NFC South exit interview: 3 good things, 3 bad things for each team
The Panthers load up on D, the Saints give Brees weapons and the Bucs turn the page on Lovie Smith
By
Will Brinson
•
10 min read
The roster-building portion of the NFL offseason is all but over. Your favorite team's lineup is pretty much set, with the big names in free agency all snatched up and the 2016 NFL Draft in the books.
How did your favorite team do addressing its biggest needs heading into May and June OTAs? We're taking a team-by-team look with offseason exit interviews for each division.
We kicked off our look around the league with the NFC East, and then jumped over to the NFC North and AFC South. Next up? The NFC South.
Carolina Panthers
Three positives
1. They doubled down on defensive line
Utilizing their first pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers did something they've often done under Dave Gettleman and drafted a defensive tackle. Gettleman cares not for his depth chart when it comes to the draft and proved it by taking Vernon Butler with Star Lotulelei and Kawaan Short already locking up the middle. Both guys are due big bucks, which makes this a potential play for the future.
Butler also has the versatility to play multiple spots on the line. Building on a strength has worked well for Carolina in the past and the feeling here is a double down only helps them further in 2016.
2. Secured a bunch of cornerbacks
The Panthers' biggest gaping hole got bigger this offseason (more on that below), but the front office did its best to fill the space by loading up on cornerbacks in the draft.
Gettleman pulled the trigger on three-straight corners in rounds 2, 3 and 5. James Bradberry out of Samford, Daryl Worley out of West Virginia and Zack Sanchez out of Oklahoma are all taller corners with lots of upside (and potential downside as rookies playing a difficult position) who might see some serious action during their first season with the Panthers.
3. They hit the undrafted jackpot
The best value for Carolina might have come after the draft. The Panthers picked up Jeremy Cash -- a former ACC Defensive Player of the Year out of Duke and a player they see as a modern linebacker -- and Tulsa wideout Keyarris Garrett, who is a similar style player to Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess.
The Panthers said they had draftable grades on both guys but just didn't have enough picks (only one seventh-round pick and no sixth-round pick).
Three negatives
1. They let Josh Norman walk into free agency
A trade for Norman wasn't going to happen and there's an argument the Panthers will be better off for the long haul by acquiring a high compensatory pick for Norman and not having him around upset about being on a one-year contract.
Make no mistake: Dave Gettleman was not paying the cornerback the money he wanted on a lengthy deal. So he was going to leave at some point anyway.
But Super Bowl windows tend to be fleeting in the NFL and Carolina's core group on defense is built to help win a title. There is no question Norman being on the roster and playing ball for one full season would make them better.
2. They didn't find Cam Newton more protection
Everyone points to the impressive play of the Panthers' secondary and receiving weapons as the biggest surprises from 2016. But the reality of Carolina's offensive line playing really well should have been the biggest shock -- this is a unit that started with newly signed Michael Oher at left tackle and Mike Remmers on the right side.
Carolina's interior protection -- particularly guard Trae Turner and center Ryan Khalil remain underrated -- but Remmers was a major issue during the Super Bowl. It's possible they get equal health and protection from the offensive line in 2016, but it's a risky proposition to take.
3. They didn't shore up the running back position
Same deal for the running back position.
Jonathan Stewart isn't a paradigm of health -- his 13 games in 2015 were considered a healthy season! Newton runs the ball plenty, but there's just not much depth behind Stewart, with Cameron Artis-Payne, Mike Tolbert and Fozzy Whitaker serving as the primary backups.
Atlanta Falcons
Three positives
1. They got better on the offensive line
Protecting Matt Ryan should be paramount for this offense, and the decision to go out and add center Alex Mack qualifies as a quality, aggressive free agency move.
Mack was a stud with Cleveland and could solidify an offensive line with plenty of high-leverage pieces (first-round pick Jake Matthews, trade target Andy Levitre). Re-signing Ryan Schraeder should make this a plus-unit coming into 2016.
2. They did a nice job improving the linebackers
Grabbing Courtney Upshaw and Sean Weatherspoon aren't eye-popping moves but they don't cost much and present plenty of upside. 'Spoon is a one-time first-round pick for Atlanta who could offer Thomas Dimitroff some redemption, while Upshaw was signed on a one-year deal.
They need help up front and if they hit here it will help a lot.
3. Their pass rush should be improved
Couple the additions at linebacker with the development of Vic Beasley and the addition of Deion Jones (four sacks as an outside linebacker last year) and it should result in Dan Quinn's scheme creating more sack opportunities.
Three negatives
1. That's a lot of money for Mohamed Sanu
Dipping into the free-agency market for a wide receiver when you need a wide receiver is fine. But skinny-dipping off a cliff into the free-agent market and giving Mohamed Sanu a five-year, $32.5 million deal is a bit aggressive.
Sanu is a capable wideout and a reasonable option next to Julio Jones, but the Falcons had not options at wideout and overpaid in order to fill a spot with Roddy White's release. It's a thin position behind Jones all of the sudden.
2. They assume this scheme works
Kyle Shanahan's approach to this offense looked smart for the first few games of the 2015 season, but it quickly backfired as Ryan appeared to regress over the course of the season. His statistics didn't suffer noticeably on the surface (66.3 percent completion, 4,591 yards, 21 touchdowns, 16 interceptions), but he wasn't good for much of the year.
