NFL
One or The Other?
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
As the 2024 NFL Draft ran through the first round, many would say that the biggest surprise wasn’t the “who” of the pick, but the “why”.
When the Atlanta Falcons selected quarterback Michael Penix Jr. from Washington with the 8th pick overall in the 2024 Draft, there were skeptics in Atlanta and around the football world as to the “why” for that pick considering the Falcons signed veteran QB Kirk Cousins to a 4-year deal worth $180 million back in March.
At the end of the day, do I think it was the right move? No, I don’t agree with it, but there are much smarter and better equipped folks that made the call.
I do though think that while some see this as possibly the perfect storm, I think it could turn out to be a great long-term move for the Falcons organization. Why? Let’s dive into it.
In other situations, two different quarterbacks has turned into a toxic situation for everyone involved. However, there are a lot of fans that have conceded the fact that Kirk Cousin’s personality could make this work with and take Penix under his wing. That said, it takes both sides to make that dynamic work, and I genuinely believe that is exactly what the Dirty Birds have in play.
Cousin’s personality and demeanor has been well documented in the media and in the Netflix Documentary “Quarterback” that followed Cousins, Marcus Mariota (coincidentally in the 2022 season as a Falcon), and the Chiefs standout Patrick Mahomes.
While it’s the general understanding that Cousins, who is still expected to be the starting QB for the at least foreseeable future, would be one of the best mentors for a (relatively) young player entering the NFL. That being said, both sides of this equation must be on the same page and have a certain demeanor for this to work.
The portion of this equation that I don’t believe gets nearly enough light is the person and the personality of Michael Penix Jr.
Penix really burst onto the scene when he arrived in Washington in December of 2021 after transferring from Indiana. Penix went on to lead the country in passing yards in his initial season in Seattle in 2022, then led the Huskies to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game this past season where he finished as the runner up in the Heisman Trophy voting.
While the left arm is undeniably special, and I think will be an impact the NFL in a big way at some point, Penix is not your typical rookie coming out of college and is much more mature and has had to overcome so much.
Penix began his collegiate career at Indiana and was a member of the Hoosiers for his first four seasons before his final two seasons with Washington. He was part of college football for six seasons because of an injury riddled first three seasons in Bloomington.
The 24-year-old, now Falcon, began in 2018 but suffered a torn ACL after three games and was redshirted.
Expectations were high in 2019 and was named the starter entering the season, but only played six games due to a separate injury to the joint that connects the collar bone and sternum.
The COVID-shortened 2020 season came around after vigorous rehab to be ready to be the Hoosier QB1 again, but at the end of November, Penix again was sidelined with another torn ACL in a game against Maryland.
Now, yes that may raise red flags to Falcon fans with an injury history, but I write that not for the injuries, but the determination to return from the injuries, and still continue to grow as a quarterback into the 8th overall NFL Draft pick.
I’ve had the pleasure (and I truly mean pleasure) to talk with Penix briefly twice. Once in his time at Indiana, and once in the midst of the Washington skyrocketing, and this is an extremely mature rookie in the NFL and has the perfect combination of passion and levelheadedness to make this work in Atlanta for however long he is under the wing of Kirk Cousins.
At the end of the day, again, there are much smarter executives that made these decisions to bring in two quarterbacks to Atlanta. As much as it’s not the move I would have made, I think this could really turn out rosy for the Falcons for a while.
How I believe this plays out is that for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Penix serves as one of the best second-string players in the NFL. At some point, barring something unforeseen, Penix will be a starting quarterback in the NFL, hopefully for the Falcons and he becomes the starter of the future that it’s believed at this point.
When that happens is unclear, but it provides Penix to be able to acclimate to the NFL and doesn’t have to be thrown into the fire out of the gate AND gets to learn from one of the more cerebral quarterbacks in the league and will turn into a great future in Atlanta.
Dreamers
By: Jeff Doke
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Summer is the time of dreams for NFL fans.
Dreams of the upcoming season, of brilliant rookie performances, of notable veteran development, of free agent deals justified by on-field production. And if the fans truly dare to dream, there are dreams of championships.
Fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars are used to dreaming, and yes, having those dreams shattered.
