NFC South check-in: Most, least improved position group post-draft

Free agency and the draft are in the rearview, and organized team activities (OTAs) begin on Monday for the Falcons.

Let's take inventory of the NFC South before offseason workout programs heat up.

Atlanta Falcons

Most improved position group: Quarterback

Regardless of our thoughts on the Michael Penix Jr. pick, the Falcons ensured they won't have the same foibles at quarterback in 2024 as the previous two seasons. 

With Kirk Cousins and Penix Jr., Atlanta has vastly improved upon Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder, the team's starters in Week 1 in 2022 and 2023, respectively. 

Over the past two seasons, Pro Football Focus credited the two quarterbacks with nearly twice as many turnover-worthy plays (43) as big-time throws (24). 

Before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury last year, Cousins completed 69.5 percent of his passes with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Least improved position group: Edge-rusher

The league's least effective pass rush, according to ESPN's pass-rush win rate rankings, has arguably gotten worse. Edges Calais Campbell, 37, and Bud Dupree, 31, were the Falcons' best at generating pressure a season ago. They tied for the most sacks on the team (6.5), and both are free agents.

Even if re-signed, their upside is limited. That's why the Penix pick was, and continues to be, perplexing. As the Commanders and Vikings already know, Cousins, who only has three playoff appearances in eight seasons as a primary starting quarterback, isn't a lock to lead a team to the postseason. He needs a strong team around him, and Atlanta's glaring weakness at arguably the most important defensive position could be a fatal flaw.

Carolina Panthers

Most improved position group: Wide receiver

Panthers quarterback Bryce Young worked with arguably the worst skill position group in the league last season, and the numbers back it up. Carolina wideouts averaged a league-worst 4.1 yards after the catch. They also received PFF's third-worst receiving grade, ahead of only the Giants and Jets.

The additions of Diontae Johnson (via trade) and Xavier Legette (via the draft) are significant improvements. Both are much better after the catch than Young's primary 2023 targets — Johnson averaged 5.2 yards after the catch per reception last season, while Legette averaged 6.4 as a fifth-year senior at South Carolina.

Least improved position group: Quarterback

Upgrades at wide receiver and along the offensive line will mean little if Young doesn't take a second-year leap. The Panthers have a low-upside backup in Andy Dalton, so any chance of the franchise's fortune changing at quarterback rests on Young's shoulders.

Concerningly, Young didn't show much progress from the beginning to the end of last season. His numbers were worse during the second half. In Young's first eight starts, he completed 62.8 percent of his attempts for 1,560 yards (5.4 yards per attempt), eight touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Over his last eight, he had a 56.1 completion percentage, 1,317 passing yards (5.6 yards per attempt), three touchdowns and three interceptions. He also took more sacks and scrambled less during the closing stretch, further illustrating his overall discomfort adjusting to the NFL.

New Orleans Saints

Most improved position group: Offensive tackle

Five players took at least 144 snaps at right or left tackle for the Saints in 2023, and that inconsistency translated on the field. New Orleans ranked 28th in ESPN's pass-block win-rate metric and 31st in yards per rush attempt (3.6).

Per PFF data, right tackle Ryan Ramczyk was the team's best pass-blocker, but complications from a knee injury could force him into early retirement. Trevor Penning, the No. 19 pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, was benched after five games and only took the field for three snaps from Weeks 10-18.

Taliese Fuaga, the Saints' first-round pick in last month's NFL Draft, projects as an immediate starter after a stellar career at Oregon State. He didn't allow a sack in 694 career pass-block opportunities. According to PFF, Fuaga was also the best run-blocker on a Beavers team featuring 1,000-yard back Damien Martinez.

New Orleans added tackle Josiah Ezirim in the seventh round to further bolster its depth. In 2022-23 at Eastern Kentucky, Ezirim allowed just two sacks in 836 pass-block situations.

Least improved position group: Running back

Alvin Kamara, 28, and backup Jamaal Williams, 29, have years of wear and tear, and they both experienced dips in production last season. The Saints' third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Kendre Miller, appeared in eight games as a rookie and had 41 carries for 156 yards (3.8 yards per attempt).

New Orleans is likely anticipating its improvements along the offensive line and the zone-run scheme under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak being enough to revitalize the rushing attack. 

The former 49ers passing game coordinator recently discussed his vision for a run-dominant offense, and he'll be relying on a running back committee with plenty to prove.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Most improved position group: Offensive line

Tom Brady's Netflix roast featured plenty of ruthless barbs, but nothing compared to the cruel joke the Tampa Bay offensive line played on him during his last NFL season. The unit got marginally better in 2023, but it should take a bigger leap this season.

First-round pick Graham Barton projects as a plug-and-play starter in the interior of the offensive line after playing primarily tackle at Duke. He has the agility and quickness to get out as the pull-blocker on run plays, running a 4.84 40-yard dash at Duke's pro day, which was faster than any lineman ran at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Least improved position group: Linebacker

The Bucs moved on from Devin White and Shaquil Barrett during the offseason and did little to replace them. The biggest move the team made was signing outside linebacker Randy Gregory. 

Longtime starter Lavonte David, 34, signed a one-year, $8.5 million contract for the 2024 season. While he's shown no signs of slowing down, David has few running mates alongside him.