NFC South Power Rankings heading into Week 1

Going into the 2024 season, the NFC South appears to be a much more formidable division than in years past.

The Falcons made a flurry of offseason moves, most notably the addition of quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency. The Carolina Panthers, impressed by the Buccaneers' rising young offensive coordinator Dave Canales, hired him as their new head coach largely due to his impressive track record with developing quarterbacks, which bodes well for last year's No. 1 overall draft selection, Bryce Young.

The New Orleans Saints, though an aging team, still boast one of the league's best secondaries led by Marshon Lattimore and Tyrann Mathieu. The division is there for the taking in 2024, so where do the teams rank heading into opening weekend?

NFC South Power Rankings heading into Week 1

4. Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers are still the weakest NFC South team entering the new season, but they made a lot of encouraging moves this offseason. First, the addition of new head coach Dave Canales. Canales has made a name for himself by playing an integral role in reviving Geno Smith's career in Seattle and Baker Mayfield's career in Tampa Bay. Canales brings a QB-friendly offense with him to Carolina, and it appears last year's first-overall selection Bryce Young is in good hands.

The Panthers' biggest personnel issues last year were their weaknesses on the offensive line and wide receiver. They set their rookie quarterback up for failure by giving him little to work with in terms of weapons and protection. They didn't even get their initial head coaching choice correct, as Frank Reich failed to even make it through a full season, and now it is back to the drawing board again.

The Panthers addressed their biggest issues by bringing in wide receiver Diontae Johnson via trade and drafting Xavier Legette. These two additions bolstered the wide receiver room, joining Adam Thielen who had an impressive season for the Panthers last year and built strong chemistry with Bryce Young.

Carolina also addressed the offensive line by signing both Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt in free agency. Lewis in particular is a very effective pass blocker, and the Panthers showed their commitment to protecting Bryce Young by completely revamping the offensive line and perhaps turning it from a weakness to a strength.

With all of the offensive investments, the defense lost some impact players, particularly two team captains in Brian Burns, who was straight-up dominant off the edge as well as well as the versatile linebacker Frankie Luvu. But the team added Jadeveon Clowney, who registered 9.5 sacks last year, to fill the void at edge rusher and brought in Josey Jewell, a quality inside linebacker, and they appear happy with how the offseason played out.

The Panthers improved a lot this offseason, and every move was centered around creating a better supporting cast for Bryce Young. The expectations are low for this season, as this is essentially a second rookie year for Young as he starts from scratch with a new coaching staff and scheme. While they are still the weakest team in the NFC South going into the season, the Panthers took a big step forward, and the future is very bright in Carolina.

3. New Orleans Saints

Former All-Pro offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk has been dealing with cartilage issues in his knee and is now going to miss the entire season. The team is now relying on their 2022 first-round draft pick Trevor Penning to hold down the right tackle spot, but to this point, he has struggled mightily and failed to live up to his draft selection. The offensive line doesn't inspire much hope going into the season, and paired with a quarterback who doesn't fare well under pressure, the Saints' offense could be a real concern in 2024.

Despite the weaknesses on the roster, there are also some bright spots in New Orleans that deserve to be acknowledged. Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and A.T. Perry form a respectable receiver group. The versatile Taysom Hill strikes fear into opposing defenses whenever he steps on the field. Alvin Kamara, though no longer in his prime, is still a very capable running back and can impact the game on the ground or through the air.

The Saints also boast an elite secondary. Marshon Lattimore remains one of the premier cornerbacks in the NFL. Paulson Adebo and Alontae Taylor have both proven to be serviceable players at the position, and the team doubled down on their strongest position group by drafting Kool-Aid McKinstry in the 2024 NFL Draft. Tyrann Mathieu is still a high-end talent at the safety position, and the team still has longtime captain Demario Davis leading the defense. Dennis Allen is one of the game's best defensive coordinators and will be able to put together a formidable defense with this group of guys.

