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We are heading down South. Now that we've looked at the NFC North and East, I want to shift the focus to the Falcons, Panthers, Saints and Buccaneers. This has a chance to be the most competitive and best overall division in the league, but they each could definitely still use some help at these positions:
Atlanta Falcons – Defensive end
As if the Falcons needed even more weapons. They already had a monster on the outside in Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu feeding on number two and three cornerbacks, a rising star at the tight-end position in Austin Hooper, the dynamic running back duo of Freeman and Coleman, a rock-solid offensive line and a former MVP under center.
Then at 26th overall in the draft, they snagged another Bama receiver in Calvin Ridley, who should have never been there. So they have all the pieces you could ever need and it’s now up to Steve Sarkasian to step up big time as offensive coordinator, after a few embarrassing performances.
The crazy part is that the dominant unit in their two playoff games last season was this Atlanta defense. They were absolutely flying around and I expect more of the same this upcoming season. They are loaded with young talent in the secondary and at linebacker. Their defensive line is headlined by tackle Grady Jarrett and they selected the ferocious Takk McKinley in last year’s draft.
However, they lost Adrian Clayborn and Dontari Poe. So adding another guy who can come off the edge could take this defense to the next level. That’s why I thought the ideal fit for them would be Michael Bennett from Seattle or Taven Bryan as a draft pick from Florida, because they both can be disruptive inside and out, in this Dan Quinn scheme.
Brooks Reed and Derrick Shelby have had some success in this league, but they are not as dynamic as the two other guys I just mentioned. I won’t blame them for grabbing the number one receiver available, but I wouldn’t be upset if they added another pass rusher now.
Carolina Panthers – Cornerback
The Panthers just got a new owner, but watching them last season, the Saints were the ones who actually owned them, beating them in all three matchups and having Sean Payton bring out the broom, when celebrating in the locker room after their Wildcard Round win. With the Falcons being one end-zone drop by Julio Jones away from beating the eventual Super Bowl champs and the Buccaneers being everybody’s offseason darling for the last few years and that having to materialize at some point, this is a crucial period for Carolina to get back on top of the division.
With Norv Turner calling the shots, expect an explosive offensive attack by the Panthers, featuring plenty of downfield throws with the renewed receiving corp and Christian McCaffrey being featured in a variety of ways. Defensively, they have most of their key pieces back in the front seven.
The secondary is a concern for me. I’ve always been a fan of 37-year-old Mike Adams and they drafted Tennessee’s Rashaan Gaulden to transition to the second safety spot, even though I thought he was most well-rounded nickelback in this class. James Bradberry has developed into a quality corner in their zone-heavy scheme, but I don’t think they have a second corner to go with him.
I think Donte Jackson, who they selected out of LSU in the second round, could be a special player inside with that incredible short-area burst, but he doesn’t have size for the perimeter. Captain Munnerlyn will be the guy to teach him the ropes of the position, but he is more of an inside guy at this point in his career as well.
That leaves Ross Cockrell, Kevon Seymour, Corn Elder and Ladarius Gunter as the other options. They are all solid backup material, but I don’t think any of them is a starter. When they decided to let go of Josh Norman a couple of years ago, they signaled that cornerback doesn’t have the highest priority in their defense, but they still need to trot two quality guys out there on Sundays.
New Orleans Saints – 1-tech defensive tackle
The Saints are a Super Bowl favorite for a lot of people and for good reason. They have a better version of Marques Colston in Michael Thomas, a strong offensive line, a dynamic RB duo (even though one of them is suspended for four games) and a future Hall of Famer under center.
The defense was what held them back for years, but they became a different unit last season. The additions of Marshon Lattimore and Marcus Williams in the secondary through last year’s draft and the transformation of the linebacker level have made them a different group. I already projected Sheldon Rankins to have a breakout season last year and he showed serious flashes, but I expect him to be a game-changer in his third NFL season.
However, he needs a 1-tech to along with him to draw attention and not allow offensive lines to slide Rankins’s way. Nick Fairley was the perfect match at that shade nose spot, but he hasn’t seen the field since being diagnosed with a lingering heart condition a little less than a year ago.
Cam Jordan is the leader and tone-setter for this young Saints defense. They gave up this and next year’s first-round picks to move up in the draft and select UTSA’s Marcus Davenport to come off the opposite edge and he showed some ability to slide inside on sub-packages at the Senior Bowl.
With Hau’oli Kikaha, Alex Okafor and Trey Hendrickson on the roster, they have a few guys to rush the passer. To me the obvious weak-spot is right in the middle of their defense. David Onyemata and Tyeler Davison shared time inside last season and they gave them some quality snaps, but neither one of them is a difference-maker quite yet. This roster is all of a sudden loaded with cover-guys. No it’s time to control games up front and get after the passer.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Linebacker depth
The Bucs’ offseason was all about getting bigger and nastier up front on both sides of the ball. They signed former Ravens center Ryan Jensen to a big deal and drafted Alex Cappa out of Humboldt State in the third round to the offensive front. Defensively, they acquired Jason Pierre-Paul via trade and picked up Vinny Curry after he was released by the Eagles, to make for a completely new edge-rushing duo.
Most importantly though, they invested their 12th overall pick in the huge man that is Vita Vea out of Washington. Tampa Bay added USC running back Ronald Jones to their offensive attack as well as two aggressive DBs to their secondary. So looking at their starting lineups on either side of the ball, there simply are no glaring needs.
They could maybe use a true power back, but to me, this is more about adding depth, especially among the linebacking corp. Lavonte David and Kwon Alexander missed three and four games respectively, while Kendell Beckwith started growing into the SAM role. Riley Bullough was one of the fan favorites in last year’s version of Hard Knocks and he is a core special teamer plus a solid third-stringer, but the other four linebackers on their current roster have a combined seven starts.
Even though I believe Wisconsin’s Jack Cichy could be a steal in the sixth round because of his combination of instincts and passion for the game, he is coming off knee surgery and is a pure MIKE in that 4-3 scheme in my opinion. I truly believe that they need some more guys with starting experience, who can step right in if any of those three guys miss time again.
