We're still a few weeks away from the NFL season officially getting underway, but the race for the NFC South title has already begun.
Last season the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the NFC South for a third striaght season, the first time that's ever happened in franchise history. It seems the Atlanta Falcons made it their mission this offseason to ensure that the Bucs don't make it four-in-a-row.
Atlanta has been rattling Tampa Bay's cage ever since March, when rumors popped up that the Falcons were eyeing Baker Mayfield in free agency. The Bucs never let him hit the market, something that Atlanta responded to by grossly overpaying for Kirk Cousins.
The Falcons even hired a former Buccaneers head coach to the same position, bringing in Raheem Morris to replace Arthur Smith. Now the Falcons have gone for the trifecta of additions, trading a third-round pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for pass rusher Matthew Judon.
It's about as clear of a message as it gets in terms of what the Falcons goal is this season, and who they're targeting.
Falcons send a crystal clear message to the Bucs by trading for Matthew Judon
In their its latest attempt to try and catch the Bucs atop the NFC South, Atlanta coughed up a third-round pick to land Judon and rescue him from his standoff with the Patriots.
Trading picks for disgruntled former Pro Bowlers in New England? Even the blueprint the Falcons are using is a rather blatant ripoff of how the Bucs crafted a winning roster a few years ago.
The #Falcons are sending a 3rd-round pick to New England for Matthew Judon. It's a 2025 pick.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 14, 2024
Unclear if a contract is done with Judon as part of the deal. But the trade is happening. https://t.co/0ydMZao3DB
To be fair, the addition of Judon does present a bit of a problem for the Buccaneers. Offensive line play has been less than stellar these past few seasons and the team is relying on a rookie center to lead the charge in turning things around.
So far, Graham Barton has lived up to the hype, but he's only played in one preseason game and has a lot of learning left to do. The Bucs are also hoping that guys like Cody Mauch and Luke Goedeke continue to take big steps forward in their development while Tristan Wirfs remains the only reliable piece of the unproven line.
Tampa Bay split its season series against the Falcons last season, but only barely. Had the Bucs managed to stay out of their own way in the first meeting it would have been a sweep but the margin between the two teams is thin.
Luckily, the Bucs made all the right moves to keep things on track. Tampa Bay re-signed Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, and Antoine Winfield Jr. and made Wirfs the highest-paid tackle in NFL history. The team also drafted Jalen McMillan and Bucky Irving to add to its offense, moves that have already aged well.
It's going to be a tight race in the South this year, as there's no denying that the Falcons got better. The question that has cost them $180 million and future draft assets is whether or not they got better than the Buccaneers.
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