For the 2024 season, there’s lots for DUUVAL Nation to ponder. Quite possibly the biggest item on the list is the recent multi-million-dollar contract extension for quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
This year was to be his last of his rookie contract, and the steps backwards he took last season had a growing minority of pundits questioning whether or not #16 truly is the “generational talent” we’ve been told that he is. General Manager Trent Baalke disagreed and rewarded Lawrence with the T-1st largest QB contract in the league.
I, like many Jags fans, have given Trevor a pass in the previous years due to his disastrous rookie year under Urban Meyer, but as the seasons mount, it becomes harder and harder to use that excuse. A healthy, productive, not-turnover-riddled season would be just what the doctor ordered.
Improved performance from the offensive line would help that tremendously. Cam Robinson, Brandon Scherff, and Anton Harrison are all returning, as is Ezra Cleveland, who re-signed with the team after coming over from the Vikings in a late-season trade.
The lone OL free-agent signing is ex-Bills center Mitch Morse, which means the pieces should be in place for a squad that needs to reduce the number of sacks allowed from last year (35) as well as improving run lanes for 1000-yard rusher RB Travis Etienne.
The flashiest additions come from the receivers. With Calvin Ridley putting up a less-than-expected one-and-done season, the Jags went heavy on the upgrades to the wideouts.
After signing field-stretching veteran Gabe Davis and using the 23rd overall pick in the draft to select LSU speedster Brian Thomas, Jr, the core starters (with returning WR Christian Kirk and TE Evan Engram) seem to be in place for a much more explosive air assault.
While many put a lot of the blame for the 2023 late-season collapse on the offense, the defense was greatly responsible as well, if not more so.
The front office saw that, overhauling most of the defensive coaching staff in the offseason, starting with bringing in former Falcons DC Ryan Nielsen. His four-man rush and press coverage heavy style will suit Josh Allen and Travon Walker well.
Adding former ‘Niners DT Arik Armstead in free agency will help the lackluster run defense of last season.
One area of concern on the defensive side is the secondary. CB Tyson Campbell spent most of last season battling a hamstring injury, and Coach Nielsen’s defensive style will expect a lot out of him as well as newly acquired undrafted free agent Ronald Darby.
While it’s true that last year’s squad continued to be among the best at forcing turnovers, the run defense has to get better in order to avoid the kind of collapse suffered in 2023.
Special teams are rarely a concern with the Jaguars, but that’s not the case this time around. After the PR disaster that is the Brandon McManus saga, Jacksonville decided to take the rookie route for their PK, selecting Razorback alum Cam Little in the 6th round of the draft.
All in all, the upcoming season is one of promise for the teal and black.
How the team delivers on those promises might mean it will be a season of dreams come true for a fan base far more familiar with nightmares over the last 20 seasons.
No Where To Go
By: Joe Delaney
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
No where to go but up?
Well, actually, the Panthers could lose 2 more games in 2024 than they did last year. Carolina went 2-15 last year and looked absolutely horrible doing it.
This franchise has issues that start at the top and that is never a good thing.
Panthers owner David Tepper has blown through coaches at an alarming rate. He has fired 3 different coaches in five years during the season. It is the main reason they are where they are today. Good luck to first year NFL coach Dave Canales. He’s gonna need it.
In 2023 the Panthers traded up to take Bryce Young with the number 1 pick. He was a great college QB at Alabama, who was literally thrown into the fire in Carolina.
At 5’10” and 200 lbs with a very average pro arm, he was ill equipped to lead a horrible offense into the NFL wars as a rookie.
The result was a sub 60% completion rate for around 2900 yards and 11 TDS and 10 interceptions. Then take into account the second pick in that draft was C J Stroud. He ended up as the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. You get where this is going…..
Eleven games into the season Tepper fired Head Coach Frank Reich. The Panthers were 1-10 at the time.
As we move into 2024, the Panthers have made some solid moves that may help them move out of the NFL cellar.
They begin on offense. Here is where they suffered the most last year. They brought in Will Harriger to coach the QBs. He has the tough job of trying to revive Bryce Young. The kid was both mentally and physically crushed last year. Take into account he was sacked SIXTY-TWO times last year.
In an effort to keep Young upright the Panthers brought in two solid guards in Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis. These might be the best team acquisitions period. A reworked and improved O-line could be the key to the season in 2024.
