We had one of the more exciting division's last week in the NFC North, so a bit of a regression was due. While the South lack may in elite upside, it certainly should provide some tight back and forths throughout this upcoming year.
Let's start in the ATL and their brand new quarterback room:
Atlanta Falcons
There may not have been a franchise to send bigger shockwaves through the league this offseason than the Falcons. Giving the 36-year-old Kirk Cousins 4-years and $180 million dollars was jolting in and of itself, but then to turn around and select Michael Penix Jr. with the #8 pick!?! Mind boggling decision making by GM Terry Fontenot-- but if they win, nobody will care.
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| Photo: The Falcoholic |
Bijan Robinson mustered nearly 1,500 yards last season with Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke handing the ball off to him, no way he doesn't surpass that total right? Same can be said for Drake London, who nearly cleared 1K receiving with that same lack of talent under center. Perhaps we'll finally see what a Kyle Pitts breakout looks like, especially now that Arthur Smith's out of the building. Former Bear Darnell Mooney is a decent WR2 also.
Adding Matthew Judon last week was a huge boost for this Atlanta defense. The edge rusher's had success everywhere he's gone and is set to become one of the best in this franchise's dry history at the position almost immediately. Grady Jarrett should be able to rediscover some of his old ways without having to be the primary sack artist.
AJ Terrell secured himself a nice bag in the last couple of days as well-- much deserved by the fifth year corner out of Clemson. He'll have Mike Hughes opposite of him, a first round pick in 2018 that's never really developed into a premier guy. Having Justin Simmons and Jessie Bates III behind him should help though; quietly one of the better safety tandems in the game.
One Bold Prediction: Bijan Robinson posts over 2,000 total yards. The offensive line is good and has continuity. Kirk Cousins will keep defenses from stuffing the box and is willing to dump it off to his backs with some regularity. Atlanta's schedule also looks super soft against the run. It's all coming together for the former Longhorn, huge season ahead.
Carolina Panthers
Well, Bryce Young hasn't looked worse so far this preseason than he did in 2023, lending some room for optimism. Upgrades at both guard positions should go a long way in that translating to the regular season, with Young being regularly flushed out of the pocket as a rookie.
Chuba Hubbard and second round pick Jonathan Brooks should also have some success behind the revamped offensive line. Brooks is still on the mend from an ACL tear he suffered last year at Texas, but should be primed for a big role once he gets out there. Don't expect anything from Miles Sanders, not a damn thing.
Nice chemistry on display early on between Diontae Johnson and his new QB. The former Steelers' malcontent has a golden opportunity to show his worth as the top wideout in this offense, but can he handle the load? Adam Thielen will continue his role as a safety blanket while Jonathan Mingo and Xavier Leggette battle it out for the third spot.
A lot of teeth on this front seven, even with Brian Burns being traded up to New York in March. Derrick Brown is a bad man, with A'Shawn Robinson now on the opposite defensive end opening up space. Fellow free agent signee Jadaveon Clowney should fit into this pass rush just fine. This deep group just might be able to let K'Lavon Chaisson show why he was a former top 20 pick, at least rotationally.
Getting Jaycee Horn back is a huge boost for Carolina, but it's a thin cornerback room outside of that. They brought in Dane Jackson from Buffalo, who should be useful, but not a needle mover. Jordan Fuller at safety provides some veteran presence, but overall it's not a secondary that's going to scare teams. Those guys up front have to get after the QB.
One Bold Prediction: Bryce Young throws for 25 or more touchdowns. David Canales got a lot out of Baker Mayfield last season, albeit with a substantially more talented receiving room, no reason to think he can't build up some confidence in Young and help him to a sophomore bounce back. Don't think this offense will be overly dynamic, but there's some potential to at least not suck.
New Orleans Saints
The City of Easy Livin'. It feels like no other team in the NFL undergoes less roster change than the Saints. Stalwarts like Alvin Kamara, Cameron Jordan, Marshon Lattimore have been around for years. No Michael Thomas, believe it or not, but Honeybadger came back and there's plenty of continuity in the other position rooms. But the results have been the same now for too long: mediocre.
No need to think that'll be changing this season. Derek Carr was predictably mid in 2023 and likely won't do anything to improve on that in his second go round in NOLA. Alvin Kamara's going into his eighth year and has struggled on the ground during the last three. Chris Olave's the real deal, Taysom Hill and Rashid Shaheed are fun, but it's not a threatening room of pass catchers. Ho-hum offense across the board.
A little more youth infused into the defensive side of the ball. Chase Young's out to prove that he wasn't a bust at #2 overall; will Dennis Allen be the guy to finally help him live up to the hype? Bryan Bresee and Isaiah Foskey are two other recent draftees looking to make a name alongside Cameron Jordan and Carl Granderson on this D-line. Plenty of depth to work with here.
Demario Davis and Willie Gay are a decent tandem at linebacker who'll definitely benefit from having Mathieu playing deep behind them. Marshon Lattimore still has some left in the tank, but it seems like he's always banged up. Curious to see how Kool-Aid McKinstry looks opposite of him.
One Bold Prediction: The Saints finish last in the South. Like last year, this'll be a division that's competitive through and through with no real juggernaut. New Orleans is solid defensively, but that offense is so uninspiring. We may reassess this prediction if they smash the Panthers week one though, stay tuned for that.
Good luck to their fans stuck watching Derek Carr and Co for 18 weeks.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
One of the biggest redemption stories of 2023 was Baker Mayfield rediscovering his ability to play quarterback. Sometimes, just getting away from Cleveland can be more than enough to get you there. Having Mike Evans and Chris Godwin helps a ton too. Thinking this group should be able to run it back again, now featuring rookie Jalen McMillan filling the role of a speedy deep man.
The Bucs added some wheels in the backfield too, selecting Bucky Irving in the fourth round of this most recent draft. The former Oregon Duck's looked sharp this preseason and could be in for some big time production in the pass game. Rachaad White will remain the early down back, absorbing some third downs as well.
Some questions to be asked on the defense. Calijah Kancey and Vita Vea are two bad men on the line, while Yaya Diaby and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka have had some mild success getting after the passer. But Lavonte David's another year older behind them and the cornerback room is one of the weaker across the league. The unit allowed the fourth most passing yards in 2023 and definitely didn't go above and beyond to improve, which'll likely be an Achilles' heel this season.
One Bold Prediction: Bucky Irving has 40 or more receptions, asserting himself as a valuable PPR back. As a biased Ravens fan, the notion of pairing Irving and Derrick Henry would've been a dream come true. But Tampa Bay's a prime landing spot for the kid, who'll absorb plenty of targets from the much less dynamic White-- who had Baker look his way 70 times a year ago, for reference.
Divisional Shakedown
Kirk Cousins loves feasting on mediocrity, something there's plenty of the this NFC South. How he looks post Achilles' rehab will obviously have a huge impact on this, but Atlanta's far too talented to not come out of this group on top. Look for Tampa to finish second and possibly secure a wildcard, while the Panthers eke out the Saints for the bottom spot.
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@Choppinglines
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