With the draft over and the offseason moving into a lull, we’ll continue to assess the state of NFL rosters league-wide and look at every team’s most glaring need. Next up is the NFC South starting with the Atlanta Falcons.
Atlanta Falcons: Linebacker
Considering the basic composition of most NFL defenses in 2023, linebacker wouldn’t seem to be the biggest need for most teams. Nickel and dime personnel groupings are more common than ever before, meaning not as many linebackers are on the field at one time. But when Troy Andersen is your main off-ball linebacker? Uh, there’s likely room for improvement.
The Falcons have been blessed at the off-ball position for the last few years with Deion Jones and Foyesade Oluokun manning the spine of the defense. Oluokun left in free agency last year, signing with the Jaguars and having a strong 2022, while Jones was traded to the Browns where he struggled on an overall bad defense.
Andersen also struggled in 2022, posting a 40.2 PFF grade, 86th out of 93 qualified linebackers. Even as linebackers become less prominent in today’s NFL, having at least one good one is key.
Carolina Panthers: Cornerback
Believe it or not, the Carolina Panthers roster doesn’t have a lot of holes. They upgraded at the quarterback position in the draft, taking Bryce Young first overall, the offensive line is good, and there are probably enough weapons around him early in his career to help him grow, while their defense is stout. The defense might end up being one of the best in the NFL – there are just a lot of really good players in the lineup. So, it’s slim pickings for where exactly they could improve. But we’ll go with cornerback.
It’s not a desperate need. Jaycee Horn looked promising in his first full season in the NFL and Donte Jackson is a super fluid athlete. While his play has been up-and-down, he’s good enough to be your No. 2 corner. Beyond that, there are questions. C.J. Henderson has a lot of potential and is still only 24 years old, but he hasn’t put it all together yet.
He could still surprise us, but there are no guarantees. Even if he does, having more depth at cornerback is always encouraged.
New Orleans Saints: Guard
Andrus Peat. Cesar Ruiz. Calvin Throckmorton. Those are the three guards who played meaningful snaps for the New Orleans Saints in 2022. As a unit, the Saints offensive line struggled. Trevor Penning’s rookie season was cut short, and even though Erik McCoy took a step forward and Ryan Ramcyzk was close to his usual self, 40 percent of your offensive line being fundamentally playable isn’t enough.
The Saints did draft Nick Saldiveri in the fourth round of the 2023 draft, and even though he is a tackle, he could kick inside early on in his career. Is that enough, though? Can you expect a fourth-round rookie to step into an offensive line immediately to provide real tangible production? That’s not easy. So Peat and Ruiz are the likely starters in 2023. Which, as we’ve seen, also isn’t enough. More is required, especially when you’ve just given Derek Carr a big shiny new contract.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Right tackle
The most glaring need for the Buccaneers is so clearly under centre. But, we’ve said it before: we’re concentrating on non-quarterback needs for every team so we’ve got to look for other holes. There are many to choose from for the Buccaneers – as this is a team potentially in transition over the next couple of seasons.
The offensive line is in flux. The Buccaneers released Donovan Smith heading into free agency and traded away Shaq Mason to the Texans, leaving Tristan Wirfs to slide over to left tackle, and a need at guard filled by adding Cody Mauch in the second round of the draft. We know that Wirfs will be fine at left tackle, but with Luke Goedeke moving to right tackle there’s more uncertainty. He surrendered 24 pressures in 12 games while playing at guard in 2022, so there’s no guarantee a move to right tackle will translate well.
It could work out in the long run, but some insurance at right tackle might be necessary. There’s still a chance the Buccaneers could make the playoffs in a wide open division after all.
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @tvalentinesport
Photo: Atlanta Falcons. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.