NFC Notes: Marshon Lattimore, Mickey Loomis, Falcons, Panthers, Saints

Falcons

• The Falcons officially placed Matt Ryan on the reserve/retired list on Tuesday, per Aaron Wilson. 
• Falcons GM Terry Fontenot on the upcoming draft: “When we talk about best player available, it’s the best player available for us. The key is not reaching for needs. … Today’s surplus is tomorrow’s necessity. Tomorrow can be August in this league.” (Josh Kendall)

Panthers

Panthers GM Dan Morgan said the team is emphasizing players who bring a mental edge to the game and want to be the best at their craft.

“I think when me and Dave were talking about the type of player that we want—those passionate, hungry, the dawg mentality, passion for the game, love of the game. That’s kinda what we’re looking for,” he said, via Panthers Wire. “Measurable-wise, obviously, we want guys with height, length, speed, all those type of traits. But, at the same time, if they don’t have that dawg mentality, they don’t have that passion for the game—they’re not gonna be able to reach their full potential. So we really gotta filter those guys out and be thorough with everything we do.”

Morgan is putting a priority on getting playmakers on both sides of the ball, not just offensively.

“I think it’s about just not getting playmakers for Bryce, it’s about getting playmakers for our team,” he replied. “For our organization—who’s best gonna fit our team? Who’s gonna make plays? Who’s gonna take the ball away on the defensive side of the ball? Who’s gonna put the ball in the end zone on the offensive side of the ball?”

Saints

When asked about the possibility of the Saints trading veteran CB Marshon Lattimore, GM Mickey Loomis responded every player is tradeable depending on the offer but he typically doesn’t like trading away their big contributors. 

“You ask questions, and you have the right to ask the question, but you know, listen: Everybody is tradable, it just depends on the offer that you get,” Loomis said, via Luke Johnson of Nola.com. “And yet, that’s not very common. … I don’t like trading players that have been contributors for us… There’s too many ‘what if’ things here. If there was something imminent, well, I still wouldn’t tell you.”

• Loomis does feel confident Lattimore will be on the roster in 2024, but he also mentioned he never wants to get into any specific hypotheticals. (Mike Triplett)
• He declined to say if he has any interest in free agent OT Andrus Peat: “He’s a free agent right now.” (Katherine Terrell)
• Loomis on building their roster: “We’re going to keep looking for players after draft, there are some good players out there that haven’t found a home yet.” (John DeShazier)
• Reflecting on their recent instances of trading up in the draft: “I feel like it’s been good for us, yes.” (Matthew Paras)