By: Jake Rajala

The NFC South might just be the eighth wonder of the world. The NFC East progressed into a juggernaut division over the past three years, while the wicked NFC South regressed to a mediocre fight club in that same span. At the cusp of Week 9, the 4-4 Atlanta Falcons lead the division. Yes, you read that correctly.

Behind the Falcons squad that still likes to blow fourth-quarter leads, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers & New Orleans Saints sit at 3-5, and the Carolina Panthers possess a 2-6 record. With that said, there’s a question that surrounds the NFC South: who will win the NFC South?!

Well, I’m going to project the remaining schedule for each NFC South squad & conclude which team should win the division.

Atlanta Falcons:

Week 9: vs the Los Angeles Chargers = Loss

Week 10: at the Carolina Panthers = win

Week 11: vs the Chicago Bears = win

Week 12: at the Washington Commanders = win

Week 13: vs the Pittsburgh Steelers = win

Week 15: at the New Orleans Saints = loss

Week 16: at the Baltimore Ravens = loss

Week 17: vs the Arizona Cardinals = loss

Week 18: vs the Tampa Bay Buccaneers = loss

Final record: 8-9

New Orleans Saints:

Week 9: vs the Baltimore Ravens = win

Week 10: at the Pittsburgh Steelers = win

Week 11: vs the Los Angeles Rams = loss

Week 12: at the San Francisco 49ers = win

Week 13: at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers = win

Week 15: vs the Atlanta Falcons = win

Week 16: at the Cleveland Browns = loss

Week 17: at the Philadelphia Eagles = loss

Week 18: vs the Carolina Panthers = win

Final record: 9-8

Carolina Panthers:

Week 9: at the Cincinnati Bengals = loss

Week 10: vs the Atlanta Falcons = loss

Week 11: at the Baltimore Ravens = loss

Week 12: vs the Denver Broncos = win

Week 14: at the Seattle Seahawks = loss

Week 15: vs the Pittsburgh Steelers = win

Week 16: vs the Detroit Lions = loss

Week 17: at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers = loss

Week 18: at the New Orleans Saints = loss

Final record: 4-13

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

Week 9: vs the Los Angeles Rams = loss

Week 10: vs the Seattle Seahawks = win

Week 11: at the Cleveland Browns = win

Week 12: vs the New Orleans Saints = loss

Week 13: at the San Francisco 49ers = win

Week 14: vs the Cincinnati Bengals = loss

Week 15: at the Arizona Cardinals = win

Week 16: vs the Carolina Panthers = win

Week 17: at the Atlanta Falcons = win

Final Record: 9-8

It’s clear that it will be a tight race for NFC South prominence between Falcons, Saints, and Buccaneers. Furthermore, the stakes will be extremely high in the NFC South battles. I anticipate the Saints and Buccaneers both finishing 9-8 (while the Falcons finish 8-9 and the Panthers finish 4-13), but I expect the Saints to edge out the Bucs in their second clash and have the tie-breaker over TB12 at the end of the 2022-2023 season — which will ultimately pen them as NFC South Champions.

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By: Jake Rajala

The NFC South showcases two legitimate Super Bowl contenders (New Orleans Saints & Tampa Bay Buccaneers), a potential wildcard squad in the Carolina Panthers, and a rebuilding Atlanta Falcons squad with a few dangerous faces. Ultimately, the difference between the NFC South and other divisions is that the NFC South makes football look good.

With that said, I’m going to design a preview for each squad in the intriguing and somewhat complex NFC South division.

New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints lost the greek god-like QB Drew Brees in 2021 and their genius head coach Sean Payton in 2022. Yet, the Saints GM Mickey Loomis (who looks like Christopher Nolan) found a way to create a Super Bowl-contending team this off-season. The Saints brought in Jarvis Landry and Chris Olave to join a healthy Michael Thomas. Furthermore, Who Dat Nation was also able to ink the other New Orleans native Tyrann Mathieu to crush the will of opposing signal-callers. It should also be noted that Alvin Kamara will not be suspended in 2022. Barring an injury to Winston or MT, I expect the Saints to be playing in the NFC Championship.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a mythical QB in Tom Brady, but he can’t defeat Prometheus-like squads by himself. The Bucs still have an incredible WR duo (Mike Evans and Chris Godwin) for him to utilize. The Brady bunch also retained Playoff Lenny this summer. I expect him to oust ungodly stats for his third straight season. On defense, I expect Shaq Barrett & Joe Tryon to be a monster pass-rushing tandem. Let’s not forget about the blood-thirsty veteran LB Lavonte David. The reigning NFC South champions are a lock to have 12+ wins in my opinion. The question is: can they beat the Saints and the Rams?

Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons aren’t going to have many blow-outs wins in the 2022 season. However, they have potential on their roster — especially on offense. I love the athletic ability of rookie WR Drake London and second-year TE Kyle Pitts. They may have growing pains with Marcus Mariota, but they should find a Pro Bowl berth early in their careers. On defense, ATL still has Grady Jarrett and Deion Jones – who can make life miserable for fellow NFC QBs. The Falcons may have five or six wins in 2022, but they could be scary with the right QB in 2023 and beyond.

Carolina Panthers

Matt Rhule is trying very hard to keep his job & he honestly helped his chances by acquiring Baker Mayfield this off-season. The former first overall pick can make magic happen with the deep threat Robby Anderson and the shifty DJ Moore. Most importantly, the Panthers have a healthy Christian McCaffrey, who is one of the biggest dark horse OPOY candidates. On defense, the Panthers pass rush shouldn’t be less than potent — even without Haason Reddick. Brian Burns has been one of the most underrated NFC edge rushers in his young career – by spewing out 18 sacks over the prior two seasons combined.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Carolina Panthers should still be aggressive in an NFC South division that witnessed Tom Brady return to the Buccaneers and two Lousiana natives (Tyrann Mathieu, Jarvis Landry) join the Saints. With that said, I’m going to untwine three dream targets for the Panthers right now.

Jimmy Garoppolo

I would love to see the Panthers grab Jimmy G in June or July. He is a sure-fire upgrade over Matt Corral and “good” Sam Darnold. He has been utterly clutch in big moments and he can absolutely utilize CMAC, Robbie Anderson, and D.J. Moore on a high level. For example, below is an unearthly throw by Jimmy G against the Saints team that Panthers nation hates with a passion.

Joe Haden

The Panthers impressively acquired Stephon Gilmore in 2021 and I’d love to see them notch another top-tier CB in 2022. Joe Haden can be a physical, man-to-man CB against the likes of Mike Evans and Michael Thomas. The former AFC North CB has expressed that he isn’t interested in retiring soon, as well. Perhaps the Panthers and their second-ranked cap space in the league can out-bid other teams for Haden.

Anthony Barr

The Panthers lost the versatile Haason Reddick this off-season and it may be wise for CAR to sign the athletic freak Anthony Barr. The former Vikings LB doesn’t carry the same pass-rushing talent as Reddick, but he can still excel against the pass (3 ints in 11 games) and the run (72 combined tackles) last season. The four-time Pro Bowl selection would be perfect in pass coverage against Alvin Kamara and Kyle Pitts in the NFC South.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers weren’t able to unveil a miraculous comeback against the LA Rams in the recent post-season, but they were still able to witness the second coming of Tom Brady this off-season. Brady was mostly able to get the band back together, as Playoff Lenny and Chris Godwin reunited with TB12. With that said, I’m going to fuel optimism for Bucs nation and untwine three reasons why the Brady bunch can return to the big dance.

Pass rush

The Bucs pass rush was paramount to their Super Bowl LV success and I honestly believe the Bucs did a fantastic job of maintaining a potent front seven this off-season. Joe Tryon will properly replace JPP at the very least. Meanwhile, the Bucs inked Akiem Hicks (3.5 sacks, 9 QB hits in 9 games last season). Of course, Shaq Barrett (10 sacks last season) will be leading the Bucs pass-rushing hunters.

WR talent

Russell Gage is truly one of the most underrated NFL WRs entering 2022. The former Falcons WR recorded 770 yards in each of the past two seasons. AB was a roller coaster, but Gage can be a consistent asset to the Bucs offense in 17+ weeks next season. Scotty Miller might have outgrown Kay Adam’s interest, but he is an excellent WR4, as well.

NFC South

The Bucs have a brutal schedule (fourth most difficult schedule) in 2022, but they should feel quite optimistic about playing opponents in their division, excluding the Saints. The Matt Ryan-less Falcons and Sam Darnold-led Panthers aren’t exactly tenacious foes. Meanwhile, the reigning Super Bowl Champions LA Rams face an incredibly difficult NFC West division.

