NFC SOUTH
Panthers
Last season was quite the ride for Carolina and while it may have ended in a Wild Card loss I can’t say anyone was disappointed with the result, if anything it was the opposite. Head Coach Dave Canales and his pair of Coordinators (OC Brad Idzik + DC Ejiro Evero)have consistently found ways throughout the past couple seasons to keep this team competitive and frustrating to play despite a lack of name brand talent. This year should different. This offseason they added some true star talent at positions they desperately needed help at and when you pair that with players across their roster establishing themselves last season you come into this year with a new found energy and confidence.
On offense that energy and confidence has to start with Quarterback Bryce Young. Young put his best film on tape towards the end of last season, including a playoff game against a very good Rams team where he nearly pulled out a shootout victory. Now that doesn’t mean he was perfect by any means. Young still showed a frustrating tendency to drop his eyes at any sign of pressure and overall the inconsistencies throughout his game leave you frustrated and wanting more. With that being said Young has grown year after year and seems to have full belief from everyone on this team despite some low moments. While Young having to take another step in his development for this team to get where they want does worry me a bit, the biggest concern for me is sadly the injuries as of now. Rookie Wide Receiver Chris Brazzell II was going to bring a true vertical threat to this offense but a knee injury in camp is going to hold him out the entire year, Taylor Moton is currently dealing with a blood clot issue, Ikem Ekwonu is going to miss most of if not all this season after a knee injury in last seasons Wild Card game, and now Chuba Hubbard is dealing with a major hamstring injury in camp as well. I’m a huge fan of the depth along their O-Line but now not having Moton along with Ekwonu is going to really hurt. Luckily they brought in Rasheed Walker and rookie Monroe Freeling this offseason but Walker is a replacement level player at best and Freeling is a raw rookie that needs development so his impact Week 1 may be a question. These injuries aren’t going to kill any chance at being a good offense this season but they certainly have capped the ceiling of an offense that looked ready to take another step this year.
The defense sadly hasn’t escaped the injury bug this offseason either but luckily it hasn’t been as long of a list. Second year promising pass rusher Nic Scorton is going to miss this season as well after suffering a Torn ACL in camp. This is a big blow as Scorton started to flash his skillset late last season and looked primed to take a major step in a more supportive role following the Jaelen Phillips signing this offseason. Despite losing Scorton for the year I’m still very high on this defense. Defensive Coordinator Ejiro Evero is one of my favorite defensive minds and overall one of the most underrated and under appreciated coaches throughout the league, in my opinion. Along with having a great coach I’m incredibly impressed with this entire unit from a roster perspective. Adding rookie Defensive Tackle Lee Hunter next to Derrick Brown makes for one of the most stout and dominant IDLs across the league and when you add on the fact they brought in LB Devin Lloyd and Edge Jaelen Phillips to fill their biggest holes from last season and I can’t help but be hopeful for this season. The only question that truly concerns me is the lack of depth at Edge. While Phillips provides them a true threat off the edge his injury concerns are apparent and have to worry you considering Scorton is out for the season as well.
This team certainly has more questions than they came into camp with, which is unfortunate but I would still say they’re a better overall team than they were last year. If Young can find a way to be more consistent and they can stay healthy along the line on both sides of the ball I see them taking this division.
Prediction
8 – 11 Wins – Playoff Run Hopeful
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Saints
The Saints are in a very interesting spot following a surprisingly successful season under first year Head Coach Kellen Moore. Moore along with rookie Quarterback Tyler Shough brought a new life into a Saints offense that has looked mediocre for the majority of the past half decade. Outside of a small glimpse of having everyone healthy paired with Klint Kubiak at Offensive Coordinator in 2024 this was the first time the Saints offense truly felt explosive and modern from a play calling and execution standpoint. Brandon Staley also brought a new look to the defensive side of the ball which was refreshing and while it wasn’t the most talented defense on paper I would say they out performed and impressed last season as well. This season I expect this coaching staff to only build on that exciting and modern foundation they brought in last year as they added some exciting talent and really rounded out their roster this offseason.