Ultimately, the Saints are a middling team. Their offense will hold them back from being able to be a true playoff contender, but their defense is good enough to keep them in games and prevent them from being anything less than mediocre. The Saints may just be better served ripping the band-aid off and undergoing a full rebuild because they appear to be stuck in a cycle of mediocrity as the rest of the NFC South takes steps in the right direction.

2. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons have been the media darlings this offseason, and rightfully so. They made several notable additions, most notably Kirk Cousins, Justin Simmons and Matthew Judon. Anything less than a playoff run after the major infusion of talent this offseason would be a major disappointment for the Falcons, led by their new head coach Raheem Morris.

Atlanta has multiple dangerous offensive weapons at their disposal, with a talented young trio of running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts. Under Arthur Smith, the Falcons often failed to feature their key playmakers or use them to their full potential. With Smith's departure this offseason, the young weapons appear poised to take a massive step forward in their development with a new coaching staff and the addition of Kirk Cousins.

The Falcons' offense will have very high expectations, but the defense, spearheaded by the aforementioned offseason signings could catapult this team. The safety duo of Jessie Bates and Justin Simmons is immediately among the best, if not the best in the NFL. The team addressed a clear need by trading for star outside linebacker Matthew Judon. Their new head coach, Raheem Morris, is known for his defensive prowess and will have a field day with the chess pieces he has on the defensive side of the ball.

If anybody is going to dethrone the Buccaneers in 2024, it will be the Falcons. The addition of a veteran quarterback, multiple key defensive pieces, and a new coaching staff has the arrow pointing up in Atlanta.

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers stole the NFC South crown from the Saints in the 2020 playoffs, and never gave it back. After winning the division for three consecutive seasons, it wouldn't be fair to put anyone else in the top spot going into the new season.

While they didn't make as big of a splash as the rival Atlanta Falcons, the Bucs quietly had a great offseason of their own They were able to bring back all of their priority free agents including Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, Antoine Winfield Jr. and Lavonte David. To put a bow on an already successful offseason, the front office extended All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs a season early to keep him in Tampa Bay through the 2020 season.

The team boasts one of the best and most consistent receiving duos in the league in Mike Evans, who has recorded ten straight seasons with 1,000-yards and Chris Godwin, who has recorded three straight 1,000-yard seasons. They also have the speedy Trey Palmer, and the potent rookie Trey McMillian, who flashed in the offseason and looks poised to contribute as a rookie. They also have tight end Cade Otton, who has built a strong rapport with Mayfield. With the immensely deep group of pass catchers, complemented by the dangerous running back trio of Rachaad White, Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker, this offense has no shortage of playmakers to rely on.

Tampa Bay did lose Dave Canales this offseason to the Carolina Panthers, which hurts the continuity of Mayfield and the offense, but the team hired Liam Coen, who previously worked with Mayfield during his Rams' stint and the two already have a level of familiarity and camaraderie with each other. Coen has emphasized the need to improve the Bucs' lousy rushing attack; and if the preseason is any indication, the Bucs should be significantly more successful running the ball this season coming off a year where they finished dead last in the NFL.

Despite all the positives, there are still some question marks with this Bucs team. After trading Carlton Davis this offseason, the Buccaneers have questionable depth at outside cornerback behind Jamel Dean. They love what they have in Zyon McCollum, and he may well develop into a quality starter, but he hasn't yet proven himself as a full-time starter. Behind Dean and McCollum, the team has their 2023 sixth-round draft pick Josh Hayes, and free agency addition Bryce Hall, both of whom are serviceable players but are still unknown quantities.

The left guard position is also a question mark. The team brought in Sua Opeta from the Eagles and Ben Bredeson from the Giants to compete for the left guard job, but a season-ending injury to Opeta in the offseason essentially guaranteed Bredeson the starting job. The Buccaneers aren't bad at cornerback or guard, but if there were any positions to be worried about, those would be the two.

If the Bucs are going to maintain the NFC South throne in 2024, they'll have to take another step forward as nine wins simply won't be enough to win the division this year. The Bucs look poised to take that next step and emerge from the division as champions for the fourth consecutive season.

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