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By: Andy Davies

The NFC South was once considered one of the NFL’s toughest divisions. The Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons made Super Bowl 50 and 51 respectively and the Saints were perennial Super Bowl contenders during the 2010s. 

Tampa Bay was the one exception to the rule until they earned a playoff spot during the 2020 season and subsequently won the Super Bowl. By the time the team got good, everyone else declined. The Falcons have never recovered from the Super Bowl loss, Cam Newton decline every year until he was let go before coming back a shadow of the player he once was and Drew Brees retired.

So how does the landscape affect the quality of quarterbacks in the NFC South? Here is a ranking of the NFC South quarterbacks.

1. Tom Brady (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Oh boy, how this ranking list would have looked when Brady was retired. This is arguably the worst division in the entire NFL for quarterbacks, with Brady head and shoulders above the rest. 

Brady is the best quarterback of all time, so it comes as no surprise that he is number one in this list.  

At the age of 44, Brady led the league in 2021 for passing yards (5,316), passing touchdowns (43) and only Aaron Rodgers (69.1) had a better quarterback rating than Brady (68.1).  

He is the Benjamin Button of quarterbacks and is aging like a fine wine. Despite being only four years into his 40’s, he has already surpassed his numbers from his entire 20’s, a period where he won three Super Bowls. 

He is a freak of nature and there is no way he does not make it to number one on this list. 

2. Jameis Winston (New Orleans Saints)

Winston was teased by many rivals for throwing for 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in 2019 with Tampa Bay but in 2021, he had a much better season that was sadly cut short by injury. The heir to Brees, Winston threw for 14 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in 7 games during the 2021 campaign. This had him projected to throw for just over 30 touchdowns and just over 17 interceptions. 

Sean Payton seemed to have him playing the best football of his career, which is a concern under new head coach Dennis Allen. 

A defensive minded coach, Allen had a previous stint as head coach for the Oakland Raiders between 2012 and 2014 but had an 8-28 record. However, his quarterback room in 2013 consisted of Matt McGloin and Terrell Pryor. Their leading rusher had 733 yards and their leading receiver had 888 yards.

He will now go into a team that features Alvin Kamara, a good offensive line, Cameron Jordan, and Michael Thomas (if he gets back to his old self). 

Winston has the potential to become a great quarterback for the Saints if he can stay fit. There is belief around the NFL that we will see him become the quarterback in New Orleans that we thought he would be when he was taken first overall by the Bucs in 2015.

3. Marcus Mariota (Atlanta Falcons)

Who was taken second overall in 2015? This was Mariota, who was selected by the Tennessee Titans. 

Unless the Falcons wow us in the draft and take a quarterback in the first round, Mariota will start a season as the start for the first time since 2019, when he lost his job to Ryan Tannehill.

Mariota may not have been the player Tennessee expected when they took him so high, but his stats show that he wasn’t as bad as people have made him out to be. 

He threw for 13,207 yards, 76 touchdowns and 44 interceptions during his time with the Titans before a two-year spell with the Las Vegas Raiders as the backup to Derek Carr, where he had a sporadic role.

With Cordarrelle Patterson’s rise in 2021, both he and Mariota can use their dual threat to help Atlanta win games. This will be tough, in what is a depleted roster. 

The Falcons are not going to win many games in 2022 and Mariota has every potential to struggle immensely for his new team. He has every chance of proving his worth in Atlanta but due to this uncertainty and who is below him in this list, Mariota has to be number three on this list.

4. Sam Darnold (Carolina Panthers)

There is a lot of uncertainty at the quarterback position for the Panthers. Nobody knows who will suit up in week one for Carolina this season. 

Cam Newton could come back. There is a lot of noise about the Panthers taking a quarterback with the sixth overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft. The organisation are reportedly interviewing prospects such as Kenny Pickett and Malik Willis. 

However, at the moment their starting quarterback is 2018 third overall pick Sam Darnold. He was taken by the Jets but was out of the door three seasons later. 

With 8,097 yards, 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions but a 13-25 record as a Jet, many people felt he struggled due to bad coaching and that a move to Carolina would help unleash his potential.

