NFC South preview: Falcons, Panthers, Saints and Buccaneers
NFC SOUTH
ATLANTA FALCONS
Coach: Arthur Smith (first season in Atlanta).
Last season: 4-12 (fourth in the division).
Key additions: TE Kyle Pitts, RB Mike Davis, RB/KR Cordarrelle Patterson, LB Barkevious Mingo, S Duron Harmon, S Erik Harris, C Josh Andrews, OT Jalen Mayfield, C/G Drew Dalman.
Key subtractions: RB Todd Gurley II, TE Luke Stocker, G James Carpenter, S Ricardo Allen, S Keanu Neal, C Alex Mack.
Looking ahead: New general manger, new head coach, same old quarterback, emphasis on old. Matt Ryan is 36, too aged to work behind the picket fence — not moving anybody, not much security — that was Atlanta’s offensive line. They couldn’t close out games on the ground and the defense (NFL worst vs. the pass, tied for 23rd in sacks) let teams repeatedly came from behind on the Falcons like the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
CAROLINA PANTHERS
Coach: Matt Rhule (second season in Carolina, 5-11 in the regular season).
Last season: 5-11 (third in the division).
Key additions: QB Sam Darnold, DE Morgan Fox, DT DaQuan Jones, TE Dan Arnold, WR David Moore, OT Cam Erving, G/C Pat Eiflein, LB Denzel Perryman, OLB Haason Reddick, CB A.J. Bouye, CB Jaycee Horn.
Key subtractions: QB Teddy Bridgewater, RB Mike Davis, WR Curtis Samuel, G Chris Reed, TE Chris Manhertz, CB Rasul Douglas, S Tre Boston, DE Stephen Weatherly, LB Tahir Whitehead.
Looking ahead: QB Sam Darnold’s only 23 with obvious talent. Did he get ruined by former Jets coach Adam Gase and that franchise’s perpetual toxicity? He will have a healthy RB Christian McCaffrey (everybody hopes). Darnold’s former Jets teammate Robby Anderson will be happy he has a quarterback who can get him the ball downfield. But both lines remain in renovation under new management.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Coach: Sean Payton (15th season in New Orleans; 143-81 in the regular season, 9-8 in the postseason).
Last season: 12-4 (first in the division), lost in the NFC Divisional Round to Tampa Bay.
Key additions: LB Pete Werner, DE Tanoh Kpassagnon, FB Alex Armah, DE Payton Turner, TE Nick Vannett.
Key subtractions: QB Drew Brees, DE Trey Hendrickson, CB Janoris Jenkins, CB Justin Hardee, LB Alex Anzalone, DT Malcolm Brown, G Nick Easton, TE Jared Cook, P Thomas Morstead, LB Kwon Alexander.
Looking ahead: Comparisons between QB Jameis Winston and retired future Hall of Famer Drew Brees are inevitable. Winston can make downfield throws that Brees couldn’t when Brees was young with two good shoulders. But can Winston be a 30-TD guy without being a 25-to-30 INT guy? Brees directing early scoring drives and not putting the defense in bad positions with turnovers helped the defense be a top-five unit.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Coach: Bruce Arians (third season with Tampa Bay, 18-14 in the regular season, 4-0 in the playoffs)
Last season: 11-5 (second in the division), won the Super Bowl.
Key additions: RB Giovani Bernard.
Key subtractions: CB Ryan Smith, S Andrew Adams.
Looking ahead: They return 22 starters and a defense that ran the NFL’s best QB and offense out of the Super Bowl. The quarterback with the most team success in NFL history knows more than a little bit about staying at a championship level — Tom Brady’s quarterbacked one team that repeated as Super Bowl champs, three teams that repeated as conference champions.
This story was originally published September 6, 2021 at 8:00 AM with the headline "NFC South preview: Falcons, Panthers, Saints and Buccaneers."
