It looked like the NFC South landscape was on the verge of change last season after Kirk Cousins’s strong start with the Atlanta Falcons and the injury wave that hit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ wide receivers.
With Cousins, the Falcons swept the season series from the Buccaneers, including an overtime thriller in October that saw the veteran signal-caller throw for 509 yards and four touchdowns. The Falcons jumped to a sizable lead in the standings, with the Buccaneers playing a bulk of the season without Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
But Cousins flamed out, Atlanta lost four straight and Tampa Bay rebounded to take the NFC South for the fourth consecutive season. The Falcons got ahead of their quarterback problem by drafting Michael Penix Jr. last year, which came at the expense of their defense.
Perhaps the Falcons did enough on the defensive side this offseason to finally dethrone the Buccaneers, who are well equipped for another injury wave with the first-round selection of wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.
But the Carolina Panthers also have formed an impressive roster to possibly make this a three-team race in 2025. As for the New Orleans Saints, they still have plenty of holes after free agency and the draft came and went.
Here’s how the rosters stand in the NFC South.
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It’s time the Buccaneers get more recognition for the offense they have built around Baker Mayfield, who topped his first year in Tampa Bay by throwing for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns last season. There isn’t an obvious Achilles heel on this offense, with a sturdy offensive line anchored by left tackle Tristan Wirfs and a loaded group of pass catchers led by the ageless Evans.
Egbuka will have to earn his snaps, but he’ll provide depth in case Evans and Godwin deal with injuries again. The team got it right with impressive wideout Jalen McMillan, the 2024 third-round pick. Tight end Cade Otton is a savvy, underrated playmaker.
The defense doesn’t have as much depth as the offense, but the Buccaneers could have a surplus of defensive backs after drafting Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish, joining a secondary that features Jamel Dean and Antoine Winfield Jr. The pass rush could be better with the signing of Haason Reddick and draft selections of David Walker and Elijah Roberts. The interior remains a strength with Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey. The team needs youth at linebacker, but Lavonte David hasn’t shown signs of slowing down heading into Year 14.
2. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons addressed their edge rusher needs in a big way, possibly giving them a well-balanced roster to compete for a NFC South title. With a young, talented offense, the team had the flexibility to trade its 2026 first-round pick to double down on edge rusher, taking James Pearce Jr. at No. 26, 11 picks after selecting Jalon Walker. The top-rated edge rushers will probably need to produce immediately to end this team’s eight-year playoff drought.
Atlanta is missing youth in the interior of the defensive line, but could have a reliable rotation with veterans Morgan Fox and David Onyemata. Perhaps 2024 second-round pick Ruke Orhorhoro makes strides this season. There are also dependable playmakers at linebacker with veterans Kaden Ellis and Divine Deablo, and while the Falcons again didn’t do much to add cornerback help for A.J. Terrell, safety Jessie Bates III is coming off another standout season.
There’s plenty to like on offense with the trio of wide receiver Drake London, running back Bijan Robinson and Penix, who impressed in his three starts after taking over late for Cousins. But the Falcons could have an issue at center if Ryan Neuzil can’t fill the void left by Drew Dalman, who’s now with the Chicago Bears. And depth at pass catcher could be a problem if tight end Kyle Pitts again struggles with consistency.
3. Carolina Panthers
After having a dreadful 2023 campaign that seemed to linger into the beginning of last season, the Panthers have been a different team since Bryce Young returned from his benching to finish his second season on a high note. Not many wins were there with a 5–12 record, but the team was competitive in the final two months of coach Dave Canales’s first season in Carolina. The offensive line became a strength, leading the team to bring back the same starting five. And the rushing attack was productive behind breakout star Chuba Hubbard. The team also drafted Trevor Etienne to join a backfield that includes Rico Dowdle, though Jonathon Brooks could miss most of his second season due to injury.
Young, the 2023 No. 1 pick, now has enough weapons to take the next steps as a franchise quarterback. The Panthers used the No. 8 pick to take big-bodied 6' 4" wideout Tetairoa McMillan, joining the receiving corps of Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker and Adam Thielen. The one thing the Panthers don’t have on offense is a receiving tight end (projected starter Tommy Tremble has averaged fewer than 200 receiving yards over four seasons).
The defense still needs work, but the unit could be drastically better with the amount of talent that was added up front, in addition to the return of Derrick Brown, who missed most of last season due to injury. Brown and free agent addition Tershawn Wharton could form a strong duo in the middle of the defensive line. There’s now depth at edge rusher with the draft selections of Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen and the signing of Pat Jones II. There are holes in the back of the defense, but the arrival of safety Tre'von Moehrig will make life easier for everyone, including star cornerback Jaycee Horn.
4. New Orleans Saints
It’s hard to argue the Saints being ranked higher than last given the uncertainty surrounding the quarterback position. Even if Derek Carr returns, he’s had consecutive rocky seasons in New Orleans and it’d be surprising if he suddenly became a consistent quarterback in his 12th NFL season. If the team parts with Carr, second-round selection Tyler Shough will likely be thrown into the fire to possibly face the same uphill battle Spencer Rattler had throughout a lackluster rookie season in 2024.
Perhaps new coach Kellen Moore can finally get this team headed in the right direction, but the Saints are in desperate need of a fresh core group, which GM Mickey Loomis has failed to produce since Drew Brees and Sean Payton left New Orleans. The Saints have often whiffed on first-round offensive lineman, and took a swing again with the selection of Kelvin Banks Jr. It’s going to be vital for Banks and Taliese Fuaga, last year’s first-round pick, to produce stellar seasons for this team to have any shot at a winning season. There’s talent at wide receiver, but Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed will need to bounce back from injuries. Alvin Kamara hasn’t slowed heading into his ninth season, but he turns 30 in July and Father Time is known to come calling around this time for tailbacks.
Once again, the Saints are hoping an older defense will be enough to compete in the NFC South. Cameron Jordan probably can’t continue being a full-time starter in his age-36 season and will need more defensive linemen to step up, including rookie Vernon Broughton and Bryan Bresee, the inconsistent 2023 first-round pick. The edge rushers could be productive with Chase Young and Carl Granderson. The secondary could be the biggest strength for this defense following the arrival of safety Justin Reid.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2025 NFL Season: Ranking Every NFC South Roster.