Whilst the coaching ability of Matt Rhule appears in question, Darnold threw for 9 touchdowns and 13 interceptions during his sole campaign so far as a Panther. He has not yet lived up to his draft status that he acquired during his time with USC, something that means he is fourth on this list.

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By: Jake Rajala

The New Orleans Saints have won the NFC South in four of the past five seasons. They have also won the division with Tom Brady as a divisional foe (2020). The Saints were faced with the El Capitan mountain last season, but they impressively finished with a 9-8 record. I believe the non-Sean Payton-led Saints shouldn’t quietly be NFC South favorites in 2022.

The Saints were 5-2 last season with a healthy Jameis Winston. They were in first place in the NFC South and they also edged out the “alpha” Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8 (Winston’s last game in 2021). Their two losses with Winston came against the Panthers coach-less fiasco, where the Panthers were utterly blitz-happy, and against the underdog New York Giants squad in overtime.

In 2022, the NFC South has a different and potentially more fragile outlook. The Atlanta Falcons lost Matt Ryan, the Panthers will likely start Sam Darnold at QB, and the Buccaneers will lose a few veterans this offseason. The Bucs will still have TB12, but they will likely not have Ndamukong Suh (6 sacks last season), Jason Pierre-Paul, AB, and Gronk may retire this offseason. According to Sports Illustrated, Gronkowski is really undecided on the 2022 season.

It’s clear that the Saints haven’t only beaten Brady in each of the last four playoff contests, but the Bucs could have less juice to edge out the Saints in 2022. I also don’t foresee the Saints going 2-2 against the Falcons and Panthers for the second straight season. The Panthers also had a very fluky victory against the Saints in their first contest last season, while the Falcons had an incredible comeback victory against NO led by Matt Ryan in the first half of 2021. The Saints should be able to beat the Panthers with coaches next season and I like their chances to edge out the Falcons without Ryan.

The Saints should be a tougher team beat outside of the division next season. The return of Michael Thomas can’t be underestimated. Up until Week 8, Jameis Winston was efficient and the Saints defense was elite in numerous categories, but the 32nd ranked passing attack will largely benefit from MT. The Saints will also have an underrated improvement in special teams, as Will Lutz will return healthy. Dennis Allen’s squad doesn’t have to play musical chairs at the kicker position with free agents.

The Saints would have most likely beaten the Tennessee Titans with Trevor Sieman and an average kicking performance. Yet, Brian Johnson (Lutz’s replacement) missed two extra points against the Titans and the Saints lost 23-21 against the Titans. The Saints were forced to attempt a game-tying two-point conversion against the Titans with 1:16 left in the game, but they were unsuccessful in their efforts.

I fully expect the Saints to surprise the NFL world in the Brees/Payton-less era. Thomas may often be unpopular on Twitter, but he can certainly be an elite wideout with the speed-demon Deonte Harris for Winston. I expect the Saints to grow from their early 2021 version and potentially be a Top 3 NFC seed next season. The Saints finished 12-4 in 2020, while the Brady bunch finished 11-5 in the same season. I expect the 2020 outcome from the two NFC South heavyweights to be similar next season.

The post Why the Saints can really win the NFC South in 2022 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By Chinmay Kulkarni

There are few quarterbacks in the league that generate extreme mediocrity as Matt Ryan. Since the Falcons appearance in SuperBowl LI, the Falcons, and Matt Ryan have consistently maintained average or slightly before average. The NFC South in contrast, has frankly been one of the better divisions over the past few years, with the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers battling for the division title.  

Yet, we’re about to see a material switch in the NFC South resulting from both Tom Brady and Drew Brees ”“ titans of the division over the past 5 years – retiring from NFL football entirely. Will this mean a severe regression into the bottom part of the league for the NFC South? Possible. But with a changing of the guard to other teams within the division, the Falcons are poised to make a clear run to the NFC title. They have two obvious choices in direction – keeping Ryan and making a run at the playoffs with a good offensive roster, or investing for the future ”“ sacrificing near-term success by trading Ryan and getting younger with the rest of the roster. Let’s look at some potential trade destinations for the Atlanta quarterback.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers would be the most obvious choice and the best fit for Ryan. Originally from Pennsylvania, this would essentially be a homecoming for the aging quarterback.

