Falcons

• Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. is back with the team and starting his rehab after ACL surgery, per HC Raheem Morris. He added “Discussions on moving forward” have begun: “His whole process has started as far as what he’s going to do. His calendar is laid out.” (Terrin Waack)
• Falcons WR Drake London (knee) will practice with modifications this week. (Josh Kendall)
• The Falcons were planning on re-signing WR Jamal Agnew to the practice squad before he was claimed by the Commanders and then waived with a failed physical. Morris didn’t make it sound like a big priority, though: “Really brought him to give us a lift on special teams. Didn’t get that provided to us … so we moved onto our younger guys.” (Kendall)

Panthers

Panthers GM Dan Morgan and HC Dave Canales worked their way up the Seahawks before Morgan took a job as the Bills’ director of player personnel in 2018, while Canales became the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator in 2023. Morgan said they took Seattle’s philosophy of everything being a competition.

“The biggest thing is just the competition,” Morgan said, via Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. “We want to have an environment where guys are always competing. It’s not that we want our guys to feel uncomfortable, but we want to create that type of environment where we’re getting the best out of guys every single day. You’re going to have to compete, you’re going to have to keep up, or you could be left behind. So I think in terms of Seattle, we’re definitely carrying that philosophy over from there.”

• The Panthers are poised to get G Robert Hunt and WR David Moore back from injured reserve, which CB Jaycee Horn said will be big: “Those are big acquisitions to get back. Everybody knows what Rob can do and D-Mo’s a vet in this league.” (Joe Person)

Saints

Saints TE Taysom Hill is set to be a free agent after this season, meaning he may have played his final game at the Super Dome in New Orleans in Week 16’s win over the Jets. Hill got emotional after the game when reflecting on his time with the team.

“My wife asked me that this morning and I didn’t really feel any type of way this morning, but as I was driving to the stadium today, you start to think about the last nine years, and what it’s meant to me and my family and this city,” Hill said, via ProFootballTalk. “I think for me personally you just try to take it all in. I’ve had a great experience here tonight. I don’t know what the future holds for me but it was a special day for me and my family.”

Hill said he brought a lot of his family to Sunday’s game.

“We got a lot of family here today,” Hill said. *“My entire family’s here for the game, so it was fun to have them here and...