GENERAL MANAGER JASON LICHT

(On which position groups were the hardest to make the final cuts at)

"These decisions are made throughout [training] camp. I think Todd [Bowles] and I were pretty much on the same page. We didn't make them at the final moment. We had some depth at [wide] receiver, we had some depth at outside linebacker – we ended up keeping six. You have to take a look at what you think you can get back on the practice squad and all of those types of things. I think those were some of the tough ones – they're all tough. They're all tough, releasing players…This weekend is typically never an easy time for any of us. We got through it, and now we move forward. We'll put a practice squad together here as soon as I'm done here – that'll be a fluid process – and then here we go. We're ready to play the first week."

(On what stood out about WR Kameron Johnson)

"He really earned it. All through OTAs and then training camp. We saw it in OTAs, he's a really explosive athlete, [he] works very hard, it's very important to him. You would think that he came from a very high-level program the way he approaches things and the knowledge that he has already. Barton [College] has done a great job there in four years. He's a playmaker. We're very excited to see him in the regular season."

(On if any players made the final 53-man roster that he didn't anticipate making it at the beginning of training camp)

"It's still fluid. There are still players that, to be quite frank, you never know how things [will go]. We always have our eye on other players that may or may not be on the team tomorrow. They may or may not. I'm not trying to send a message or anything. I'm just saying that's just the way it goes. Just like the practice squad, it's very fluid – what we put together today may not be the same thing as it is next week."

(On if there are any positions that he'd like to continue to address)

"You're always looking. Throughout the year, we're always bringing guys in for workouts. I think my team has done an outstanding job every year of doing that. You could be coming off back-to-back Super Bowls and you're going to think you're thin in some areas. Todd [Bowles] has been a part of some very deep teams, so to say that this isn't the deepest team doesn't necessarily mean that we think we're weak in areas – we're just maybe not as deep as it was in 2020 when we won the Super Bowl."

(On his assessment of LG Ben Bredeson and C Graham Barton and how he thinks they will help the rushing attack)

"So far, they've done a great job – both of them. Graham has really answered the bell. Ben has fit right in. He's got just a great way about him in that room, too. He's a two-time captain at Michigan – very few people can say that – but, his ability, too, he's been a really pleasant surprise for us."

(On the team's running back room)

"That's a great room. [There is] a lot of energy, like you said, especially with young guys like 'Buck' (Bucky Irving) and Sean [Tucker] that have really shown vast improvement all through [training] camp. It's a dynamic room. Everybody brings a little something different to the table, but they're all very explosive players in their own regard."

(On the reason for the team's success in the draft over the past few seasons)

"It starts with my staff. I'll always say that. They do a phenomenal job. We've been together a long time. John [Spytek], Mike [Greenberg], [Mike] Biehl, Rob McCartney, my scouts – I could sit here all day and I would name every single one of them, so I don't want to leave one of them out. They do a phenomenal job. They know what I'm looking for when they present it to me and they whittle it down and I look at the players and make the final decision – along with Todd [Bowles] – but I make the final decision. Then, I'm not having to swim through a lot of things, 'No, this isn't what I want…' We're all aligned – that's number one. Number two, just because a lot of players make your team – draft picks – doesn't mean that that's good. In our case, we think it is – we think that they're all very good players, but you could select 15 guys and then I could tell Todd [Bowles] they're all making the team and they could be no good. In this case, they are. We're excited about them. I love the process that we have with the coaches and how they're involved and we all get along."

(On the growth that he's seen from QB Baker Mayfield)

"He was very focused last year. There's just a little bit different gleam in his eye and I think a little bit maybe has to do [with the fact] that he's a father now. Once again, this is not saying he wasn't mature, but he just seems to [have] a little bit more to prove, which I'd love to see. I love when people say things about him and doubt him – it energizes this entire team."

(On if the ability to elevate players from the practice squad three times per season affected his decision to only keep five wide receivers instead of six)

"Absolutely – it's one of the best rules that they ever put in place. We love it. They're an extension of the 53[-man roster]. Then you have to play the chess game of who are you going to elevate? You don't want to run out of elevations and you want to try to save them as long as you can and all that kind of stuff. [We] absolutely keep that in mind."

