Brady, Brees, Ryan, and Newton each brought their NFC South teams to the SuperBowl over the past 11 years. Yet the NFC South is continuously overlooked as people focus on either repeat contenders or teams who haven’t recently made the Super Bowl. The battle for the NFC south between Ryan and Brees was spiced up with Cam Newton and then dominated by Brady resulting in Brees retiring and Ryan subsequently leaving the division.

Mayfield, Carr, Ridder, and Dalton/Young have some big shoes to fill. With Derek Carr entering his 9th NFL season and Baker Mayfield entering his 6th, both have experience to make them front runners and certainly more predictable offensively. However, the Falcons and Panthers have been rebuilding their cores since Brady arrived in the division.

The Falcons have used high draft picks to secure elite talent on the offensive side of the ball in recent years. Kyle Pitts TE (4th overall in 2021), Drake London (8th overall in 2022), and Bijan Robinson (8th overall in 2023) show the Falcons priority to improve on offense. Arthur Smith’s rather conservative play-calling will ease second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder into the spotlight. Veteran players such as Cordarrelle Patterson, Tyler Allgeier, and Olamide Zaccheaus will serve as great mentors to this next generation. If this offensive line led by Matthew Bergeron and Jake Matthews can create gaps for Bijan and protection for Ridder, the Falcons could be a team to watch.

The New Orleans Saints haven’t been rebuilding as much as they’ve been looking for a proper Drew Brees predecessor. If Derek Carr is that guy – this division could be theirs for the taking. Carr will be reunited with his former head coach in Las Vegas, Dennis Allen, and could see the same success Drew Brees saw when he left the AFC for the NFC. Carr was plagued in a dysfunctional organization and leadership in Vegas. Playing under Sean Payton could be the answer.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are restocking and rebuilding to create a Super Bowl caliber team. The Bucs are seeking their 3rd straight NFC South title this year, however their QB competition between Trask and Mayfield, departures from veterans like Leonard Fournette, Mike Edwards, Akiem Hicks, Donovan Smith and more – are a strong indicator of the multi-year plan it will take to rebuild after going all in on Brady. A successful acquisition with consequences. They will be assessing new talent and coordinating a way to build their own team as opposed to 2021 when elite players lined up to join Tom Brady’s Super Bowl bound team.

With a new head coach in Frank Reich and a new rookie quarterback in Bryce Young it’s clear the organization is a bit of a mess. Although Christian McCaffrey is gone, all 5 starters are returning on the offensive line. If Miles Sanders can find success in the run game, Bryce will have the opportunity to get comfortable in the NFL with some veteran targets such as Hayden Hurst and Adam Thielen. The loss of DJ Moore creates a big question about which down field threats Bryce will have available, but you can’t have your cake and it too – as it was a part of acquiring Young in the draft. Carolina is built to play methodically on offense and will rely heavily on their star Brian Burns defensively to quarterback the newly implemented 3-4. If the front seven can live up to the hype, Carolina could surprise some people this year.

Each team showed true grit last season winning 7 games apiece (with the exception of Bucs winning 8 games) without a true leader at QB. The New Orleans Saints acquiring an established QB1 in Derek Carr make them front-runners, however a breakout season by Desmond Ridder or Bryce Young is not off the table.

– Brian Ebinger

*Featured Photo Courtesy of Fantom Sports Industries*