The NFC South was a rock fight in 2022, no one really wanted to win the division but someone had to. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and 45-year-old Tom Brady wheezed to the finish line of the regular season, “winning” the division with a losing record at 8-9 as they lost three of their final five regular season games. The Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and Atlanta Falcons finished with matching 7-10 records. Brady’s bunch were then wiped out of the playoffs with a whimper, losing 31-14 at home in the opening round of the playoffs against the Dallas Cowboys, a team Brady had won his first seven starts against.
The division standings will likely look entirely different in 2023 as three of the four teams have experienced a changing of the guard at quarterback. Brady retiring gives way to a quarterback competition between 2021 second round pick Kyle Trask and free agent signee Baker Mayfield, the former first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, down in Tampa. The Panthers will have their pick of the 2023 NFL Draft’s quarterback class after trading up for the first overall pick by sending four draft picks, two firsts and two seconds, plus wide receiver DJ Moore to the Chicago Bears. The Saints filled their opening at quarterback by signing the Raiders‘ all-time leading passer Derek Carr to a four-year, $150 million deal. Meanwhile, the Falcons are content to roll with 2022 third-round pick Desmond Ridder at quarterback after their only quarterback move was to sign former Washington Commanders QB Taylor Heinicke to a two-year, $14 million deal.
Below, we will grade the four NFC South teams and how they have made out through the opening weeks of free agency.
Free agency contract information taken from Over The Cap
Key additions: WR DJ Chark (Lions), WR Adam Thielen (Vikings), QB Andy Dalton (Saints), TE Hayden Hurst (Bengals), RB Miles Sanders (Eagles), DT DeShawn Williams (Broncos), Shy Tuttle (Saints), S Vonn Bell (Bengals), G Justin McCray (Texans), DT DeShawn Williams (Broncos), 1st overall pick in 2023 NFL Draft (Bears, via trade)
Key re-signings: C Bradley Bozeman
Key departures: QB Sam Darnold (49ers), QB PJ Walker (Bears), RB D’Onta Foreman (Bears), WR DJ Moore (Bears, via trade), LB Cory Littleton (Texans), K Zane Gonzalez (49ers), 9th overall pick in 2023 NFL Draft (Bears, via trade)
When the Panthers hired Frank Reich to be their new head coach, the…
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