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NFC South Offseason Report Cards

The NFC South offseason report cards for the New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, and Carolina Panthers.

Kyle T. Mosley

In this story:

The NFC South offseason report cards for the New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, and Carolina Panthers were graded by the FanNation/SI publishers covering those teams.

New Orleans' offseason appeared bleak until general manager Mickey Loomis and vice president of football operations Khai Harley began to attack the team's salary-cap issues.  "Loomisnomics" won and a $77 million over the cap figure transformed into $20 million in available space to sign players and cash in on key free agents. 

Tampa Bay's future was clouded by Tom Brady's and Bruce Arians' retirement announcements. Next, Brady unretired, and ownership promoted Todd Bowles to head coach over offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich.  

General manager Terry Fontenot continued the Falcons' makeover by trading the face of the franchise and longtime quarterback Matt Ryan to the Colts. Atlanta had a solid 2022 NFL Draft, but still, questions linger with the quarterback position.

Speaking of questions, the Carolina Panthers have a plethora to address. Ownership still isn't sold on the head coach, the head coach wants a new quarterback, and fans want to know if it is "wait 'til next year" once again in Carolina.

OFFSEASON REPORT CARDS 1022124
Kyle Pitts
Jun 9, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts (8) reacts on the field during OTA at Falcons Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Falcons

Key additions: Marcus Mariota, QB (FA); Desmond Ridder, QB (draft); Damien Williams, RB (FA); Drake London, WR (draft); Bryan Edwards, WR (trade), Anthony Firkser, TE (FA); Germain Ifedi, OT (FA); Lorenzo Carter, OLB (FA); Arnold Ebiketie, OLB (draft); Rashaan Evans, ILB (FA); Casey Hayward, CB (FA); Dean Marlowe, S (FA)

Key losses: Matt Ryan, QB (trade); Mike Davis, RB (released); Calvin Ridley, WR (suspension); Russell Gage, WR (FA); Foye Oluokun, LB (FA); Dante Fowler, OLB (cut); Duron Harmon, S (FA)

Offseason Grade: B- 

The Falcons swung and missed on Deshaun Watson, leading to a chain reaction of moves that eventually forced Atlanta to fully begin its rebuild a year early. Their Watson pursuit led to trading Ryan after 14 seasons under center. The team also transformed its front seven after releasing Fowler and letting Oluokun, last year’s tackle leader, walk in free agency. As a team, the Falcons got worse, but sometimes you need to take a step back to move forward.

Biggest question still to be answered: 

Does the team count on Mariota, who hasn’t started a game in two years, or will the team hand the ball to third-round rookie Ridder? While Mariota is considered the favorite, Ridder has impressed early and he has turned the Falcons offseason into a quarterback battle for the first time in more than 20 years. — Jeremy Brener

Fantasy fact: 

Cordarrelle Patterson, a wide receiver converted to running back, scored 234.6 fantasy points last season. Believe it or not, that’s the fifth-most points recorded in a single season by a Falcons running back since 2000. Jamal Anderson leads the team in fantasy points at the position when he scored 337.5 points during the 1998 season. — Fabiano

Falcon Report: More on Atlanta’s offseason

Christian McCaffrey
Sep 20, 2020; Tampa, Florida, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey runs the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the third quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Carolina Panthers

Key additions: RB D’Onta Foreman, RB (FA); Rashard Higgins, WR (FA); Ikem Ekwonu, OT (draft); Bradley Bozeman, C (FA); Austin Corbett, G (FA); Matt Ioannidis, DT (FA); Damien Wilson, LB (FA); Corey Littleton, LB (FA); Xavier Woods, S (FA); Matt Corral, QB (draft)

Key losses: DaQuan Jones, DT (FA); Haason Reddick, LB (FA); Jermaine Carter Jr., LB (FA); Stephon Gilmore, CB (FA).

Offseason grade: B+

The Panthers aren’t necessarily ready to compete for a playoff spot but they did improve the roster significantly this offseason. Losing both Reddick and Gilmore in free agency hurts, but they were able to completely revamp the offensive line by drafting Ikem Ekwonu sixth and by signing Bozeman and Corbett in free agency. Carolina has the depth at corner to withstand the loss of Gilmore with Jaycee Horn, Donte Jackson, CJ Henderson, Keith Taylor Jr. and others. However, they failed to find a replacement for Reddick, which could mean Brian Burns’ path to the quarterback won’t be as easy this fall.

