3 free agent moves from NFC South rivals that should worry Buccaneers fans
The Buccaneers need to keep a close eye on their opponents.
By Rob Leeds
It's been a pretty fantastic offseason for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team that has won three NFC South titles in four years. The Bucs have been able to keep some key free agents in-house, a move that seems to suggest they'll be competitive for yet another consecutive season.
The Bucs brought back both Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans head of the legal tampering period opening, which set the right tone for some other deals that were made. Lavonte David, Chase McLaughlin, and Chase Edmonds headlined the rest of the group that came back, with Jordan Whitehead getting in on the reunion action after leaving the Jets to return to Tampa Bay.
Everyone in the NFC South seems to have been busy in free agency, though, which means things will only get harder for the Bucs next season.
Carolina spent big to rebuild the offensive line, New Orleans somehow found a way to create cap space, and Atlanta forked out $180 million to try and find a quarterback to compete with Baker Mayfield.
The Bucs are still the team to beat, but things will be significantly harder than they were last season.
3 free agent moves from NFC South rivals that should worry Buccaneers fans
Atlanta Falcons sign Kirk Cousins
Kirk Cousins is the biggest threat to arrive in the NFC South since Todd Bowles took control of the team. Some fans may laugh at the notion, but this move by itself could be enough to create a new favorite in the division if everything else works out.
The Falcons have been one of the punching bags in the South for the past few years (not on the same level as the Panthers), but that had far more to do with terrible coaching and some questionable quarterback play more than anything else.
Now, the Falcons have a far better quarterback, a head coach that might actually try to use his offensive weapons, and a supporting cast that is criminally underrated.
There are are a lot of 'ifs' surrounding the Falcons due to Cousins' health after yet another season-ending injury, but Atlanta getting even 80% of what Cousins brought during his tenure with the Vikings mixed with any willingness to call an offense from this decade is going to spell trouble for the rest of the division.