The Panthers didn’t stop there. To their credit they went out and got WR Diontae Johnson. He brings something the WR room desperately needed. The ability to separate.
Next the Panthers made a great pick in Xavier Legette, the WR from South Carolina. Teamed with Adam Thielen, these guys give Bryce Young some weapons.
In the running back room, Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders and rookie Jonathon Brooks will be better with the improved Oline.
In 2023 the Panthers fielded an above average defense headed by Derrick Brown, one of the best players in the league. The guy is a monster. And when paired with A’Shawn Robinson and Shy Tuttle, this is a team strength.
At LB the Panthers went out and got Jadeveon Clowney and DJ Wonnum to run with the great Shaq Thompson. If these guys can play up to their potential then there will be no drop off on defense.
The secondary is led by Xavier Woods and Jaycee Horn, who are very good, although Horn needs to stay healthy.
Special teams are solid with Eddy Pineiro handling the kicking again and Johnny Hekker the punting. Hekker should have gotten overtime pay in 2023.
And finally, where do the Panthers go in 2024? My call is nowhere. The offense should be better and if it can keep the defense off the field it will help.
Keeping the offense somewhat balanced and giving Bryce Young time will be the key. But as I said the problem in my mind is at the top.
The next time David Tepper wants to fire someone, he should look in the mirror.
Swimming Upstream
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Dolphins took some salary-cap- hits on the defense this offseason, but let’s be serious: you don’t pick the Dolphins to win games because of their defense.
Their offense finished top five in total points, yards and completion percentage last season. We are still witnessing the prime of WR Tyreek Hill’s career, and Tua Tagovailoa should only improve at QB1.
Miami will hope that it can take the next step as a championship team under head coach Mike McDaniel. What does their case look like?
Oddsmakers are cautiously optimistic about the talented roster of the Dolphins, counting on the team to flirt with double-digit wins despite an incredibly competitive schedule in the AFC East.
Despite four consecutive winning seasons and back-to-back trips to the postseason, the Dolphins still haven’t won a playoff game since Bill Clinton was President.
Week 1 vs. Jaguars: Win
Week 2 vs. Bills (TNF): Win
Week 3 at Seahawks: Win
Week 4 vs. Titans (MNF): Win
Week 5 at Patriots: Win
Week 7 at Colts: Loss
Week 8 vs. Cardinals: Win
Week 9 at Bills: Loss
Week 10 at Rams (MNF): Win
Week 11 vs. Raiders: Win
Week 12 vs. Patriots: Win
Week 13 at Packers (Thanksgiving Night): Loss
Week 14 vs. Jets: Win
Week 15 at Texans: Loss
Week 16 vs 49ers: Loss
Week 17 at Browns (SNF): Win
Week 18 at Jets: Win
Final record prediction: 12-5
The AFC East will be difficult as usual with the Jets expected to be far better with a healthy Aaron Rodgers. It looks like the Bills might take a step back this year after several cap casualties this offseason.
The Dolphins have proven it can play with some of the best for most of the regular season, can it stay healthy and take the next step?
If the Dolphins get off to another hot start, they’ll be in a good position to handle another hellsome gauntlet at the end of the season with three playoff teams in the last four weeks.
The third time might be the charm for McDaniel and the Dolphins, they’ll pull out wins late in the season and claim the division title.
Remember The Titans
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Tennessee Titans have finished their mandatory minicamp and OTAs (organized team activities). Training camp starts July 23, but we now have a clearer picture of how the team might line up when the new season kicks off.
Will Levis is locked in as the starting quarterback heading into 2024. He had a promising rookie year, but still needs to prove he’s the franchise guy.
At running back, the Titans seem ready for a dual approach with newly acquired speedster Tony Pollard, who returns to the state after a stellar collegiate career at Memphis and five years in Dallas, and Tyjae Spears, who enters his sixth season in Nashville.
Pollard is expected to take on more early-down duties, but they’ll likely go with whoever’s hot each game.
Veteran wideout DeAndre Hopkins, who was the main target last season, will face stiffer competition for catches with the additions of Calvin Ridley, coming from the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tyler Boyd, from the Cincinnati Bengals.
Hopkins has an edge thanks to his existing chemistry with Levis, but Ridley is expected to share the primary receiving duties. Boyd looks set to take over the slot receiver spot, a role confirmed by first-year Titans head coach Brian Callahan.