Football Outsiders pegs him as a top-10 quarterback from 2012-2014 and a middling option last season according to DVOA, which is exactly what we saw from a quarterback struggling to adjust. Shanahan likes to roll his quarterbacks out and feed the top target -- Ryan just didn't respond during the second half.
3. They reached a bit in the first round
If you love Keanu Neal then you take him, but they could've traded down a little bit and nabbed him as well, instead of reaching at No. 17 to get their guy.
They needed help on the back end of the defense, but there were enough players people were still pining for where they could've moved down and grabbed more picks or even potentially gone in a different direction.
New Orleans Saints
Three positives
1. They improved their interior defensive physicality
Defense was the name of the game in the draft for New Orleans and they made a smart move early by nabbing Louisville product Sheldon Rankins in the first round.
Rankins gives them a dangerous presence on the interior, a poor man's Aaron Donald capable of disrupting the pocket (14 sacks the last two years) and slowing down the run. Nick Fairley is a nice addition as well and this defensive line might suddenly be a strength of the defense.
2. They got Drew Brees some more weapons
Going to contradict this point below but I don't care: I like the Saints making sure to restock the cupboard for Brees.
Getting Michael Thomas and Coby Fleener give Brees additional weapons he can throw to in 2016. Look, for as much as people want to bury Brees, everyone needs to realize he led the league in passing yards last year, he's still a high-end quarterback and he battled injuries last season. He's in a contract year and could end up with massive numbers if this offense starts clicking.
3. They were willing to reboot on veterans
Marques Colston and Jahri Evans were huge names for this franchise during their Super Bowl run, but it's now quietly quite a few years in the rear-view mirror. At some point as a franchise you have to understand it's time to turn the page.
The Saints willing to do that (in large part because of contractual issues, but still) is a positive step towards trying to reboot the franchise while maintaining the same quality of product they put on the field during most of Payton's tenure.
Three negatives
1. They thought about spending on Josh Norman
"Honey, please stop maxing out the credit card."
"But I keep swiping it and it is allowed to go."
"That's because I'm paying it off."
"So there's money to spend."
*sigh*
2. They overpaid for Coby Fleener
Very good chance that Brees will make Fleener into a high-level tight end who catches a lot of balls and produces a bunch of yards. But there's also a chance Fleener disappoints because people are expecting Jimmy Graham-esque numbers.
It's a back-loaded, five-year, $36 million contract. There's just no way this deal doesn't end up biting the Saints at some point, probably when they have to restructure within three years ($9 million cap hit in 2019).
3. They gave Sean Payton a five-year contract
Payton's a great offensive coach who won a Super Bowl in New Orleans. He's aggressive and innovative. But what was the point of giving him five years right now? And why is Mickey Loomis running the Saints AND the Pelicans? Running multiple fantasy football teams is difficult enough -- running two different professional sports franchises IN TWO DIFFERENT SPORTS is insane.
Payton is more in charge of the front office than anyone realizes, so it's not unsurprising this situation resolved itself like this. Lot of turmoil up top.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Three positives
1. They moved on from Lovie Smith
There will be plenty of people who question why you would fire a coach for Dirk Koetter. But Lovie Smith wasn't taking this team over the top. The Bucs have been too quick to flip coaches over the past few years, but holding out hope Lovie would make this offense go or actually fix the defense was fool's gold.
Instead, securing the guy who got the most out of Jameis Winston as a rookie and handing him the keys was the move. The Tampa-2 had its day but it was probably time to make a move here and credit the Bucs for not hesitating.
2. They retooled the defense in the draft
The Buccaneers won't necessarily see immediate returns from the draft on defense (because no one does), but they're positioned to get impact seasons from their rookies. Particularly Vernon Hargreaves, who could end up starting from the get-go for Tampa Bay although he ended up starting OTAs on the second team.
They also ended up getting Noah Spence in the second round, and could end up with one of the best 1-2 punches from the draft of any team in the NFL.
3. They brought back one of the best running back tandems
Paying a running back is tough, particularly when the running back is coming off a big season and was drafted early by the previous regime.
Handing Doug Martin $35 million is not ideal. But the Bucs had cap room and Martin is a massive help to the offense and a perfect compliment to Charles Sims. There's a lot to like about this offense in 2016.
Three negatives
1. They might not have solved the offensive line issues
Bringing in J.R. Sweezy gives the Bucs some physicality up front in the run game, but they still haven't provided Jameis the sort of protection he ultimately needs.
There are some nice pieces here (Ali Marpet) and did a nice job of keeping Winston off the ground (27 sacks) but the offensive line isn't substantially improved at this point outside of maybe getting better against the run.
Sweezy's a nice player, especially for a converted defensive lineman, but they need protection for Winston to take vertical shots to Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson.
2. They drafted a kicker in the second round
You know what? I don't even hate the pick because it was a kicker in the second round. I like Robert Aguayo. I think he bangs home a pile of field goals this year and the Bucs are widely praised for making the pick.
What's annoying is having to defend it, when they didn't really draft him with their own second-round pick -- the Bucs gave up a third-round pick of their own and a fourth-round pick they got from moving down in the first to go up and get their man.
There are worse things, particularly if he's accurate.
3. They might still need pass rush help
Adding Brent Grimes and Hargreaves on the back end of the secondary, along with Johnthan Banks, Alterraun Verner and underrated Ryan Smith out of North Carolina Central.
Spence is a potential steal in the second, but there's just not a ton of pass rush in Tampa. The biggest concern should be not being able to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks and a young secondary getting exposed.
