The 2024 NFL season is just under a month away and the question in the NFC South remains the same: will the division be any good? The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the back-to-back-to-back champions, but they have gone 17-17 over the last two regular seasons. Will one of Atlanta, Carolina, or New Orleans step up?

Read all the previous recaps below.

AFC: East, North, South, West

NFC: East, North

Atlanta Falcons (2023-24: 7-10, missed playoffs)

Atlanta finds itself in seven-win hell, having hit the seven-win mark five times in the last six seasons. The problem areas the front office identified were at quarterback and at coach. Both positions got some new (and familiar) faces this offseason.

The replacement for Arthur Smith is an old friend of Atlanta’s. Raheem Morris is back in A-Town after some time with the Rams as a defensive coordinator. Morris was the interim head coach after Dan Quinn’s firing, leading Atlanta to a 4-7 record after an 0-5 start. He has an overall record of 21-38 as a head coach, including a 10-6 season with Tampa Bay in 2010.

Desmond Ridder was not ready for a starting role and it showed on the stat sheet. Ridder had more multi-interception games (3) than multi-passing touchdown games (2) and did not reach 3,000 yards, something 19 of his peers at starting quarterback did. In his place is not only Kirk Cousins, but Michael Penix Jr. as his successor.

Having both is not a bad idea in concept, but the devil is in the details. Cousins is under contract for four years, which takes him to 39 years old. Though there is a potential out, it’s between the third and fourth year of the deal. Not only does that deal, in tandem with using its top ten pick on Penix, make no sense, it was done illegally.

Excitement is finally starting to pick up in Atlanta. With a new quarterback, a new head coach, and dynamic running back Bijan Robinson, there is promise. That said, right now all Atlanta has is promise. Rondale Moore is already out for the year. The question marks, in addition to Atlanta’s reputation of falling short spectacularly, raise doubts about the 2024 NFC South favorites.

Carolina Panthers (2023-24: 2-15, missed playoffs)

The situation in Charlotte hit a low point last season. After trading up to draft Bryce Young, the understanding was that Carolina would need to win immediately. Simply put, they did not. Young went on a seven-game streak in which he failed to reach 200 passing yards once. He averaged 179.8 passing yards per game last season.

Young needs support all around him, so what did Carolina do to address this? The Panthers took a flier on Diontae Johnson, who put up the second-worst season of his career in receiving yards. He accompanies wide receivers Adam Thielen and second-year Jonathan Mingo, and rookie running back Jonathon Brooks out of Texas.

Former first-round draft pick Derrick Brown is on the rise, eclipsing 100 tackles last year. He is one of the few bright spots returning on defense. Brian Burns was traded to the Big Apple, Frankie Luvu and Jeremy Chinn both left for Dan Quinn and Washington, and Yetur Gross-Matos went westward to San Francisco. Jadeveon Clowney has signed on for two years, making Carolina his fifth team he’s played for in six seasons.

This team is a strong contender for the first overall pick. This team has not taken significant strides on the field and lost most of the few watchable aspects of last year’s team. New head coach Dave Canales finds himself in one of the toughest situations in North American sports. Panthers fans are in need of something to be excited about. Perhaps Jonathon Brooks impresses? Maybe Bryce Young can take a much-needed step forward.

New Orleans Saints (2023-24: 9-8, missed playoffs)

The post-Drew Brees era has seen good, but not good enough play from New Orleans. Winning four of five to end the season was a sign of good progress, but it was not enough as the Saints missed the playoffs via tiebreaker. The fear in New Orleans is the team doesn’t have what it takes to get to the playoffs, much less succeed in them. Will the Saints need to win the NFC South to make it, or will the 2024-25 season be the NFC South’s rise from the basement?

The pieces are in place for a breakthrough. Derek Carr quietly put together an efficient year at quarterback, tossing 25 touchdowns and only 8 interceptions. Alvin Kamara had a shortened season but still caught 75 passes, second-best on the team behind Chris Olave. Olave has churned out back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, but has found the end zone just nine times in two seasons. Hunter Henry, Gabriel Davis, and Romeo Doubs all had more reception touchdowns than Olave’s five from last year.

Defensively, there is a lot to look forward to as well. Demario Davis did it all last year. He made 121 tackles, accrued 6.5 sacks, defended four passes, and forced a fumble. Carl Granderson returns after an 8.5-sack season alongside Cameron Jordan, but he has backup. Former second-overall pick Chase Young is on the scene as a prove-it player on a prove-it team.

Two things will determine whether New Orleans makes the playoffs or not. The running game must step up in a big way. Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams combined for exactly 1,000 rushing yards. Neither man averaged 4.0 yards per carry or more. All but one of the playoff teams from last year had a running back with more than 4.0 yards per carry. Which team was the lone exception?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2023-24: 9-8, lost Divisional Round at Detroit)

In spite of its top running back averaging 58.2 yards per game on the ground, the Buccaneers persevered. Tampa Bay ground out its third straight NFC South championship, even winning a game in the 2024 playoffs. Detroit was just the better team in the Divisional Round. The Buccaneers, now without its offensive coordinator from last year, will try to run it back.

Baker Mayfield earned himself a contract extension by putting up the first 4,000-yard season of his career. He’s caught a second wind with the Buccaneers and having a dual threat of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin has helped him a lot. Rachaad White also took a big step forward, almost reaching 1,000 rushing yards on the ground.

On the defensive side, little has changed. Former Buccaneer Jordan Whitehead is back in Tampa on a two-year deal, but he is the only “new” face in the lineup that projects as a starter. Antoine Winfield Jr. returns on the first year of his new contract after a year in which he thrived on multiple levels (122 tackles, 6 sacks, 3 interceptions). Yaya Diaby arrived on the scene with 7.5 sacks in his rookie year and will be expected to improve on that.

With little change comes the hope that the core in place develops. Because of this, Tampa Bay’s season will look similar to last year’s. The first half of the schedule is tough, as the Buccaneers square off with strong teams such as Kansas City, Detroit, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. After the bye week is a relatively easier schedule, culminating in a Week 18 showdown with New Orleans in Tampa Bay. It will be win or go home at Raymond James Stadium.

Next time: Can anyone in the NFC West stop the 49ers? After that, Week 18 and the playoffs!

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