Chig Okonkwo is expected to start at tight end unless Josh Whyle can make a strong case during training camp. Injured for substantial periods of his rookie campaign, Whyle showed potential. Okonkwo remains the clear favorite for now.
On the offensive line, rookie JC Latham is moving from the right tackle position he played at Alabama to left tackle and has shown the progress needed to start Week 1.
Titans offensive line coach Bill Callahan has called Latham his favorite player in the entire 2024 draft.
And yes, it is that Bill Callahan. The once Oakland Raider head coach, who took his team to Super Bowl XXXVII, is now the offensive line coach under his son, Titans head coach Brian Callahan. The addition of Lloyd Cushenberry at center is a big upgrade, bringing experience that will benefit Levis.
Dennard Wilson, the Tennessee Titans’ new defensive coordinator, is pushing for a more aggressive and confrontational defense in 2024 by prioritizing more press coverage.
Wilson emphasizes physicality, where cornerbacks challenge receivers right from the snap. He believes creating hesitation at the line of scrimmage disrupts the timing of the offense and forces quarterbacks into contested passes.
Last year with the Baltimore Ravens, his secondary excelled in limiting passing touchdowns while employing press coverage extensively.
The Titans’ offseason moves reflect Wilson’s philosophy, highlighted by the trade for L’Jarius Sneed from the Chiefs. Known for his physicality and proficiency in press coverage, Sneed will be a key player in Wilson’s scheme.
The Titans also signed former Bengals cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, who thrives in physical, press situations.
Wilson’s goal is to create a defense that consistently challenges and disrupts opposing offenses, helping the Titans move away from last year’s struggles and develop into a more formidable unit.
Despite their significant offseason moves, the Titans aren’t getting much love from the media. Many think they’re in for a rough season and could end up with a top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
However, the team is optimistic. The new talent, including Ridley and Pollard, should make them more competitive than last year, and Levis’s flashes of brilliance as a rookie add to their potential.
Winning their division won’t be easy with both the Jaguars and Texans looking strong, but the Titans have a realistic shot at a Wild Card spot.
Training camp will be crucial as the team gets used to Callahan’s system and works to improve their standing in the AFC South.
Their first preseason game is at home against the San Francisco 49ers on August 10, and the regular season kicks off August 25 in Chicago against Caleb Williams and the Bears.
Remember the Titans!
Texas Grit
By: Charlie Moon
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
If 2023 was any indication, the Texans might be ready for a big step forward in 2024.
After a 10-7 regular season and a 34-10 1st round road playoff loss at Baltimore in 2023-2024, the Texans look to make a step this season under 2nd year head coach DeMeco Ryans.
And for all the talk about the phenomenal rookie season for CJ Stroud, it just might be the defense that becomes this season’s difference.
For one, Ryans was one of the best defensive players of his time, so he knows defense.
Time for a deep dive…
Answer this question. If you see your team set a franchise record in sacks, and improve its run defense from one season to the next from 32nd all the way to 6th… would you make not one, not two, but three changes to its defensive line? It just doesn’t happen.
That should give you an idea of what Demeco Ryans sees in his defense, and where he thinks they can go.
Out on the defensive line is Jonathan Greenard, Maliek Collins, and Sheldon Rankins. In comes a definite off-season homerun in 2023 All-pro Danielle Hunter. He was 3rd in the league with 16.5 sacks, bested only by the likes of T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett.
Now throw in a couple guys who had great 2023 campaigns and you have a defensive front that could dominate, come 2024. 33-year-old Deneco Autry had one of his best seasons with 11.5 sacks.
And another guy along that defensive line Ryans wouldn’t let go for even a Jeff Bezos payday, Will Anderson, Jr. Anderson looks to build off his 2023 campaign that saw him voted as the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Out of Alabama, he will definitely be a great bookend to a guy like Danielle Hunter.
Ultimately, Ryans and his staff think last year’s 20.8 per game and 13th-ranked defense, is something they can build on, and become one of the league’s top 5 defensive units.
On the flip side, the offense scored 22.8 points per game and ranked 13th in the NFL. But it never really felt like a middle of the road offensive unit.
Deep dive #2….
