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NFC Notes: Emeka Egbuka, Darnell Mooney, Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers

August 5, 2025 by NFL Trade Rumors

Buccaneers

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield said first-round WR Emeka Egbuka, who was widely considered a slot receiver only by many heading into the draft, said he can be deployed in a multitude of positions.

“You can put Emeka in anywhere,” Mayfield said, via Fox Sports. “It really is the truth, It is fun to be able to have a guy like that, who is that intelligent, does not act like a rookie. His head is not spinning. He’s able to do it and handle it the right way. It raises the standard for everybody else. When you have a rookie coming in, learning the offense for the first time, and pushes everybody else around. So it’s great to have somebody like that.”

Egbuka has been leaning on veteran WR Chris Godwin, who has a similar play style to him, to help him learn the offense.

“He’s been an absolute godsend to me,” Egbuka said of Godwin. “On the sideline, staying in my ear constantly — whether it’s route running, technique or blocking technique, savviness or learning the playbook, whatever the case may be. Even if it’s just about life, I can ask him any question, and I’m getting to know him personally as well. We’re becoming really close friends and I don’t think I could’ve been drafted to a better team, better situation.”

Bucs HC Todd Bowles said Egbuka has been as advertised, with not only his intelligence, but also his play speed.

“I don’t know if anything has surprised me, but just how calm he is with everything,” Bowles of Egbuka’s quick learning. “He’s so intelligent and he’s very competitive. He wants to do things right all the time. I tell him he doesn’t have to do everything right, but just play football. He’s been very good at that. He’s playing faster and he looks like the guy we drafted. I have no complaints.”

Egbuka said his relationship with Mayfield is coming along great, and he’s having a great start to his career in Tampa Bay.

“It’s coming along great,” Egbuka said. “Obviously, [Mayfield] is a seasoned veteran and knows what he is talking about so it’s just about being on the same page with him. I think a lot of that chemistry comes from me knowing what I’m doing. Learning the playbook, knowing every spot so he can know that I’m going to be where I’m expected to be at any given moment and over time, as he’s watching film and we’re watching film and we’re creating that chemistry, he will be able to trust me more and more.”

Falcons

Falcons HC Raheem Morris was unable to provide reporters with a timetable regarding the return of WR Darnell Mooney, but mentioned WR Casey Washington as someone he has his eye on during Mooney’s absence.

“We’re going with a few weeks right now, and then we’ll play it out after we get to that point,” Morris said, via the team website. “When we get to that point, we’ll figure out where we’re at. We got a chance to see a young guy like Casey Washington be able to accumulate more reps the other day,” Morris said. “(We’re) able to watch him go out there and grow and perform and be the best version of himself and what he’s able to do because he’s able to get more reps and be able to go prove himself in those settings.”

“There’s opportunity for those guys to be able to go show out at the spot that Mooney plays when you’re talking about the guy that’s the deep threat, you’re talking about a guy that can run intermediate routes,” Morris added. “You’re talking about the guy that can move inside, move around, do different things and provides that speed element that Mooney definitely provides to us. It’s hard to replace your starting X, your Mooney, but we’ve got people in place that are clone-like to be able to go in there and do some of those things for us that we’re going to need to get done. It’s fun to watch those guys do it as well.”

Falcons

Falcons OLB Bralen Trice is recovering from a torn ACL after missing his entire rookie year. Trice has finally been able to bend and straighten his knee, which his been a big moment of encouragement for the second-year linebacker. 

“Everybody’s jumping around the training room,” Trice said, via Terrin Waack of the team’s site. “Because they treat it like a huge deal when you finally get that extension. When I finally hit that. I was like, ‘All right, smooth. I’m going to get this done.’”

Trice was placed on injured reserve in August of last year. Raheem Morris said they were “fired up” about Trice last season and feels the same going into 2025. 

“I was so fired up about Bralen last year, and it’s the same thing this year,” Morris said. “That injury was heartbreaking for all of us.”

Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich said they are looking to instill an “attack mentality” in their defenders. 

“I’ve always believed that defense should be on our terms,” Ulbrich said. “Offense, it’s designed to be on their terms, and they dictate the personnel groupings. They snap the ball when they want to snap it. But, beyond that, we will dictate how this game goes, and to do that, there has to be, in my opinion, a little bit less of a read element, more of an attack mentality. So, that’s what we’re ingraining in these guys. The beauty of it is we have guys that are built for this life, guys that are aggressive and tough. Bralen is absolutely one of those guys.”

  • Falcons first-round DE Jalon Walker will miss his third-straight practice on Thursday with a hamstring injury, but Morris called it “very minor.” (Josh Kendall)

Panthers

Panthers EVP Brandt Tilis walked a fine line when talking about OT Taylor Moton‘s future with the team, recognizing his achievements and service while also admitting that he has to do what’s best for Carolina long term.

“So any conversations that we have with Taylor and his agents or any player and their agents will just keep between us. As far as Taylor himself goes, I did see him get, you know, a little emotional up here. That’s hard,” Tilis said, via the team’s website. “That’s a hard part of our business that somebody pours their whole life into this like Taylor has, and he’s faced with potentially going to a new place next year. But at the same time, like we are going to make the best decision for the organization, and if that means keeping Taylor here, then that’s great. If those two things align, we are open to it. I’m not going to sit here and say that, oh, we’re definitely not going to do it or we definitely are. Whatever makes the best sense for the Panthers, we’ll do.”

As for OT Ikem Ekwonu, Tilis said he’s going to let the process play out, and the team doesn’t need to make any swift decisions on signing him to an extension.

“I don’t see Ickey as, as somebody who’s up; Ickey’s still got another year,” he said. “It’s not great from a, a planning standpoint to have a starter that is on the last year of his deal, and that’s why our preference would be to have players under contract. But again, the deal is going to have to make sense for both sides.”

  • Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer thinks the Panthers will keep an eye on the trade market at linebacker throughout training camp and the preseason to upgrade their depth at the position. 
  • After LBs Trevin Wallace and Christian Rozeboom, Kaye thinks Carolina can find an upgrade over Jon Rhattigan, Claudin Cherelus, and Bam Martin-Scott.
  • Regarding second-year TE Ja’Tavion Sanders possibly having a breakout season, Kaye writes that internal feedback on Sanders has been “optimistic,” and their joint practices against the Browns and Texans should provide a better idea of what Sanders can do. 
  • Kaye writes that veteran WR Hunter Renfrow has outperformed his peers “almost daily” in training camp, showing he’s a “savvy route runner” with understated speed. 
  • Kaye thinks WR David Moore should be a “bit concerned” with Renfrow’s arrival.

The post NFC Notes: Emeka Egbuka, Darnell Mooney, Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers appeared first on NFLTradeRumors.co.

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