NFC South Notes: Ulbrich, Falcons, Bowman, Clowney, Panthers, Renfrow

The NFL will attempt to put the Shedeur Sanders prank-call storyline in the past, levying fines against the Falcons and new DC Jeff Ulbrich. The veteran coordinator’s son, Jax, made a prank call to Sanders as he fell during the draft. Jax Ulbrich, who pretended to be Saints GM Mickey Loomis when calling the Colorado QB during his draft freefall, apologized to Sanders (after taking the QB’s number off his father’s iPad), but Jeff Ulbrich will lose a chunk of his salary as a result of the act. The league fined Jeff Ulbrich $100K, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, who adds the Falcons will be fined $250K for Sanders’ number being leaked. Jeff Ulbrich said (via The Athletic’s Josh Kendall) he and his son take “full responsibility” for the prank. The veteran assistant said he also apologized to Deion Sanders.

Unlike the Falcons’ Kirk Cousins tampering penalty last year, no draft picks will be taken away for the incident involving the Ulbrichs. The Falcons hired Ulbrich to replace Jimmy Lake, whom Raheem Morris fired after one season on the job. This has certainly not been a smooth ride for Falcons DCs. Ulbrich is the team’s fourth in four years (Ulbrich, Lake, Ryan Nielsen, Dean Pees), and the former Jets interim HC’s tenure is not off to a good start thanks to this development. The Falcons have now been fined $575K over the past three years (h/t Yahoo’s Nate Tice), thanks to this coming after the 2024 tampering issue and 2023 Bijan Robinson injury report matter.

Here is the latest from the NFC South:

• Jadeveon Clowney has become available in trades, and the Panthers had thrown his name around before drafting two edge rushers (Nic Scourton, Princely Umanmielen on Day 2. Carolina’s pre-draft discussions on Clowney with multiple teams, per ESPN.com’s David Newton. As Ejiro Evero will begin molding the two rookie edge players, Clowney could be on the move yet again. The Panthers would save $9.78MM by trading Clowney, who is on his sixth NFL team.
• The Panthers are pulling Hunter Renfrow back into the NFL, after the former 1,000-yard Raiders wide receiver did not play in 2024. Renfrow, 29, took last year off in part because he was battling an autoimmune disorder (ulcerative colitis) that caused fatigue and weight loss, according to Panthers.com’s Darin Gantt. The Clemson alum said the weight loss caused him to drop to around 150 pounds. Renfrow viewed himself as ready to make a comeback by January, and he is now back to 187 pounds. The Panthers’ receiving setup will not guarantee Renfrow a roster spot, as he fell out of favor with the Raiders following his 1,038-yard 2021 season. But the South Carolina native will have a shot to make an impact in his native region.
• One of Ulbrich’s new pieces to arrive in the draft, fourth-round pick Billy Bowman, enters the league as a safety. But that will not be his primary role in Atlanta. The Falcons will shift Bowman...