CJ Stroud’s rookie campaign was one to remember. In 15 starts, he put up 4,108 passing yards (8th in the league) 23 TDs (13th) and just 5 INTs (tied 7th).
Stroud had the 3rd highest QB Rating for any rookie in the history of the NFL. Let’s face it. That’s phenomenal. But need we not forget, Stroud was just a rookie.
The offensive line is a good one – all intact from 2023. But It’s the playmakers that Houston lacked last year that would have made Stroud even more dangerous. They added two guys – one on the outside and at RB.
Steffon Diggs has been one of the most consistent and dangerous wideouts of the last 9 years. He spent the first 5 at Minnesota and yes, that was Diggs on the other end of “The Minnesota Miracle” in that miracle final play and pass from Case Keenum of the 2018 playoff win against the Saints.
He spent the last 4 years on the other end of Buffalo Bills gun slinger Josh Allen.
The Texans also added Joe Mixon, another veteran. Mixon spent all seven years at Cincinnati, including four 1,000-yard seasons.
By all accounts, most projections have this year’s schedule tougher than last year’s. But what DeMeco Ryans has instilled is something the Texans haven’t had in a while – grit. And when you add pure grit to a group of Texas men in oil country, things usually turn out okay.
Rise Up?
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Atlanta Falcons 2024 preseason kicks off August 6th down in Miami against the Dolphins and the regular season starts on September 8th at home against Pittsburgh.
We know they made a big move in the offseason by signing Kirk Cousins. He was signed in March to a four-year, $180 million contract. That seems like a move to show Atlanta is all in and ready to win now.
Surprisingly, the next month in the NFL Draft they took QB Michael Penix Jr in the first round (8th overall). That caused the entire NFL world to look at them and wonder, what’s going on? This is a move that will not pay off for at least two seasons. It would have made more sense to draft a high caliber pass rusher that can help the team immediately.
Cousins tore his Achilles in Week 8 last season, so that is concerning. Prior to suffering the injury, Cousins had reached a career-high in Pro Football Focus’ adjusted completion percentage. Cousins wasn’t as aggressive with his attempts, but his accuracy remained high when he did throw long: sixth in deep passing rating and 10th in deep yards.
The Falcons are coming off their third consecutive 7-10 season. Arthur Smith was fired and he was replaced by Raheem Morris. Morris was the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams from 2021-23. He was an assistant coach with Atlanta from 2015-20. He was also the head coach for Tampa Bay from 2009-11.
The offensive side of the ball is Atlanta’s strength. They have very solid skill position players with running backs Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts.
The offensive line is tough and physical. Guard Chris Lindstrom was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2022 and 2023. I do want to point out that Cousins did have superior talent in Minnesota and we saw what he did with that.
For London, having consistent QB play could take his game to the next level. He is 6’4, 213 pounds and he is a big, physical receiver. They have been working on timing thus far.
“I pride myself on being able to catch the ball from anybody, so I don’t really look at that,” London said on the final day of the team’s minicamp. “It’s kind of just wherever the ball is thrown, I try to go get it.”
London paused and smiled before adding: “(Cousins) throws it well, though.”
Atlanta ranked 19th in total defense and 21st in sacks. It seems like every season we talk about how they can’t rush the passer. This year will not be any different.
Safety Jessie Bates III was the other Falcon selected to the Pro Bowl in 2023.
The NFC South isn’t the toughest division but New Orleans and Tampa Bay are decent teams.
The first three games of the season are Pittsburgh, at Philadelphia and Kansas City. The only game I think they have a chance to win is against the Steelers.
The next games are New Orleans, Tampa Bay, at Carolina, Seattle, at Tampa Bay, Dallas, at New Orleans and at Denver before the Week 12 bye. The Falcons will have to at least split the games with the Saints and Bucs. Carolina should be an easy win. There aren’t any great teams here so they have a chance to win all of these.
The rest of the games are the LA Chargers, at Minnesota, at Las Vegas, New York Giants, at Washington and Carolina. Honestly, these should all be wins if the main starters are healthy.
I believe the Falcons can win 10 or 11 games.
Who Dat?
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Although the New Orleans Saints haven’t finished worse than a tie for second in the NFC South since 2016, the last 3 years haven’t been to the standards of the “fleur-de-lis”.
