The NFC South has been one of the most difficult divisions in football to predict for more than a decade as teams are constantly rising and falling. That’s created a revolving door at the top. That was the case again last year when the Carolina Panthers went from being an afterthought following their 3-8-1 start to winning the division with a 7-8-1 record. The confusion of the NFC South continued in free agency with all four teams failing to take advantage of the situation. That’s left even more question marks surrounding the division as we continue to approach the NFL Draft.
Rising Team – Atlanta Falcons
Super Bowl Odds: 45/1
The Falcons might be the biggest winners of this group and while that isn’t saying much, they did manage to upgrade their greatest area of need in the defensive front seven with the additions of linebackers Justin Durant and Brooks Reed, as well as defensive lineman Adrian Clayborn. Head coach Dan Quinn know what he’s doing on defense and his hiring should give that side of the ball a boost too.
Matt Ryan returns at quarterback along with Julio Jones and Roddy White looking to build on what that trio has established over the past couple of seasons but the defense is still full of holes. If Quinn and company have addressed the holes and can plug a few more in the Draft, this will be a team that rebounds in 2015.
Falling Team – New Orleans Saints
Super Bowl Odds: 50/1
The Saints have created the most confusion of any team in the South, dealing away star tight end Jimmy Graham and wide receiver Kenny Stills. However, they did acquire a solid center in Max Unger and a quality linebacker in Dannell Ellerbe in those deals as well as draft picks. New Orleans then turned its attention to free agency and signed running back C.J. Spiller to pair with Mark Ingram as well as cornerback Brandon Browner only to then cut Pierre Thomas and Curtis Lofton shortly after. The worst part of the entire situation is that the Saints are still considerably over the salary cap and – at least on paper – the roster isn’t any better now than it was before this offseason mess. The loss of Graham will be particularly interesting after the numbers he put up with Drew Brees over the years as there is nobody currently on the roster to make up for that production.
Biggest Game-Changing Move – Brooks Reed
It might not be a true game changer but considering the upgrade at the position for the Falcons and the lack of moves made by the other teams in the division, the addition of Reed might be the closest thing to a game-changing move we saw in the NFC South in terms of additions (the Saints trading away Graham not counting). Reed is a former second round pick that does a solid job in the box and along with Durant, will substantially upgrade a linebacker core that has been a major point of weakness for Atlanta over the years.
Post Free Agency NFC South Pick: Atlanta Falcons
The Panthers and Saints are both up against the cap and could have to make more cuts. It’s hard to say that those two teams, who were both below .500 last year, are any better after free agency. The same can be said for the Buccaneers, who are still stuck in rebuilding mode under head coach Lovie Smith and are looking towards the 2015 NFL Draft for help and are likely to be starting a rookie quarterback in Week 1 next season.
That leaves the Falcons as the favorites to win the NFC South. Atlanta has a strong enough offense when healthy and after upgrading their front seven on defense, they should have enough pieces to bounce back in 2015 and take the reigns in what could be one of the worst divisions in the NFL once again.