(On his expectations for WR Mike Evans)

"He just wants to win. That's the great thing about him. He just wants to win. Whatever happens when you're winning, good things are happening to him. These kind of milestones couldn't have happened to a better person. You know that he holds a very special place for me and my family. I feel like it's the same with any fan you talk to – they feel the same way. He's one of those players that they feel they know on a personal level just because they've followed him for so long and like to follow him."

(On transitioning from one of the oldest rosters in the league to one of the youngest)

"One thing [about] Todd [Bowles] and his coaches – they're not afraid to play young guys and they love to develop young guys. That makes our job – my job – really easy, because we love young talent. We don't love getting rid of older guys, that's not the point. It's [that] we want what's best for the football team. The last couple of years, it has been because of the salary cap and the dead money that we had. It was crucial for us to draft well and to have undrafted free agents on this team, just to survive just with the debt that we carried. It worked out that way. We're very happy with the way it's worked, and now, we're hoping to win this year, too."

(On people picking the Atlanta Falcons to win the NFC South)

"That's great."

(On if he's keeping receipts on those who pick the Atlanta Falcons to win the NFC South)

"Only when they take shots, but they should be picking the Falcons."

(On what excites him most about the season)

"Just, you know, the second year with Baker [Mayfield] being at the helm, at quarterback…The growth of our offensive line, what we've done with the run game so far in preseason – hopefully that transfers over to the regular season, but everybody's very excited on that side of the ball for what we are capable of with the run game, which is going to help the entire team. It'll help with ball control, it'll help the defense, it'll help the passing game – everything. So those are some of the things I'm excited to see hopefully continue."

(On what it takes for a guy like CB Tyrek Funderburk to make the 53-man roster)

"He's very smart. He has decent size. He's got speed. He's a physical player. He likes to tackle, and he just has natural instincts and patience when he's out there in coverage on an island. It's something that you either have or you don't, and he's got it. We saw a lot – [he's] got great ball skills, as well, so we see a lot of upside with him. I don't know if we're going to throw him out – if Todd [Bowles]'s going to throw him out there – Week 1 or not, but we feel like he's pretty close to us doing that. He's been one of the more exciting players at that position [among] young players that we've had since I've been here."

(On his expectations for WR Chris Godwin going into his contract year)

"Contract year or not contract year, you're going to get the same with Chris, and he's going to give us everything. He's going to empty the tank, and he looks better than he has in the past couple years because of the time away from the injury that he's had, and I think he feels very comfortable [with] the new spot that we're in, so that's a good thing. The new-old spot."

(On if he's surprised that WR Jalen McMillan was able to build chemistry with QB Baker Mayfield so quickly)
"Well, we knew what he was capable of, and we – when we did the process, people were telling our scouts there that at one point – he was a little dinged up last year – that he was the go-to guy, that he was capable of being as good as those other guys that went in front of him, and they're very good players. So, it doesn't surprise me, but it's sure been great to watch him do that."

(On how important chemistry and team bonding in and outside of the locker room is)

"I think it's important. I think anybody else would tell you it's important. It doesn't necessarily mean – you could have the best, closest team ever. It doesn't necessarily mean you're going to win, but I can tell you that if it's the opposite, we're pretty much a recipe for disaster. So, it's better to have it the way that it is than not, and it's one of the better, more cohesive groups I've been around."

(On if he's satisfied with the depth of the defensive line or if he might be looking for someone else)

"It's always an area that we'd be looking for. Always."

(On the decision-making process for the defensive line)

"Will [Gholston] proved again this year what's capable of, and he's just Old Ironsides. He's going to go out there and give us everything he's got, and he still can play. You know, we've got Vita [Vea], Calijah [Kancey] – I mean all those guys. We have some very good players, and we have Greg Gaines. I can't say enough good things about him. We're always looking for maybe some possible young players that are ascending that you can add to your roster. We'll always keep looking for that."