With a pair of 9-8 finishes in 2021 and 2023 sandwiched between a 7-10 debut season for Head Coach Dennis Allen in 2022, Saints fans have been looking to find the answer to get back to the offense they’re accustomed to with a run of four consecutive division championships from 2014-2020.
After a 2022 season where quarterback play left much to be desired, Saints fans were hopeful last season with the signing of veteran quarterback Derek Carr, but it did not pan out like the savior of the offense that Saints fans had hoped for.
Carr turned in a season with 3,878 passing yards, which turned out to be the fourth lowest in his eleven-year career (ten previous with the Raiders), and the lowest total in a season where he played more than 15 games (17 in 2023).
Although the yards were a low point in the career totals for Carr, he did throw 25 TDs, which were the most Carr had thrown since 2020 with the Las Vegas Raiders.
The biggest question mark I think leading into 2024 for New Orleans is can Carr be “the guy” for the Saints, or do the reigns get handed off to the next in line.
Entering 2024, one of the biggest question marks is going to be “what does the offense look like this year?” Everyone across the league knows and has heard thru minicamp and OTAs that it will be different under first year Offensive Coordinator Klink Kubiak.
Kubiak takes over his 4th ream in the past four years after serving as the OC for the Vikings in 2021, Pass Game Coordinator & QBs coach in 2022 for the Denver Broncos, and with San Francisco in 2023 as Pass Game Coordinator under Kyle Shannahan, but early indications from pre-season work between Kubiak and Carr seems to be positive coming out of the Saints practice facility.
One eye-brow raiser from Saints early pre-season work has been the selected workload of a few different players because of contract negotiations. Most notably, Alvin Kamara has attended most walkthrough portions of practice, but when full practice that is open to media comes around, Kamara heads inside.
Kamara’s deal expires after the 2025 season, but the way the deal is structured, none of the 2025 money is guaranteed. All indications say that Kamara intends on continuing with the Saints and would like to get a new deal done before kickoff of the 2024 season to extend the current deal.
One thing that raises concerns of the Saints is a couple of key injuries on the offensive side that are expected to be key targets for Derek Carr.
Tight End Juwan Johnson looked to be a big part of the success of the Saints in training camp last year, but it didn’t pan out how anyone in the black and gold had hoped, with just 368 yards on 37 catches for the year.
While Kubiak had hoped to get Johnson more involved in the offense, at least for the first part of the season, Johnson will be rehabbing from a foot surgery. While the timetable for the Johnson return is unclear, the tight end for New Orleans to start will be some combination of their Swiss-Army knife Taysom Hill and former LSU Tiger Foster Moreau.
The other key injury is also unclear, but standout playmaking receiver Chris Olave suffered a shoulder injury in his off-season weight room work that has kept him in a non-contact jersey in pre-season work.
Early indications don’t seem to have Olave missing much if any time, but how much does it affect what he’s able to do?
At the end of the day, this Saints team is a HUGE swing team depending on how the offense clicks (or doesn’t), especially in an NFC South that has struggled as a whole the past few seasons.
Realistically I could see the Saints winning the South with as many as 11 or 12 wins, but I could also see this team struggling in year one under a new offensive coordinator while 5th Round pick Spencer Rattler matures into hopefully the QB of the Saints future.
Buc-ing Their Own Trend
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers surprised many fans last year by winning a playoff game after most expected them to be bottom-feeders.
Can they keep out of the bottom this season?
For the Bucs, their nightmare situation involves Baker Mayfield regressing from a solid first year with the team.
Mayfield’s comeback season was the biggest reason why the Buccaneers made the playoffs. He ended the year with a career-high 4,044 passing yards, finishing third-place in Comeback Player of the Year votes.
Mayfield could regress from this past year. For any QB1 there’s no promise that they’ll get better, but at least now the 29-year-old double rookie has a whole season with the Bucs under his belt. There is great opportunity for further improvement. Mayfield may build, improve, and lead the team to yet another NFC South title.
While the Bucs do face some of the best teams in the NFL (Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, and Baltimore Ravens), they still have the 27th-easiest schedule based on 2023 game records.
Granted, much of this stems from playing in the NFC South, but there is still plenty of possibility for the Bucs to end the 2024 season with a winning record and even another NFC South title.
