NFC South Morning Jog: Bucs Finish Rookie Camp, Sign Jordan Jefferson

Each morning, I like to start the day off with a workout—usually a morning jog. I can clear my head, plan my day, and think about what’s going on around the NFC South.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson was invited to Bucs minicamp this past weekend for a tryout. Apparently the audition went well because the team signed Jefferson to a contract. Tampa Bay now has five quarterbacks on its roster.

The Buccaneers finished their rookie mini camp, and here's head coach Greg Schiano's post-camp presser. Between the undrafted free agents and the players invited for tryouts, Schiano said they'd probably sign "between 22 and 29 guys." [Video]

Atlanta Falcons

It's way too early to predict 53-man rosters, but that doesn't stop a lot of writers. And while I disagree with the enormously high "20 roster spots open," I do like it when folks break down potential position battles and give readers a guess at what's going on. Rookie minicamp starts on Friday in Flowery Branch. We won't get any answers then, but it will be nice to see some of the new guys in action.

I'm on record saying that I felt the Falcons started reaching for players in the third round of last month's NFL draft. Now, I'm no former scout like Thomas Dimitroff, steeped in player evaluation expertise, nor do I know exactly what Atlanta's big board looks like. But I do know that others agree with me. Here's a look at five players Atlanta passed on that the team might regret later.

Carolina Panthers

Defensive end Charles Johnson had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Friday to relieve swelling, according to the Charlotte Observer. Through his Twitter account, Johnson said that procedure "went good."

Head coach Ron Rivera said his defensive tackles didn't start showing signs they were grasping the system until Week 12. "Everybody needs to relax and give us an opportunity to develop our players and see what we have," said Rivera.

New Orleans Saints

For those of you that like X's and O's, Matt Bowen's piece on tight end Jimmy Graham's red-zone slant is tons of awesome.

Mike Triplett looks at both sides of the Bountygate issue and asks which side is more believable, the NFL or the Saints.