Ranking the NFC South teams by offensive position groups.
The NFC South has been one of the worst divisions in the league over the last few seasons. This may be optimistic, but it feels like all four teams are heading in the right direction. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons should challenge for a playoff spot; the Carolina Panthers should be much improved in Bryce Young’s third season and the New Orleans Saints have finally committed to a rebuild with a new coach and quarterback.
While I don’t expect the NFC South to be a powerhouse in 2025, I think we’ll see the division take a step in the right direction towards getting back to their mid-to-late 2010’s ways when they were one of the best divisions in the NFL.
We’re at the point in the offseason where rankings are popular, so today, we’re going to rank each NFC South team’s starters by position groups.
Quarterback
I think there’s a pretty clear pecking order when it comes to the NFC South quarterbacks. In my opinion, Baker Mayfield is clearly the best signal caller in the division, and personally, I think he’s probably a top-10 QB in the league at the moment. He’s had back-to-back 4,000-yard passing seasons and seems to be offensive coordinator proof, so I don’t think he’ll struggle with Liam Coen gone.
I’m not sure if this is a hot take because I know it’s popular to hate on Bryce Young, but I think he’s the second-best QB in the division (I believe Penix will start for Atlanta over Kirk, who I’d have easily above Young). Despite what the stats say, I think he was much better in 2024 than 2023 and should take another step this year.
I have the Saints and Falcons bringing up the rear because of the uncertainty at the position. Michael Penix has played a bit and looked alright, but he hasn’t played a full season yet. I think he’s definitely better than Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough, though, so I have the Falcons pretty far ahead of the Saints.
Wide Receiver
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- New Orleans Saints
- Atlanta Falcons
- Carolina Panthers
The receivers were much harder to rank than the quarterbacks. Tampa is pretty clear of the pack with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka/Jalen McMillan, but the next three were tough.
I like the Saints’ 1-2 punch of Olave/Shaheed more than the other two, and I think Brandin Cooks will be a solid third option, so I gave them the slight nod for the No. 2 spot (might be a bit biased, but oh well).
I actually really like the Panthers’ unit as a whole, but they just don’t have the high-level starters the rest have. Tet McMillan and Adam Thielen will be a good 1-2 punch, but not as good as Drake London and Darnell Mooney. I’m a fan of Jalen Coker and Hunter Renfrow, but Coker might not get a bunch of time, and nobody really know what Renfrow will do after a year off.
Running Back
- Atlanta Falcons
- New Orleans Saints
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Carolina Panthers
The Falcons pretty clearly have the best running back tandem in the division. When he’s used properly, Bijan Robinson is the best back in the NFC South, and Tyler Allgeire is a perfect compliment.
I really like the combination of Bucky Irving and Rachaad White, but I just can’t put an Alvin Kamara-led backfield lower than two. I still think Kamara has a good amount in the tank, and if Kellen Moore uses him in the pass game like they did with Brees, I think he can play at a 2017 to 2020-like level.
Chubba Hubbard played well last year, but he and Rico Dowdle do little to move me, so the Panthers are fourth behind the Bucs.
Tight End
- Atlanta Falcons
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- New Orleans Saints
- Carolina Panthers
I know it’s very easy to hate on Kyle Pitts because he hasn’t lived up to expectations, but he and Cade Otton are the best tight ends in this division in my opinion. I think you could put them in either order, but I have Pitts slightly ahead because of his ceiling.
Juwan Johnson seems to be pretty clearly the third best tight end in the South. He’s not on the level of Otton or Pitts, even though it seems like he should be based on his athleticism. I still do hold out some hope that Kellen Moore can extract a little more from him this season and he can maybe leapfrog one of the previously mentioned players.
I actually really like Ja’Tavion Sanders for the Panthers, but I think he has a ways to go in his development, so I have him and the Panthers in fourth.
Offensive Line
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Atlanta Falcons
- New Orleans Saints
- Carolina Panthers
Tampa Bay has one of the best offensive lines in the league led by Tristen Wirffs, so they’re pretty easily No. 1 on this list. The Falcons also have one of the better lines in the league, especially in the run game, so I think they’re a pretty comfortable No. 2. The real debate comes between the Panthers and Saints.
The Panthers were very average last season in both the run and pass game, and while the Saints might’ve been worse in 2024, I think they’ve got a really solid unit in 2025. If Kelvin Banks pans out, they have two franchise tackles, a Pro Bowl center and a couple solid guards, especially if Penning can play well inside. I also think the combination of Kellen Moore, T.J. Paganetti, Jahri Evans, and Brenden Nugent can help these guys improve this offseason.