The Buccaneers might not have made the splashy headline moves like the Atlanta Falcons in the offseason, but this Tampa Bay team will once again be quite formidable on both sides of the football.
The Buccaneers could very well win the NFC South, making the playoffs for the 5th consecutive season.
However, there is a big difference between just making the playoffs and winning 2 or 3 postseason games to get to the big game.
Tampa Bay has a team capable of securing one of the 7 playoff spots in the NFC, likely be winning the division again. And it proved if there is a home playoff game in Tampa, it’s a tough place for an opponent to play.
Week 1: vs Commanders (W)
Week 2: at Detroit Lions (L)
Week 3: vs. Denver Broncos (W)
Week 4: vs. Philadelphia Eagles (W)
Week 5: at Atlanta Falcons (L)
Week 6: at New Orleans Saints (L)
Week 7: vs. Baltimore Ravens (L)
Week 8: vs. Atlanta Falcons (W)
Week 9: at Kansas City Chiefs (L)
Week 10: vs. San Franciso 49ers (L)
Week 12: at New York Giants (W)
Week 13: at Carolina Panthers (W)
Week 14: vs. Las Vegas Raiders (W)
Week 15: at Los Angeles Chargers (L)
Week 16: at Dallas Cowboys (L)
Week 17: vs. Carolina Panthers (W)
Week 18: vs. New Orleans Saints (W)
Nine wins would represent another year hot seat talk for Todd Bowles and the Bucs, who finished 8-9 and 9-8 in the previous two seasons respectively.
While the Falcons might end up as NFC South champions thanks to upgrades at quarterback and head coach, Tampa Bay will be in the hunt.
Southern Expectations
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Let’s take a look around the NFC South and see what we can expect from these teams after free agency and the NFL Draft.
Atlanta Falcons: On paper we expect them to be the favorite to win the division going into the season.
They did sign Kirk Cousins in the offseason. Quarterback play was the team’s Achilles heel last season. They were 7-10 and finding a solid QB should improve their record by at least two games.
The offense has weapons so we expected them to draft a pass rusher. Instead, they drafted Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the # 8 pick. At best he becomes a starter in two years. Unfortunately, he will not be on the field immediately to help a team that is built to win now.
They did use their next four draft picks on defensive players but they still did not address their glaring need to improve the pass rush. I think Atlanta can win nine or 10 games. If they make it to the playoffs I expect them to lose in the first round.
Carolina Panthers: This team seems to be in permanent rebuild mode.
They had first year head coach Frank Reich last season and he was fired in November after starting 1-10. They finished the season with the worst record in the NFL, 2-15. They traded their 2024 first round pick in the 2023 draft to move up and select QB Bryce Young # 1.
The team was terrible so I can’t put all of the blame on Young. The # 2 pick from 2023, CJ Stroud had a great season. They will always be compared to each other so we do need to see Young get better in his second season.
In free agency they signed: Robert Hunt, Damien Lewis, A’Shawn Robinson, Josey Jewell and Dane Jackson. Hunt and Lewis are guards that will improve the interior offensive line. Robinson is a defensive tackle that has appeared in 110 games, with 74 starts.
In the first round of the draft Carolina selected wide receiver Xavier Legette (South Carolina) # 32. They really need weapons for Young so this was a good pick.
In the second round they selected running back Jonathan Brooks (Texas). He’s a great player but he tore his ACL in November so he will not be available at the beginning of the season.
I think the Panthers have improved slightly and will win five or six games.
New Orleans Saints: In free agency they signed: defensive end Chase Young, wide receiver Stanley Morgan, linebacker Willie Gay, wide receiver Cedrick Wilson, and quarterback Nathan Peterman.
In the first round they selected offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga (Oregon State) # 14. Their second round pick was cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry (Alabama).
New Orleans was 9-8 last season. I expect them to win eight or nine games in 2024.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: They were 9-8 and won the division in 2023. They beat Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs. They exceeded expectations last year.
In free agency they signed safety Jordan Whitehead, cornerback Bryce Hall, guard Ben Bredeson and guard Sua Opeta.
They drafted center Graham Barton (Duke) # 26. In the second round they selected edge rusher Chris Braswell (Alabama).
I expect them to compete for the division title and win nine or ten games.