This offense is going to be the biggest beneficiary of the explosive and overall improvements to the roster this offseason. There’s a ton of young talent scattered around this side of the ball and I believe they have the opportunity to really be a special group by the end of the year, so long as everyone can stay healthy. And that’s where I get worried for this Saints offense. When you pair the injury history of Tyler Shough and rookie Wide Receiver Jordan Tyson with the lack of depth along the O-Line this offense can look drastically different in just an injury or two which is incredibly concerning. The ceiling is very high for this group but there’s also a world where injuries and/or lack of experience hold them back from reaching it.
Defensively I feel okay about the entirety of the unit but the lack of high end/star talent leaves me wishing for more, especially following the Bryan Breese injury. Breese was the one guy I looked as being able to take that next step and be a true pass rushing threat along their front seven. While they have a number of solid players along their front that can impact the game no one really demands attention and while I really like the youth and overall talent in the secondary I don’t see them as a dominant group that can shut down a passing attack without a consistent rush in front of them. All in all it’s a very well rounded unit from top down but they’re a key piece or two away from being a dominant/top 10 type of defense, in my opinion.
This Saints team finally feels like they’re headed towards a bright future and not stuck fighting for the division with 8 – 9 wins every year. While I don’t believe this is the year to go and make a run I do believe they have the coaching and talent in place to be a competitive Wild Card team and possibly bounce a more highly thought of team if/when they get there.
Prediction
7 – 10 Wins – Playoff Hopeful
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Buccaneers
The Buccaneers are coming off an incredibly odd season that had incredible high and some of the lowest of lows as well. Head Coach Todd Bowles nearly lost his job after they stumbled to an 8-9 record and finished the season by losing their last 4 of 5 games. Ultimately the Buccaneers decided to keep Bowles around but first year Offensive Coordinator Josh Grizzard wasn’t so lucky. With Grizzard now gone the offense will look to rebound with their new Offensive Coordinator Zac Robinson. Robinson, similar to former Offensive Coordinator and now Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen, has history coaching Quarterback Baker Mayfield. While it was simply a short stint with the Rams that experience certainly has me and others hopeful for what his presence means for Baker and in turn this offense as a whole.
Aside from hiring Robinson at Offensive Coordinator the Buccaneers offense is largely the same aside from one major franchise departure, that being Mike Evans. While the Buccaneers receiver room is chalked full of young talent and I expect them to be just fine without Evans his presence within the building and Tampa Bay community will certainly be missed. Overall the group is largely the same as last year and while the end of the season may have some worried about what that means for this season I don’t believe it means much. Baker was clearly banged up and limited as a passer in the back half of the year and the offense under Josh Grizzard often lacked creativity and cohesion from a play calling perspective. Overall it was a frustrating and disappointing offense last season that is going to rely on Zac Robinson as a play caller to fix this year which I’m hopeful for but certainly not certain of quite yet.
Defensively I really don’t know what to think of this team. On one hand the addition of Rueben Bain Jr through the draft and Calijah Kancey coming back healthy this season has me very optimistic for what this group can accomplish. On the other hand… Todd Bowles running this defense once again and sticking to his way of doing things paired with Vita Vea wanting out due to a contract dispute has me very worried. Without Vea in the middle of this D-Line they’re simply not the same group, especially in run defense as they have no one that can do what he can currently on roster. Rookie Defensive Tackle DeMonte Capehart was a fun addition through the draft year as well but asking him to be the starting NT on a team currently is not fair to him and where he’s at in his development. If Vea isn’t on the field Week 1 for this defense they’re liable to get ran all over any given week and it will be an issue, especially late in the year. Alonh with the Vea issue I have some concerns in their outside Corner room currently. I like the young players here and I believe they have the upside to be a very good secondary but after a shaky rookie season for Benjamin Morrison last year and Zyon McCollum not taking that next step as they were hoping for it’s hard to say with confidence they’ll meet that ceiling. Now while the outside Corner room worries me a bit the Safety and Nickel spots in the secondary are AWESOME. Between Tykee Smith, Jacob Parrish, rookie Keionte Scott, and of course Antoine Winfield Jr you have a four man group that can play all over the field and cause problems regardless of alignment. This defense has the tools and capabilities to be very good next season but the Vea contact dispute certainly looms heavy as his presence holds a ton of weight for the outlook of this defense.