The Steelers clearly have the defensive firepower alone to contend with the best teams in the NFL. With more coaching reinforcements with Brian Flores joining the team, the defense won’t chance at skipping a beat from last season. However, the quarterback position is the missing piece for sustained success. With a Matt Ryan trade to the Steelers, a slightly younger pocket passer would be replacing a just-retired pocket passer in Big Ben.

Would it make sense for the Steelers from a future standpoint? Probably not. Ryan’s contract ends after the 2023 season, making him an unrestricted free agent. With the rest of the AFC North getting much better, along with the rest of the AFC, it might be worth tanking for a few seasons until a generational quarterback is available in the draft. Therefore, Matt Ryan seems like a very temporary solution counterintuitive to the Steelers long-term agenda that will likely not provide the return on investment.

Washington Commanders

I’m not going to lie, writing Washington Commanders for the first time felt really odd. For one, I really liked the Football Team name.

Regardless, Taylor Heinicke was always the short-term solution for a team that has whiffed on quarterback-heavy drafts. Though going toe-to-toe with Tom Brady in the playoffs last season, the Football team needs to think about a long-term solution in a generally easy NFC East.

Matt Ryan seems like another plug-and-chug option for their quarterback woes. In an improving NFC East, Ryan should be just enough to keep up with the Cowboys, with nowhere near the offensive weapons. While the Commanders are also a younger team, adding a quarterback doesn’t seem to be enough to win a playoff game. If they can somehow get a package deal of Calvin Ridley and Matt Ryan, that might be the catalyst to contend for the division title. However, in the present, the wide receiving group in Washington is not enough for even short term success.

Denver Broncos

The Broncos have been in the news most notably for their pursuit of Aaron Rodgers. If John Elway manages to swing-and-miss on that acquisition, Matt Ryan is a really good fall-back option. With a decently mobile quarterback who’s not afraid to throw downfield, the host of receiving threats on the Broncos may earn a place with the rest of the supercharged offenses in the AFC.

If needs to be noted what the Broncos would give up in this trade, likely a wide receiver if anything. If the Broncos can keep Noah Fant, Courtland Sutton, and Jerry Jeudy, they should be able to be competitive in most games. However, the bar seems to be set way too high in the AFC, especially in the AFC West. Though Ryan would be a great fit in the big play system of the Broncos, they should not be mortgaging their future for this near-term success that won’t win a division title.

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By: Jake Rajala and Charlie Vakassian

The Tom Brady-led Buccaneers won the NFC South in 2021. Goliath (Buccaneers) were swept by David (New Orleans Saints), but they won their division with four more victories than the closest team (Saints). 

Brady is out of the wild NFC South in 2022, so it’s clear that the Bucs aren’t the runaway NFC South favorite next season. So, who will win the Brady-less NFC South in the 2022-2023 season? Here are our favorites to win the league’s most mysterious division in the 2022 season.

New Orleans Saints (Jake): 

The New Orleans Saints have won the NFC South in four of the past five seasons. Yes, you read that correctly. They may not have Sean Payton, but they still have the Kobe Bryant-inspired Michael Thomas and likely Jameis Winston returning from injuries. They will be joining a juggernaut roster that is still in the Big Easy. Thomas was a nightmare for opposing defenses when Taysom Hill was filling in for the injured Drew Brees in 2020. 

I trust that Thomas and likely Jameis Winston will seek vengeance in 2022. If the Dennis Allen squad loses Pro Bowl LT Terron Armstead and the talented, young FS Marcus Williams in the 2022 free agency, I still don’t believe their overall talent will noticeably dip this offseason. The Saints have Andrus Peat, who can play LT. If Williams leaves, they still have Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and Malcolm Jenkins at the safety position. Armstead also has been injured often for the Saints, as he’s missed 24 games in the past five seasons. They are very familiar with replacing him at the LT position.

The Saints were 5-2 with Jameis Winston (and without Cantguardmike) last season with wins over the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, and the Seattle Seahawks. It’s clear their floor with Jaboo is special. Allen’s team will also have their kicker Will Lutz returning and their 2021 first-round pick Turner returning to their stacked defensive front.

