Getty Image / Cooper Neill
There’s no way around it, the NFC South was really bad this year.
It was the only division in the NFL that didn’t have a single team finish above .500.
All 4 teams in the division finished the season with negative point differentials and 3 of those teams earned picks in the top 10 of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Shockingly, things could actually get worse in that division next year based on what the quarterback situations of each team currently look like.
With Tom Brady retiring, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers now have Kyle Trask as the only QB on their roster.
The Atlanta Falcons have Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder.
The Panthers have Matt Corral, who lost his whole rookie year to an injury, and Jacob Eason, who has thrown 10 passes in the first two years of his career.
The Saints have Jameis Winston, Jake Luton, and Taysom Hill.
NFC South QBs currently under contract for next season:#Falcons:
• Desmond Ridder
• Marcus Mariota#Bucs:
• Kyle Trask#Panthers:
• Matt Corral
• Jacob Eason#Saints:
• Jameis Winston
• Jake Luton— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 1, 2023
To make matters worse for the teams in this division, none of them are even positioned to improve at the position through the draft.
The Saints don’t actually own their pick, but have the 49ers’ first rounder, which will be very late in the round.
The Bucs pick 19th and will likely be looking to fill holes elsewhere on their roster.
The Panthers and Falcons will likely miss out on the top QB options with the 8th and 9th picks. One of them could end up with Anthony Richardson, but he is a very raw prospect who wouldn’t have an immediate impact.
The Falcons could potentially pursue a free agent QB as they are projected to have the league’s 2nd most cap space.
The Panthers are currently projected over the salary cap, but have some cuttable contracts that could make room for new signings. However, they would need to clear a lot of room to land a starting quarterback.
The Buccaneers and Saints are the two teams projected to have the league’s least cap space, so they likely won’t be landing a starting quarterback in free agency.
Unless these teams find a way to bring in quality quarterbacks, the NFC South could end up being the first division to ever have a team win the division with a losing record in back to back seasons.