In this division there hasn’t been a single team who had a far and away better offseason than everybody else. If I had to assign a grade to each team’s offseason, the highest grade would probably be a B-. None of the teams made huge splashes and none of them signed anyone to a terrible contract. Here’s the power rankings for the NFC South:

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers didn’t make anywhere near as many big signings as they did last year. Considering how the did in 2014, that’s probably a good thing. However, they had a lot of money to spend and a lot of holes to fill but the only player they brought in that is a definite improvement is defensive tackle Henry Melton. With all their money to spend, I’m not saying they should go out a sign every big name they see because that obviously hasn’t worked in the past. But they certainly could’ve brought in better talent than Chris Conte, who is a scheme fit but not very talented. They had a terrible offensive line last season and are still in the same position. To add to that problem is the fact that they won’t be able to address their offensive line in the draft until the 33rd pick, assuming they don’t trade up back into the first round.

3. Carolina Panthers

The Panthers are another team that didn’t use free agency to get better at basically any positions of need. Free agency isn’t a time to build the foundation of a team, but it’s certainly a time to add ancillary pieces to give teams a better idea about their draft. The Panthers didn’t do this. They brought in Michael Oher as their left tackle, but Cam Newton will still be running for his life most likely if it remains that way to begin the season. With the release of DeAngelo Williams they also need a running back to split carries with Jonathan Stewart. They failed to address their desperate need at wide receiver as well. On defense their secondary was a weak link as well and Kurt Coleman was the only defensive back they brought in.

2. New Orleans Saints

This one might seem a little perplexing considering they got rid of their stud tight end Jimmy Graham and also traded away their young wide receiver Kenny Stills. What makes the Saints’ offseason a productive one is what they did with their salary cap. Coming into this offseason they were in the worst salary cap position and they managed to make some moves that gave them some wiggle room. They also added solid players at fair prices. They were able to bring in C.J. Spiller to compliment Mark Ingram and Brandon Browner and Kyle Wilson to strengthen their secondary, which has been a weak point on their defense for awhile now. They were also able to bring in All-Pro center Max Unger in the Graham trade. Getting more protection for Drew Brees is always a good thing. With these trades they were also able to land themselves more draft picks, including another first round pick this year. Clearing out big contracts and adding more draft picks is the best way to solve long term salary cap problems.

1. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons haven’t made any big signings or given out any bad contracts. That’s always a good start in the offseason. What they’ve done is addressed positions of need without spending much money. Their biggest loss this offseason was the loss of defensive tackle Corey Peters but they more than made up for it with the additions of O’Brien Schofield, Adrian Clayborn, Justin Durant, and Brooks Reed in the front seven. Their offseason has left them with reasonable cap space moving forward, the ability to have a much clearer vision going into the draft, and a better overall team than at the end of last season.