Biggest question still to be answered: 

Who will be the starting quarterback in Week 1? Carolina was very close to making a draft-night trade for Baker Mayfield but instead traded back into the third round to select Corral out of Ole Miss. Coming from an RPO-centric offense, Corral has a lot to learn and isn’t ready to push Sam Darnold for the starting job. GM Scott Fitterer has made it clear he wants competition in the quarterback room which is why the Panthers are still being linked to Mayfield and even Jimmy Garoppolo. — Schuyler Callihan

Fantasy fact: 

Christian McCaffrey ranks third in fantasy points per game average (21.8) at his position in the last two years. Unfortunately, he’s also played just 10 games during that time due to injuries. CMC’s high level of statistical success will keep him in the first round, even in the top five overall, but there might not be a bigger risk-reward pick. — Fabiano

All Panthers: More on Carolina’s offseason

Tom Brady
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) throws Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021, during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Tampa Bay won 38-31

Tampa Bay Buccaneers


Key Additions: Shaq Mason, OG (trade); Luke Goedeke, OG (draft); Russell Gage, WR (FA), Cade Otton, TE (draft); Rachaad White, RB (draft); Logan Hall, DE (draft); Akiem Hicks, DE (FA), Keanu Neal, S (FA); Logan Ryan, S (FA)

Key Losses: Ali Marpet, OG (retired); Alex Cappa, OG (FA), Rob Gronkowski, TE (retired); Ndamukong Suh, DE (FA); Jason Pierre-Paul, OLB (FA); Jordan Whitehead, S (FA)

Offseason Grade: B+

Losing Marpet and Cappa up front is going to hurt, and Gronkowski was a bigger part of the blocking scheme than many realize. However, the acquisition of Mason came at pennies on the dollar while Aaron Stinnie is a Super Bowl-winning lineman himself, making the new guys not as big a dropoff as one might see at first glance. Getting Gage to sign after seeing him twice per year with the Falcons will give the Buccaneers offense a new weapon for quarterback Tom Brady. On defense, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka's rise to starter without JPP on the roster should be an improvement and could help cover some of the penetration issues the defense had in 2021. There are some new faces this time around, and a tough schedule won't do the Bucs any favors. But come mid-January, this team is going to be well equipped to compete for its third Lombardi.

Biggest question still to be answered:

Who will be the second back on the field behind Fournette, and how versatile will that person make the Gronkowski-less Bucs offense? The favorite will be rookie Rachaad White while Ke'Shawn Vaughn has more years of NFL experience, and veteran Giovanni Bernard will be in the mix, too.

Fantasy fact:

Fournette saw a near 30% touch share and averaged a career-high 18.3 fantasy points in his 14 games last season. He figures to get a big workload again in 2021, as the Buccaneers let Jones walk as a free agent. Even with Giovani Bernard and rookie Rachaad White in the mix, Lombardi Lenny will be a top-30 overall pick. — Fabiano

BucsGameday: More on Tampa Bay’s offseason

Jameis Winston
Aug 14, 2021; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) looks towards the score board during the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans Saints


Key additions: Dennis Allen, Head Coach (Promotion), Jarvis Landry, WR (UFA); Tyrann Mathieu, S (UFA); Trevor Penning, T (draft); Chris Olave, WR (draft); Alontae Taylor, S (draft); D'Marco Jackson, LB (draft); Devine Ozigbo, RB (UFA); Taco Charlton, DE (UFA); Lucas Krull, TE (UDFA); Smoke Monday, S (UDFA)

Key losses: Sean Payton, Head Coach (retired); Marcus Williams, S (UFA); Terron Armstead, T (UFA); Malcolm Jenkins, S (retired); Will Clapp, OL (UFA); Lil'Jordan Humphrey, WR (UFA); Kenny Stills, WR (UFA); Ty Montgomery, RB (UFA); Trevor Siemian, QB (UFA); Kwon Alexander, LB (UFA)

Offseason grade: A-

New Orleans' front office had a salary cap deficit of approximately $77M going into the offseason. GM Mickey Loomis and VP of Football Operations Khai Harley were able to restructure and revise contracts, whittle down the cap numbers to a manageable -$20M and begin to sign players. The Saints flirted with quarterback Deshaun Watson before signing starting QB Jameis Winston to a two-year, $14 million deal. Perhaps the best two offseason acquisitions were to add Landry and Mathieu. Both have roots in the New Orleans area. Loomis made shrewd moves by retaining most of the coaching staff and promoting Allen as head coach and Pete Carmichael as primary play caller.

Biggest question still to be answered:

Three critical questions persist with the Saints: 

  1. How will the Saints respond to Allen without the veteran coaching leadership of Sean Payton? 
  2. How will Jameis Winston rebound from his ACL injury?
  3. Will Alvin Kamara be suspended for an extended period of time?
USATSI_17115897_168388561_lowres
Nov 7, 2021; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) runs against the Atlanta Falcons during the second half at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports


Fantasy fact:

Alvin Kamara is coming off a 2021 season that saw him produce career lows in yards per carry average (3.9), targets (67), catches (47), receiving yards (439) and fantasy points (234.7). However, he did average 20.2 fantasy points in five full games played with Jameis Winston. That includes four games with 18-plus and one with 30-plus. — Fabiano

Saints News Network: More on New Orleans’ offseason

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Kyle T. Mosley
KYLE T. MOSLEY