(On what he contributes his draft scheme success to and if he made changes in his process five years ago that have helped hit those marks)

"Well, I don't want to give away secrets too much, but I alluded to it before – I have a great staff. The secret to being successful is having – you know, I want to be the dumbest guy in a room, which isn't hard, but these guys are very very good, these guys and girls that I have working on the scouting staff. Several years ago, I kind of made a commitment to – let's go after the high character – they have to be able to play, but let's stay away from the guys we have concerns about and it's hard. It's hard to resist the temptation and I've taken more players off the board in the last few years just so I would resist the temptation of taking them, and for the most part, we've been spot on and glad that we didn't take them."

(On if he analyzes previous draft mistakes and if there's common denominators)

"Oh yeah. [There's a] common denominator in the type of player that's turned out to be a great player."

(On if any roster cut stands out in his mind as one of the hardest decisions)

"Like I said, they're just all very, very hard. They're all very hard and I probably wouldn't want to publicly talk about some of them, but it's some of the older guys that have been around for a long time, and when you have to tell them that they don't have it anymore and that they're not athletically capable of being a top-end player anymore, or even being a backup – that's hard."

(On his confidence in the depth and familiarity in the players that are back from last year)

"Yeah, for sure, but we've added some players this year, late, that came on and did some good things for us. Earnest Brown IV is one of them, and we're excited about him."

RUNNING BACK BUCKY IRVING

(On if there has been changes in his game and his personal growth over the last few months)

"I'd probably say the details, and mastering my playbook so that the game can slow down for me. The game moved pretty fast when I first got here. My mind was spinning everywhere, but for me, I'm just locking in my playbook and understanding why [we're] calling things, and things like that. Overall, just letting the game slow down for me."

(On what he thinks Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen's offense)

"I feel like this offense is explosive. We [have] a lot of guys that can make plays in a variety of different ways. From the wide receivers, from the running back room, quarterback, the guys out front blocking, protecting…I mean, we're going to be a very explosive offense."

(On the biggest differences between college and the NFL)
"The game speed right now is pretty fast. Guys really [know] what they're doing, and guys are being in the right gap [and] guys filling in the right gap and things like that. There's not a lot of guys misfitting things out there on defense, so I would probably say it from that standpoint."

(On what he thinks of the organization and the scouts who brought him here)
"I always thank my guys – they could've picked any other running back, and they put their trust in me in coming here and [they] hold me to a high standard. Everything that they heard from going through the draft process…I just want to be that guy that I showed them on tape, and to come over here and showcase my talents."

CORNERBACK TYREK FUNDERBURK

(On how hard it was for him to sit out of practice due to injury these past few weeks)

"It's been tough. Going through college, I didn't really miss many games, but it's been a learning process as well. It's kind of how you take it. [You] can pout about it and find a way to not get better or just go from a mental standpoint, and that's kind of what I did [in] the last two weeks. I think I took a step forward mentally, especially learning our defense and learning what coach wants from us."

(On his initial reaction when he found out he made the 53-man roster)

"I was excited. I mean, it's like [my] dreams came true. It's kind of crazy to watch your dreams come to reality. Years of hard work, years of preparation [and] dedication to what you love to do. It was extremely exciting for me."

(On what he thinks keeping himself and WR Kameron Johnson, two college free agents, on the 53-man roster says about this organization)

"It says a lot about them. The quality of men and women in this building…They care about players and obviously, they're willing to take a bet on a guy like me and Kam – undrafted guys from small schools. It lets me know that they see something in us, regardless of what may have happened during camp. We were both hurt at one point, so that says a lot about them [and] about the quality of people that they are."

(On who specifically has helped him and taught him since he's been here)
"Zyon McCollum, Bryce Hall [and] Jamel Dean. Those are the three guys that I've honestly looked up to the most since I've been here. Obviously, those guys are veterans, so [I'm] just learning from them, seeing the things they've done on the film, and learning from their mistakes. They're extremely helpful. It's been super beneficial for me."

-BUCCANEERS-