This is a difficult team to make a prediction for as the roster is very good but lacking some of the star talent they once had and the coaching seems to have grown old from Todd Bowles. A part of me says this team is going to dominate this division and be hard to deal with in the Playoffs while another has them falling down the standings and looking towards a retool with a new Head Coach in charge. They’re going to be one of the most interesting teams to watch as it can go just about anywhere.
Prediction
7 – 11 Wins Playoff Hopeful
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Falcons
After yet another mediocre year full of ups and downs the Falcons let go of Head Coach Raheem Morris. This led to an overhaul of the coaching staff including new Head Coach Kevin Stefanski but one name stayed the same and that was Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. Ulbrich took over as the interim Defensive Coordinator last season following the firings and did a really solid job of turning that unit around/keeping it afloat amidst a lot of change. Stefanksi and this new coaching staff while not perfect do bring a level of competence to this building that the Falcons have lacked for years now and I do expect them to be successful in the future here. With that being said I can’t say I’m particularly hopeful for this upcoming season.
On offense there’s a number of issues that worry me with none less pressing than the Quarterback position. Bringing in Tua Tagovailoa to compete with third year Quarterback Michael Penix Jr doesn’t exactly excite for the outlook this season. While Penix has flashed the ability to be a competent Quarterback in this league the inconsistencies and flaws within in his game and inability to stay on the field have held him back from cementing himself as the guy for the Falcons. As for Tua… it’s a lot of the same. Tua’s injury history including multiple serious concussions is very worrying and coming off the worst season of his career where he looked incredibly limited as a passer isn’t exactly inspiring for this upcoming season. Along with a huge question at Quarterback I look at this Offensive Line and while the starting five are serviceable and fine there’s a glaring lack of depth. It’s a bottom 10 O-Line in the league for me and when you pair that with the Quarterback play or seeming lack there of that alone kills my hopes for the offense. Even the Wide Receiver room leaves a lot to be desired outside of Drake London. Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus are fine players but with them positioned to be their second and third guys I worry that group will only hurt their already questionable Quarterback play. This offense is going to be heavily reliant on their stars to be exactly that… stars. They need Drake London, Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts, and their O-Line as a whole to play out of their minds to be a good offense this coming season and while I’m a fan of those players it’s asking a lot of them.
Defensively there’s just as many questions and holes as the offense. Following Jalon Walker’s ACL injury in camp (out for the year) and James Pearce Jr’s 8 game suspension following his offseason legal situation their D-Line is flat out terrible. The loss of Walker took away their best run defender and quite honestly their only competent one off the Edge and while it’s only 8 games the loss of Pearce Jr drastically changes their pass rush for the worse as well. This team is going to lose the trench battle with just about every team they matchup with and I’m not sure there’s anything they can do to fix it at this point. Their Linebackers aren’t a help there either which makes it only more of a concern. Divine Deablo is coming off a really strong year in coverage but isn’t exactly the most stout run defender and the same goes for his running mate Christian Harris who is a great athlete but when it comes to standing strong against the run he’s far from my first pick at Linebacker to do so. If there’s one thing this defense can hang their hat on it is the secondary. With the Terrell brothers on the outside (Avieon will play inside as well), Billy Bowman in the slot, and the pairing of Xavier Watts and Jessie Bates III on the backend they’ve got all the tools to be a very good secondary but my fear is we won’t see it considering the lack of D-Line play in front of them. This defense is going to get ran all over by just about every team and I don’t see a way they can stop that from happening. It’s going to be an ugly year for this side of the ball.
All in all it’s hard to be positive with this team. The defense looks to be headed for disaster and offensively there’s too many questions for me to have any level of confidence but at least there’s hope. I like where this team is headed from a front office and coaching staff perspective but the roster is flat out bad right now and I have a hard time believing they’re going to be able to hide or fix all of the issues and holes I see right now with this team.
Prediction
3 – 7 Wins – Retool / Rebuild
