints UDFA WR Mason Tipton chose New Orleans despite meeting with Cleveland five times in the pre-draft process. Tipton discussed why he went with New Orleans over his hometown Browns.

“It came down to the Saints being the better situation,” Tipton said, via Johny Camer of the Saints Wire. “I grew up a Browns fan, but it turned out that the Saints were just a better situation. I got along with the receivers coach and offensive coordinator. It just felt like the better opportunity.”

• According to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, the Saints were interested in WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling before he signed with the Bills. 
• Saints DB Will Harris signed a one-year, minimum-salary benefit deal that included a $167,500 signing bonus and $324,000 of his base salary guaranteed. (Over The Cap)
• UDFA LB Isaiah Major had a tryout at the Saints’ minicamp, per Greg Auman.