Priorities for the Falcons, Panthers, Saints and Buccaneers include finding a new quarterback, securing big-play receivers and fixing the salary cap.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers represented the NFC South well by advancing to the divisional round of the postseason behind the resurrection of quarterback Baker Mayfield.
The 2018 No. 1 pick seems to have found a long-term home in Tampa Bay, but his 2023 offensive coordinator Dave Canales is now the new head coach of the Carolina Panthers. The Buccaneers, however, can still retain another pivotal piece that helped Mayfield find consistency last season.
As for the Panthers, Bryce Young will benefit from the arrival of Canales, but the organization needs to add more weapons for Young when free agency opens next month.
The New Orleans Saints, on the other hand, aren’t in a financial position to add top free agents. They will need to find other ways to add talent and get younger for the upcoming season.
The Atlanta Falcons have an obvious offseason priority due to their glaring need at quarterback.
Here’s one move every NFC South team should make this offseason.
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One move they should make: Draft QB at No. 8
The Falcons are a near lock to draft a quarterback with their first-round pick after spending the past few years with subpar signal-callers. A past-his-prime Matt Ryan, Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke failed to make the most of the Falcons’ talented skill players and that ultimately got coach Arthur Smith fired after three seasons. New coach Raheem Morris knows the importance of a reliable quarterback after spending the past three years in Los Angeles with Matthew Stafford. Atlanta could have options with the No. 8 pick, but it likely won’t be USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye or LSU’s Jayden Daniels—they were the top three picks in Luke Easterling’s latest mock draft. If that occurs, the Falcons should still prioritize quarterbacks because Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon’s Bo Nix could hit the ground running with a crew that features running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts. Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy isn’t as experienced as Penix and Nix, but he might have elite upside.
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One move they should make: Sign WR Tee Higgins
The Panthers desperately need a No. 1 wide receiver to help 2023 No. 1 pick Young, who had a rough rookie season, partly because of the lack of playmakers in Carolina. If Higgins hits the open market, the Panthers should do everything they can to sign the Cincinnati Bengals’ 6'4", 219-pound wideout. Higgins has shown flashes of being a legitimate No. 1 target while catching passes from Joe Burrow and playing with star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. The Bengals have cap space, but they still need to pay Chase and they already locked down Burrow with a massive contract extension. Higgins could be the odd man out in Cincinnati, and Carolina better make sure to benefit from it.
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One move they should make: Fix the salary cap
The Saints need to follow the Los Angeles Rams’ blueprint of 2023, when they got rid of many veterans to repair the salary cap while only retaining three key veterans (Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald). The Rams leaned on that trio, but more importantly, hit on draft picks last year to quickly return to the postseason. Derek Carr will likely be back for another season, but it’s time for the Saints to say goodbye to many notable veterans by either cutting or trading them. New Orleans is currently $83.6 million over the salary cap, the worst in the league, according to OvertheCap.com. The team should consider trading Cameron Jordan, Marshon Lattimore, Alvin Kamara and also cutting Michael Thomas and Demario Davis. And the list doesn’t end there. The Saints are an old team with serious salary cap issues. They can’t keep ignoring the debt they have accumulated since Drew Brees and Sean Payton left a few seasons ago. The Saints haven’t made the playoffs since the ’20 season.
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One move they should make: Re-sign Mike Evans
Evans having one of the best seasons of his decorated career was instrumental in why the Buccaneers made the postseason during their first season without Tom Brady. Evans’s ability to stretch the field helped Mayfield revive his career during his first season in Tampa Bay. It appears the Buccaneers are set on re-signing Mayfield, but that wouldn’t be a wise investment without also getting a deal done with Evans, who would have many suitors on the open market. The Buccaneers probably regret not working out a deal with Evans before the start of the 2023 season because the price tag went up thanks to his dynamic season, which included 79 catches for 1,255 yards and 13 touchdowns. If the Bucs don’t bring back Evans, he might head over to Carolina to reunite with Canales and help Young.
