Now that we have the NFC West out of the way, let’s turn our attention to the NFC South. The NFC South is looking to rebound from dreadful seasons by all the teams. They are the division where all teams finished with a losing record. Tampa Bay finished 8-9 while the rest of the teams finished with a 7-10 record. This year could be another tight race with all four teams involved. First off, Tom Brady finally retired, and Tampa Bay will have a new signal caller. Carolina is looking to improve, and it begins with the quarterback position. New Orleans brought in Derek Carr with the hopes of him leading them back to the playoffs. Atlanta spent a lot of money during the offseason to improve their squad. Who will leave the 2023 NFC South division champs?

Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons had a lot of cap space as they entered the offseason. Many thought they would make a run at Lamar Jackson, but they didn’t. Arthur Blank says he’s confident in Desmond Ridder, so they beefed up the defense. They signed Jessie Bates III to anchor the defense as he’s one of the best safeties in the league. They also brought in veterans Calais Campbell, Bud Dupree, and Lorenzo Carter. On offense, they brought in former Commanders QB and fellow Georgia native in Tyler Heinicke to backup Ridder. If the Falcons can stay healthy, they have a chance to win the division. All eyes will be on Desmond Ridder, which is why they drafted Bijan Robinson to an already good backfield. Atlanta should be in contention for the NFC South crown.

Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers have been looking for a franchise quarterback ever since Cam Newton. They drafted Bryce Young out of Alabama with the #1 overall pick. Bryce Young has the potential to turn that franchise around and be their guy for many years. The defense was good last year, it’s just the offense made their jobs harder. On defense they added Vonn Bell from Cincinnati at the safety position. On offense, they invested a lot to put playmakers around Bryce Young. They added veterans Adam Thielen, DJ Chark and Hayden Hurst to their receiving core. They brought in Miles Sanders from Philadelphia as he’s coming off the best season of his career. Just like Atlanta, if the Panthers get great quarterback play, they could be fighting for the NFC South crown.

New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints came into the offseason with a messy salary cap situation. The offense struggled a lot throughout most of last season. They brought in Derek Carr with hopes he can lead this Saints team to an NFC South crown. They lost a lot on the defensive side in free agency, so they turned to the draft to beef up that side. They used their first two picks on Bryan Bresee from Clemson and Isaiah Foskey. They are hoping they can step in and help the defensive line immediately. They brought in veteran WR Jarvis Landry and running back Jamaal Williams. Williams will help on offense seeing that Alvin Kamara will be suspended the first three games of the season. They could be floating near the top of the NFC South, but I’m not having them winning it.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Last, but not least we have the defending NFC South champions. Tom Brady retired, and the Bucs brought in Baker Mayfield with hopes he can turn his career around. They still have Kyle Trusk on the team and he’s finally looking for a chance to prove he can be a starter. With the team choosing not to bring back Leonard Fournette, they signed Chase Edmonds to help the running game. Tampa Bay had a nice defense a year ago and they will need to be better if they’re going to have a shot at the NFC South. This could be a long season for this Buccaneers team. Everything depends on their quarterback play. Unfortunately, Tampa Bay will finish at the bottom of the NFC South this coming year.

My 2023 NFC South Standings

1. New Orleans Saints
2. Atlanta Falcons
3. Carolina Panthers
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers