It’s been an interesting offseason but the National Football League has succeeded in powering through a national outbreak to make sure the draft and free agency period took place.
Things are still far from normal entering the 2020 season. Within the NFC South alone there’s been moves several moves that are still somewhat hard to process. One former MVP quarterback, Cam Newton, has signed with the Patriots, while New England’s former MVP QB and six-time Super Bowl champion, Tom Brady, signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Former Bucs No. 1 pick Jameis Winston has signed with the Saints, and Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is now saying he’s the best QB in the division. There’s been a lot of movement to say the least, so here’s our early NFC South power rankings.
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Key Additions: Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Tristan Wirfs, Antoine Winfield Jr.
Key Losses: Jameis Winston, Peyton Barber
Tampa Bay easily made the most headlines, but are they this year’s most over-hyped team or a legitimate contender? Substituting turnover-machine Jameis Winston for an aging version of the best quarterback ever seems like an upgrade.
The collection of offensive weapons the Bucs have is probably unmatched. Wide receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, along with probably the deepest tight end group in the league should be enough to maximize Brady’s diminishing skills. Defensively, Tampa Bay is extremely talented with established veteran linemen Ndamukong Suh and Jason Pierre-Paul up front, and versatile linebacker Shaq Barrett coming off of a 19.5-sack season in 2019.
The Buccaneers consistently create good pressure on defense and should be able to control the ball a bit more offensively with Brady. Add in an aggressive, proven head coach in Bruce Arians and you’ve got a potentially great team. At worst, the Bucs probably go 8-8. At best, I could see 13 wins in 2020.
2. Atlanta Falcons
Key Additions: Dante Fowler Jr., Todd Gurley, Hayden Hurst, A.J. Terrell, Marlon Davidson
Key Losses: Austin Hooper, De’Vondre Campbell, Desmond Trufant, Vic Beasley, Devonta Freeman
Is Matt Ryan poised to cement himself as a top-five quarterback in 2020? After saying he thought he was the best QB in the NFC South, it’s fair to say Ryan’s probably correct. Cam Newton is gone. Drew Brees and Tom Brady will be a combined 84 years old when the season begins, and Teddy Bridewater is a solid but unspectacular starter.
The problem over the past two seasons for Atlanta has been everything else. Poor offensive line play, injuries, defensive breakdowns and an underachieving offense each played a role in the team’s back-to-back 7-9 finishes. The bright side is that the Falcons have a cohesive group that finished the 2019 season on a 6-2 run after a 1-7 start.
Raheem Morris did an outstanding job on defense after taking over at midseason. Making him the full-time defensive coordinator in 2020 was the logical move for Dan Quinn’s staff. Some key players left in free agency, including De’Vondre Campbell, Desmond Trufant, Vic Beasley and Devonta Freeman. But perhaps the Falcons’ biggest problem since their Super Bowl run in 2016 has been overpaid, under-performing talent.
Thomas Dimitroff did his best to trim the fat from the roster and repair the team’s pass rush. If the young secondary can hold up, and Todd Gurley is 90% of what he was, things may finally go Atlanta’s way this season.
3. New Orleans Saints
Key Additions: Emmanuel Sanders, Cesar Ruiz, Zack Baun, Jameis Winston, Malcolm Jenkins
Key Losses: Larry Warford, Teddy Bridgewater,
The Saints have every right to believe they should be the favorite entering 2020. After two straight years atop the NFC South, though, it feels as if New Orleans may have missed its chance. Another heartbreaking playoff loss and wasted season from Drew Brees may finally catch up with the Saints as the division will be tougher than ever.
Brees played well in the regular season but didn’t look like himself in the postseason. Taysom Hill is getting paid like an elite player, and while Hill is obviously talented, I’m not sure the rest of the league is seeing what Sean Payton is when evaluating the do-it-all backup.
On the bright side, free-agent WR Emmanuel Sanders is a perfect fit in Sean Payton’s scheme. Michael Thomas is one of the top receivers in the league, and the Saints got arguably two first-round talents in Zack Baun and Cesar Ruiz. The talent is there to win it, but the up-and-down nature of the NFL makes me think this could be a down year down in New Orleans.
4. Carolina Panthers
Key Additions: Teddy Bridgewater, Robby Anderson, Derrick Brown, Yetur Gross-Matos, Russell Okung
Key Losses: Cam Newton, Luke Kuechly, Gerald McCoy, Mario Addison, James Bradberry, Greg Olsen, Eric Reid, Trai Turner
When you sign Teddy Bridgewater to replace Cam Newton, it’s pretty clear you’re rebuilding. But don’t stop there. Carolina has moved on from pretty much every key veteran, making Luke Kuechly’s retirement seem like a wise move in retrospect. They replaced Ron Rivera with Matt Rhule.
I do like The Panthers’ draft haul, landing two potentially disruptive defensive linemen to replace Mario Addison and Gerald McCoy. Realistically, though, Carolina’s offseason hasn’t been indicative of a team trying to win anytime soon.
Too much roster turnover and some questionable moves make it hard to believe the Panthers can be a legitimate threat in a loaded division. The future is bright if the team lands a top pick and its young talent develops. Plus, Christian McCaffrey is easily the NFC South’s best running back — which should make for some entertaining games.