I still believe the Saints chokehold on the Bucs is a vital difference in the grand scheme of things. I will assume the Bucs don’t win 11+ games with Kyle Trask at QB next season. I believe the head-to-head matchups between the Bucs and the Saints will be important. I still know the Saints match up incredibly well against the Bucs. The Saints can rush the passer with their front four (Cam Jordan/Davenport/Onymeta/a healthy Payton Turner) and they have the elite Marshon Lattimore to always blanket Mike Evans. We witnessed the 49ers give the Rams serious issues for the past few seasons. I feel comfortable saying that the Saints are due to give Bruce Arian’s team fits for yet another season. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Charles):

The Buccaneers have certainly undergone some stark changes this offseason, with Tom Brady announcing his retirement, and several key free agents who may or may not return to the team. Rob Gronkowski is likely to join Brady in retirement. Chris Godwin, Ryan Jensen, Leonard Fournette, and Carlton Davis will all test the free-agent waters. With all that being said, Tampa Bay still has the best core out of all the NFC South Team. The defense is still incredibly rock-solid, with playmakers at each level, led by Shaq Barrett, Devin White, Antoine Winfield, and Lavonte David. Mike Evans is still as dependable as ever, and Cameron Brate is an underrated tight end. Tristan Wirfs and Ali Marpet are excellent on the offensive line. 

There are admittedly some question marks about this team, mainly what they will do at quarterback. Kyle Trask was a 2nd round pick last season and hasn’t seen enough action to make any type of judgment on him. Tampa Bay has been linked to several quarterbacks via trade this offseason, including Jimmy Garoppolo, Aaron Rodgers. Carson Wentz, and Deshaun Watson. Any one of those would immediately make the Bucs a division contender.

Matt Ryan is the best quarterback in the division right now, but is getting up there in age (36) and has no weapons outside of Kyle Pitts, and a weak offensive line. The Panthers are an unmitigated disaster at QB, with the albatross contract of Sam Darnold. They will likely be starting a rookie under center in Week 1. And who knows what the Saints will be doing under center. Taysom Hill is uninspiring at best, and Jameis Winston is mediocre to the core. Alvin Kamara is facing suspension, and Michael Thomas has not been able to stay on the field. Garoppolo is the name most connected to Tampa right now, and he would immediately be the second-best QB in the NFC South.

As for cap space, Tampa admittedly has very little, but with restructures to the contracts of Mike Evans, Shaw Barrett, and Donovan Smith, the Bucs save $31M against the cap for 2022. This leaves them with plenty of room to bring back some of their own free agents, as well as pursue some upgrades at positions of need. The Bucs also pick at 27 in Round 1 of the NFL Draft and can add an immediate difference-maker to the locker room. A top WR like Garrett Wilson would put fear into the other CBs of the division, or a lockdown corner like Kaiir Elam would shut down D.J Moore and fair well against the other top wideouts in the NFC South. 

Tampa already has arguably one of the better defenses in the whole NFC, and with even just an OK quarterback, they would rise to the top of this division. A front seven with Shaq Barrett, Vita Vea, Lavonte David, and Devin White is tough to beat. That doesn’t even include promising rookie Joe Tryon, who flashed pass-rushing upside in his first season. Give me Tampa to repeat in the South.

The post Who will win the NFC South in 2022? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Atlanta Falcons made legendary Florida Gator Kyle Pitts the highest-drafted tight end in history when they selected him fourth overall in the 2020 draft. A decision to draft Pitts over a future quarterback like Justin Fields was seen as questionable by many analysts and avid Falcons fans. Nonetheless, Pitts is undoubtedly an elite talent and he’s out to prove he deserved to be a Top 5 draft pick at the TE position. 

Despite not playing a professional snap on the football field, Pitts has already shown that he’s a gifted player this offseason. In fact, the trait that really impressed the Falcons was not his size or speed, but rather his wingspan. His wingspan reportedly measured 83 ⅝! Pitts’s wingspan is the longest of any tight end or wide receiver in the last 20 years. 

Pitts is set to show his freakish wingspan on top of his blazing speed (4.44) and his 6’6 frame will allow him to translate well to the NFL level. Pitts, who shows similar traits to elite wide receivers, will surely be one of the top rookies in 2021. Personally, I believe there’s lots of optimism for him to be the very best offensive rookie next season. Here is why the highest-drafted TE ever can be the first TE ever to win Offensive Rookie of The Year (OROY). 

• Nobody has passed the football more than the Falcons over the last two seasons

The Atlanta Falcons like to sling the pigskin more than any other ball club. The Falcons were fourth in passing attempts last season and first in passing attempts the season prior. 

