For a division that had two sub-.500 teams last season, the NFC South could be one of the most interesting storylines this season. The Falcons are a team that can easily rebound, and the Buccaneers are coming in reinvigorated with a new coaching staff.
Then, at the top, the Saints and Panthers are both primed to make a run at the playoffs. So where do these teams shape up following free agency and the draft, and who will end up coming out on top in this talent-heavy division?
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After dominating free agency and having a solid draft, the Bucs are primed to have a solid year, but there are still too many concerns about this team to put them up any higher than the last spot. Doug Martin is now an injury risk after missing out on most of last season, wide receiver depth is an issue although Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans are a great one-two combination.
Tampa made up some cap space by releasing Darrelle Revis and replacing him with Alterraun Verner, but its front seven isn’t all that strong. Adding Evans and Austin Seferian-Jenkins in the draft rounds out a solid group of offensive weapons, and the Buccaneers signed center Evan Dietrich-Smith in free agency.
Still, like most teams at the bottom of their divisions, quarterback is an issue. Josh McCown doesn’t have a track record of being a quality starter in the league, and they seem to be putting too much faith in just a handful of games from last season. Mike Glennon showed splashes of good play, and he could fill in if McCown doesn’t work out, but neither of them (at least for now) seem like signal callers who can get a team to the top of a division.
3. Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta addressed some serious needs in the draft on both their offensive and defensive lines by taking Ra’Shede Hageman on defense and grabbing Jake Matthews to protect Matt Ryan. In this division, though, they still have too many holes on both sides of the ball to be successful.
It’s basically a lock this point that Julio Jones and Roddy White won’t play all 16 games this season, especially Jones. Last offseason’s Steven Jackson signing isn’t really panning out (although, the offensive line was so bad Jackson didn’t have any holes to run through) and the secondary is a huge weakness despite drafting Dezmen Southward at safety.
This team is too talented to not record more wins than last season, but there are far too many flaws on defense for the Falcons to compete this year.
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina really had a rough free agency period, losing Steve Smith, Ted Ginn, Mike Mitchell, Brandon LaFell, Captain Munnerlyn, Drayton Florence and Bruce Campbell. That’s a long list, most notably Munnerlyn and Florence who had a combined four interceptions on a defense that ranked sixth in the league in passing yards allowed.
The Panthers rebounded in the draft, adding some great value picks in defensive end Kony Ealy in the second round and guard Trai Turner in the third round. Grabbing Kelvin Benjamin at No. 28 overall was a must for a team that was decimated at receiver in free agency but they can’t be excited about heading into the year with just Benjamin, Jerricho Cotchery and Jason Avant.
Corner is also a weakness now with Munnerlyn and Florence out, but their linebacking group is so strong, opponents can expect to struggle to run the ball against them this season. Relying on strong defense, the Panthers will compete for a Wild Card spot this year after winning the division.
1. New Orleans Saints
The Saints see that their window to win with Drew Brees at quarterback is closing, and they’re going all in on the next two or three seasons. The draft didn’t turn out to be much for New Orleans, reaching for Stanley Jean-Baptiste in the second round, but trading up for Brandin Cooks should pay off big time on offense with Marques Colston declining and Lance Moore gone.
Pierre Thomas is a fine running back, but Mark Ingram continues to be an issue, so expect Brees and the passing game to carry most of the load on offense. They were able to keep Jimmy Graham around (for now) and on defense, the Saints’ only got better after finishing second last year in passing defense.
They signed the best available defensive free agent (up until Revis was released) Jairus Byrd, along with future Hall of Famer Champ Bailey. Junior Galette is primed to have a breakout year as a young linebacker, and Jean-Baptiste and Vinnie Sunseri add depth to Rob Ryan’s defense. If this team can stay healthy, they’re a potential contender for the NFC title.