During the offseason, the NFC South went from a very top-heavy division to a division where any team could make a case for being the top team. The New Orleans Saints seem as the easy favorite given their moves on defense in the offseason, but the Carolina Panthers won the division last season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers added some pieces on offense and defense and brought in Lovie Smith to coach and the Atlanta Falcons are getting Roddy White and Julio Jones back healthy.
All four teams are talented, although the Panthers are lacking a No. 1 wide receiver, and the divisional matchups this year will be must-watches for Sunday Ticket users who aren’t fans of any of those teams. With camps just underway, let’s look at what stands out in the division before they get at it.
Top Newcomers
Jairus Byrd, Safety, New Orleans Saints
Byrd was the most popular defensive free agent this offseason, and the Saints made some cap moves (such as trading Darren Sproles) to make room for him. Although he’s not a great tackler, Byrd is a ball hawk who can pull down double-digit interceptions. New Orleans’ defense came on strong toward the end of last season, and Byrd only makes it better.
Jake Matthews, Left Tackle, Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons allowed the 10th most sacks in the league last season, and Matt Ryan had a tough time staying off his back. Steven Jackson also had his lowest yards per carry average of his career, and went for just 543 rushing yards, which was part his aging and part Atlanta’s offensive line. Drafting the rookie Matthews gives the Falcons protection for Ryan as well, who will be able to air it out with White and Jones healthy.
Mike Evans, Wide Receiver, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Although the quarterback situation in Tampa Bay is still of some concern with Josh McCown set to take over the starting job, Evans and Vincent Jackson will make one of the best receiver tandems in the NFC. Evans can go up and get just about any ball, and during his sophomore year at Texas A&M, he had 1,322 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Top Training Camp Battles
Jerricho Cotchery, Jason Avant and Kelvin Benjamin, Wide Receivers, Carolina Panthers
Someone is going to have to catch the passes thrown by Cam Newton. The rookie Benjamin might have the lead to be the No. 1 receiver in Week 1 because of where the Panthers drafted him this year, but Cotchery and Avant are both veterans at this point, and Cotchery is coming off a season when he scored a career-high 10 touchdowns. This battle will have implications on who is the top target in Carolina, which is amplified for fantasy football purposes.
Paul Soliai and Ra’Shede Hageman, Nose Tackles, Atlanta Falcons
This battle will get lost in the media because it deals with nose tackles, but it will be interesting to see where Hageman fits in to the defensive scheme. The Falcons finished tied for 29th in the league in sacks last season, recording just 32 on the season. Soliai was brought in in free agency out of Miami, but Hageman was taken in the second round of the draft (No. 37 overall). Hageman is a better pass rusher than Soliai, who is more of a space-filler. Although they’ll probably end up splitting time when the season rolls around, seeing how many snaps Hageman gets could give fans a better idea of what mindset the Falcons have on defense.
Pierre Thomas, Mark Ingram and Khiry Robinson, Running Backs, New Orleans Saints
The Saints almost never know who their starting running back is going to be on a week-by-week basis. But Robinson is the dark horse to win the starting job in training camp. His hype has been building since June, and he had 102 yards and one touchdown in two playoff games for the Saints last year. Ingram has been overall disappointing since being drafted out of Alabama and can’t even produce around the goal line and Thomas will be 30 come December, after averaging just 3.7 yards per carry last season. Someone is going to emerge from this group, and it might just be Robinson.
Power Ranking the Division
1. New Orleans Saints
Besides being the favorite to win the division, the Saints are contenders for the Super Bowl this year. Future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees has Marques Colston, Kenny Stills, Brandin Cooks and Jimmy Graham to throw to, and the three main backs for New Orleans makes up a solid rushing game with options. On defense, Rex Ryan did a great job in the second half, and adding Byrd and Champ Bailey will only help.
2. Atlanta Falcons
This is where it starts to get crowded, but the Falcons separate themselves on offense to put them second. Although Jones is constantly an injury risk, getting at least 10 games out of him this year and 15 out of White would be huge for Matt Ryan. They also added Matthews and Jon Asamoah along the line to protect Ryan, which was by far their biggest weakness last season. The secondary still has to improve, but the Falcons are a threat to win nine or 10 games this year.
3. Carolina Panthers
People are over-analyzing the Panthers losing Steve Smith at receiver, who wasn’t all that effective last season. Instead, Carolina will fall off most on defense. Despite a strong front seven, the secondary is decimated after losing Captain Munnerlyn and Mike Mitchell. On offense, Benajamin is incredibly athletic but has a tendency to drop the ball, and DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart are both on the back ends of their career. Newton and the linebackers wil keep them relevant, though.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Until the Bucs prove me wrong, I won’t be buying a ticket on their hype train. They are at least a year away from competing for a playoff spot. Lovie Smith is a great coach, and Jackson and Evans are both great receivers. The defense is also underrated now after adding Alterraun Verner to play with Gerald McCoy, Lavonte David and Dashon Goldson. But on offense, there’s simply too many questions. The right side of the offensive line isn’t nearly as strong as the left, and their starting quarterback is Josh McCown.
McCown’s success last season was fueled by having Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery to throw to, and people are forgetting already that McCown was one year away from being out of the league entirely. The last time he was a consistent starter was in 2007, when he started nien games for the Raiders, and he had 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. McCown’s not the answer, and the offense will struggle because of that.