NFC SOUTH
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: ANOTHER RECEIVER SO MICHAEL THOMAS DOESN’T HAVE TO DO IT ALL
Secondary needs: quarterback, cornerback
Michael Thomas is awesome. He just had one of the best wide receiver seasons that we’ve ever seen, hauling in an NFL record 149 passes for 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns this season. As his Twitter handle says, you can’t guard Mike. Life would be easier for him, though, if the Saints added a second wide receiver who could lighten the load. No wide receiver besides Thomas registered over 1.00 yards per route run for the Saints this season. Ted Ginn Jr. and Tre’Quan Smith were two of just 15 wide receivers with 250 or more routes run and less than one yard per route run. Improving that situation would go a long way to improving the offense.
The person distributing the football to the receiving options in 2020 is still up in the air. Drew Brees and Teddy Bridgewater are both entering free agency this offseason, so the Saints have a decision to make as to which direction they want to take at the quarterback position. Similarly, they have a decision to make at cornerback, where Eli Apple will be a free agent. Marshon Lattimore’s job is secure at one of the outside cornerbacks, and rookie Chauncey Gardner-Johnson was fantastic in the slot, but the other outside cornerback position will be up for grabs heading into 2020.
ATLANTA FALCONS: UPGRADES IN COVERAGE
Secondary needs: edge defender, offensive line
There’s no getting around the fact that the Falcons were bad in coverage in 2019. They ranked 26th in expected points allowed per pass play, and Isaiah Oliver and Kendall Sheffield both disappointed with PFF coverage grades below 55.0. Desmond Trufant ended the season as PFF’s 31st highest-graded cornerback and has been solid throughout his career, but the Falcons need to add some pieces around him to succeed next season.
They also have several decisions to make regarding their edge defenders who are set to be free agents — Vic Beasley Jr. and Adrian Clayborn. Though Beasley ended the year with more sacks, Clayborn was the better pass rusher on a per-snap basis and probably makes more sense to bring back on a less expensive deal. Meanwhile, the offensive line really struggled this season after the Falcons put a lot of resources into the unit last offseason. Left guard would be the priority to upgrade, as free agent acquisition James Carpenter managed just a 45.3 overall grade there last season.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: FIGURE OUT WHAT THE PLAN IS AT QUARTERBACK MOVING FORWARD
Secondary needs: edge defender, offensive tackle
The Buccaneers are one of the teams this offseason with a veteran quarterback in limbo. Jameis Winston has been one of the more polarizing players in the league, pushing the ball downfield with reckless abandon and racking up yards, touchdowns and interceptions in the process. We’ve been in the camp that the Buccaneers should give Winston one more chance to see if they can capture a high-variance season, but they will have to decide whether they are willing to live with all the negative plays and risk that he brings to the table. Winston’s 149 turnover-worthy plays since 2015 are 22 more than any other quarterback in the NFL.
Outside of Winston, the Buccaneers also have a high-value defensive free agent set to hit the market in Shaquil Barrett, who certainly boosted his value this season on a one-year, prove-it contract by leading the NFL in sacks. Depending on the price point, the Buccaneers will have to decide on Barrett and then depth at the position, since Barrett’s 81 total pressures nearly doubled the next closest Bucs’ edge defender — Jason Pierre-Paul (44).
CAROLINA PANTHERS: THE CORNERBACK POSITION
Secondary needs: quarterback, offensive line
None of James Bradberry, Ross Cockrell or Donte Jackson had seasons that the Panthers will be feeling confident about heading into the 2020 campaign. All three finished with PFF overall grades of 60.0 or lower, and they were the worst in the league when asked to come up and make plays in run defense. Though not the most important task that a cornerback is assigned, their 38.1 run-defense grade as a cornerback unit ranked worst in the league by far.
Like many teams, the Panthers also have a decision at quarterback. Injuries have kept Cam Newton at less than full strength for several seasons now, and his backups who saw action this season — Kyle Allen and Will Grier — posted PFF overall grades of 49.7 and 29.0, respectively. Neither of them is the long-term solution from what we’ve seen, so the Panthers will have to decide if they want to continue to commit to Newton and hope he can remain healthy or if they should look elsewhere this offseason.
Several recent departures of veteran leaders left a couple more holes on the roster at linebacker and tight end. Shaq Thompson is left to carry the torch for the league’s best linebacker for much of his career, Luke Kuechly, and that’s not an easy task. He played reasonably well in 2019 with a 66.4 overall grade, but the Panthers need to add depth behind him. The same can be said for Greg Olsen. Ian Thomas and Chris Manhertz are the leading options as of now, but both could be improved upon this offseason.
