Now that the draft is over, and free agency has simmered, it’s time to look ahead to the 2020 season, and take a look at how each team looks.
In a division that has been crowned to the Saints for the past three seasons, there is now some spice to this bland soup. Tom Brady AND Rob Gronkowski are together again, only this time they take their skills to Tampa Bay, joining a roster that already has a ton of talent. Can the Buccaneers avoid what happened to last year’s Browns? Will their be steak to this sizzle? Can the Saints fend off the surging Bucs to finally make it back to the Super Bowl after three brutal playoff exits? Is this the last stand for Dan Quinn in Atlanta? Will the Panthers be proven right about moving on from Cam Newton? Let’s look at the NFC South.
Rookies will be noted with * and players from the 2019 Pro Bowl will be in bold.
Atlanta Falcons
Offense
QB: Matt Ryan
RB1: Todd Gurley
RB2: Brian Hill
FB: Keith Smith
WR1: Julio Jones
WR2: Calvin Ridley
WR3: Laquon Treadwell
TE1: Hayden Hurst
TE2: Khari Lee
LT: Jake Matthews
LG: James Carpenter
C: Alex Mack
RG: Chris Lindstrom
RT: Kaleb McGary
Defense
DE: Tak McKinley
DT: Tyeler Davidson
DT: Grady Jarrett
DE: Charles Harris
OLB: Dante Fowler Jr.
MLB: Deion Jones
OLB: Deone Bucannon
CB: AJ Terrell *
FS: Ricardo Allen
SS: Keanu Neal
CB: Isaiah Oliver
Special Teams
K: Younghoe Koo
P: Ryan Allen
It’s been two straight disappointing seasons for the Falcons. The defense put them in early holes in both seasons, and no amount of Matt Ryan bombs to Julio Jones could make up the difference. Their two main position changes on offense were replacing Devonta Freeman with Todd Gurley at running back and replacing Austin Hooper with Hayden Hurst. It’s fair to wonder how productive those players will be. Gurley had a down season last year because of injuries and lack of production, and Hurst was a bust in his first two seasons in Baltimore. It’s up to Dan Quinn to get the most out of those two. Another first round bust that the Falcons are taking a chance on is Charles Harris, giving up next to nothing to snatch him from Miami to plug him in on the defensive line. It’s not a terrible looking defense, so if they are at the bottom of the rankings again, Dan Quinn’s seat will get hotter and hotter.
Carolina Panthers
Offense
QB: Teddy Bridgewater
RB1: Christian McCaffrey
RB2: Reggie Bonnafon
FB: Alex Armah
WR1: DJ Moore
WR2: Robby Anderson
WR3: Curtis Samuel
TE1: Ian Thomas
TE2: Chris Manhertz
LT: Russell Okung
LG: John Miller
C: Matt Paradis
RG: Dennis Daley
RT: Taylor Moton
Defense
DE: Yetur Gross-Matos *
NT: Derrick Brown *
DE: Kawann Short
OLB: Brian Burns
ILB: Shaq Thompson
ILB: Tahir Whitehead
OLB: Marquis Haynes
CB: Donte Jackson
FS: Tre Boston
SS: Jeremy Chinn *
CB: Eli Apple
Special Teams
K: Graham Gano
P: Michael Palardy
It’s amazing how different a year looks. The Panthers went from a former MVP in Cam Newton to a solid but vanilla Teddy Bridgewater, and they went from a twice Coach of the Year winner in Ron Rivera to a first-year head honcho in Matt Rhule, who turned Baylor into a successful program in a snap. The signing of Robby Anderson should help stretch the passing game vertically, but it’s up to Bridgewater to let it fly when the opportunity presents itself. Defensively, the front line is young and very talented on paper after selecting Derrick Brown and Yetur-Gross Matos with their first two draft picks. The secondary is very suspect, though. Former first-rounder Eli Apple was signed a few days ago to add some depth, but after he and Donte Jackson, they are paper thin at corner. The Panthers may need to score a lot of points to win games this year.
New Orleans Saints
Offense
QB: Drew Brees
RB1: Alvin Kamara
RB2: Latavius Murray
FB: Mike Burton
WR1: Michael Thomas
WR2: Emmanuel Sanders
WR3: Tre’Quan Smith
TE1: Jared Cook
TE2: Josh Hill
LT: Terron Armstead
LG: Andrus Peat
C: Erik McCoy
RG: Cesar Ruiz *
RT: Ryan Ramczyk
Defense
DE: Cameron Jordan
DT: Sheldon Rankins
NT: David Onyemata
DE: Marcus Davenport
OLB: Alex Anzalone
MLB: Kiko Alonso
OLB: Demario Davis
CB: Janoris Jenkins
FS: Malcolm Jenkins
SS: Marcus Williams
CB: Marshon Lattimore
Special Teams
K: Will Lutz
P: Thomas Morstead
The list of teams that are as talented as the Saints is very short. Drew Brees might not have the arm strength that he used to have, but he’s still very accurate and productive. Alvin Kamara was banged up last year but is primed to have a bounce back season. Michael Thomas had a record-breaking season last year, and now he finally has a veteran #2 receiver to compliment him in Emmanuel Sanders. Jared Cook is coming off his second straight Pro Bowl season. Three of the five offensive lineman are either former Pro Bowlers or All-Pros. The defensive line is talented, and the secondary brought a familiar face back to the Bayou in Malcolm Jenkins. They have talent across the board, but they have got to finish this season in February instead of early January.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Offense
QB: Tom Brady
RB1: Ronald Jones
RB2: Ke’Shawn Vaughn *
WR1: Mike Evans
WR2: Chris Godwin
WR3: Justin Watson
TE1: Rob Gronkowski
TE2: OJ Howard
LT: Donovan Smith
LG: Ali Marpet
C: Ryan Jensen
RG: Alex Cappa
RT: Tristan Wirfs *
Defense
DE: Ndamukong Suh
NT: Vita Vea
DE: William Gholston
OLB: Shaq Barrett
ILB: Devin White
ILB: Lavonte David
OLB: Jason Pierre-Paul
CB: Carlton Davis
FS: Justin Evans
SS: Antoine Winfield Jr.
CB: Sean Murphy-Bunting
Special Teams
K: Matt Gay
P: Bradley Pinion
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to look mighty different this year. Why? You know why. After six championships in nine appearances, Tom Brady is taking his rings down south, bringing Gronk with him. Yeah, that’s right. The most dominant tight end ever is coming out of retirement to torment defenses once more. Brady also has two Pro Bowl wide receivers, along with another solid tight end in OJ Howard. It was a breakout season for Shaq Barrett, and they found a legit linebacker in Devin White in the 2019 draft. The NFC South desperately needed another competitor to give the Saints a challenge, and if the Buccaneers can avoid the fate of the 2019 Browns, they will be that team that will accept the challenge.
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