The Falcons play in more shootout contests than nearly any NFL team. In the Falcons division, they play Tom Brady (third-ranked scoring offense in 2020) twice a year, the Saints offense (fifth-ranked scoring offense last season), and the Panthers aerial attack receiving a healthy Christian McCaffrey in the fold. A disadvantage for the Falcons winning chances, but an advantage for Pitts is that the Falcons pass defense has shown to be the worst in the league (32 out of 32 teams). The Falcons offense is forced to keep pace with the likes of their opposing divisional juggernaut offenses. 

In the wild west of the NFC South, high-scoring matchups are a recurring theme. Offensive weapons in the division have repeatedly put up stats that were above their actual quality of talent. Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin was third in the NFL in receiving yards in 2019 when his below-average QB Jameis Winston threw over 5,000 passing yards. Pitts teammate Calvin Ridley was a beneficiary of the Falcons air rampage with his 1,374 yard tally in 15 games last season, which was good for fifth in the league. It’s blatantly safe to say that Pitts will be a heavy target and he will receive a plethora of opportunities in the 2021 campaign. 

• Absence of Julio Jones

Another big reason why Pitts is set to haunt the league is a more well-known and relevant reason. The Falcons recently lost franchise great player and WR Julio Jones.

In three of the last four seasons, Jones has collected 148+ targets for his QB Matt Ryan. Pitts and Calvin Ridley will be tasked with filling the shoes of one of the once most indispensable players in the league. Ryan will be under lots of pressure in the 2021 season and it will be the first season he is without his long-time security blanket. He knows that his rookie TE will be a great asset to feed the football to on a repeated basis.

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By: Jeremy Trottier

The New Orleans Saints are tasked with something they have not had to deal with since 2006, in that they have to figure out who their starting QB is.  With four quarterbacks on the roster currently, they have to see how training camps and preseason plays out to make that decision.  With that said, there is the chance that none of these quarterbacks are their long term starter, and they could be drafting one early on come next NFL draft season.  In this article, I will be going over why each of the Saints rostered QBs is not a long term option as of right now.

Jameis Winston

The QB most Saints fans at this point believe to be the starter for 2021, and rationally that should be the case.  The potential Jameis has is sky high, however as many have mentioned to this point, we also know the lows of Jameis as a QB too.  The most blatantly obvious being his decision making.  Throwing 30 interceptions in a season does not solely happen because you are in an Air Raid offensive scheme, nor does it just happen because your eyesight is not up to par. 

His decision making is one of the faults of his type of playing style, we saw it when he was at Florida State too.  With Sean Payton as your head coach, a coach who likes consistency and playing the short “dink and dunk” type offense where short to intermediate passing is key, interceptions kill that thinking in seconds.  If Jameis has not changed his ways and truly learned what throws NOT to make, his tenure could be short lived.

Taysom Hill

To start, he is going to be 31 by the time the 2021-2022 season starts up, which automatically puts him out of the “long term” category.  Taysom also has issues with turnovers, however in the opposite way Jameis does.  That being fumbles.  Last season Taysom had a horrible time trying to hold onto the ball, fumbling 10 times (Tied for 3^rd among NFL players in 2020 behind Derek Carr and Daniel Jones both at 11).  The other thing to note is he only started four games at QB for New Orleans, and still ended up with more fumbles than passing TDs.  

Taysom also does not really have the consistency as a passer to perform as a starting QB full time.  He has accuracy on short passing, which is good for the scheme, however his intermediate to long range passing is extremely inconsistent.

Ian Book 

To be fair, as a Saints fan, I am intrigued by Ian Book to say the least.  He has traits to make it at the NFL level, potentially as a starter someday.  With that said, he is not nearly ready to take on a starting role yet at this level, and likely will not be for another two to three seasons.  He is an extremely raw prospect, with the traits to make it but he needs to learn more regarding the NFL landscape and how to play at the next level.  

He will need a few seasons to learn from Sean Payton and the rest of the coaching staff on how to build up some arm strength, as that is his heaviest weakness at the moment.  

Trevor Siemian

Trevor Siemian is somewhat relegated to career backup at this point.  When you start in 25 games over three seasons and throw a 30 touchdown to 24 interception ratio and have issues getting your completion percentage above 60% each season, you really need to take a step back and learn from someone.  Odds are Siemian is a camp arm and will stick around on the roster as a backup, provided Ian Book does not take that spot away. 

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