Kirk Cousins and the Falcons look to be top dogs this year
With the 2024 NFL regular season around the corner, every team in the league is set to make some tough decisions, cutting down the roster to get 53 men who will start the year with Super Bowl aspirations.
However, with only so many playoff spots to secure, every team will be fighting to come out of their division as winners, or at least earn a wild card spot.
FOX Sports' Colin Cowherd gave his predictions for how each division will shake out before training camp began. Using those rankings, here is a breakdown of each team in each division, continuing with the NFC South.
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Quarterback Kirk Cousins, #18 of the Atlanta Falcons, looks to pass during OTA offseason workouts at the Atlanta Falcons training facility on May 14, 2024 in Flowery Branch, Georgia. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
1. Atlanta Falcons
Colin says: "I do think Atlanta getting Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. will stabilize the quarterback position. Second-best offensive line in football. It’s hard not to be a playoff team when you have that good of an offensive line."
There is new blood in Atlanta, and as head coach Raheem Morris takes over for Arthur Smith, and Cousins, coming off a torn Achilles with the Minnesota Vikings, chose the Falcons in free agency.
Because of Cousins' arrival, some believe it is the Falcons' division to lose. Of course, the NFC South has been up for grabs for quite some time now, but with better quarterback play around the team's stud weapons, Atlanta could run away with it.
KEY ADDITIONS: DE MATTHEW JUDON & S JUSTIN SIMMONS
It is clear to see that Cousins is going to be a key to the Falcons' success. Even if he is not healthy, the Falcons selected Penix Jr. out of Washington with its first-round pick to solidify the position, as Cowherd mentioned.
So, the biggest additions come on the other side of the ball to shore up the defense, as the Falcons traded for Judon and sniped Simmons off the free agent list.
NFC WEST BREAKDOWN: HOW WILL THE DIVISION SHAKE OUT IN NFL SEASON?
Judon is coming off a tough season, playing just four games due to a season-ending injury. However, he is a four-time Pro Bowler who had 12.5 sacks in 2021 and 15.5 in 2022. Adding him to the defensive line is a massive lift.
Then, pairing Simmons, who led the league in interceptions with six in 2022 and followed it up with three last season, with Jessie Bates III makes for a fun secondary that also includes A.J. Terrell as the team's top cornerback.
BIGGEST QUESTION: IS KIRK THE ANSWER?
With a great offensive line and a star-studded supporting cast, it is truly up to Cousins in year 13 to bring everything Falcons fans have been waiting for together.
One truly never knows how it is going to be coming off a major injury like an Achilles, but Cousins has looked fine in training camp and has hit his milestone of being ready for Week 1.
Before his injury last season, he was one of the best passers in the league with 2,331 yards and 18 touchdowns along with five interceptions in eight games.
WEEK 1: VS. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (SEPT. 8 at 1 P.M.)
Baker Mayfield, #6 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, celebrates with Mike Evans, #13, during an NFL Wild Card playoff football game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Raymond James Stadium on Jan. 15, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Colin says: "Bucs have made the playoffs four straight years, Baker (Mayfield) is more than capable."
The Bucs rewarded lots of their own talent in free agency this offseason, including Mayfield, who proved to be the team's franchise quarterback, with a three-year extension to keep him in the Sunshine State.
They also extended his top target, Mike Evans, made his right tackle happy in Tristan Wirfs, and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. will continue holding it down as the last line of defense.
Tampa Bay won the division last year in what needed Week 18 to decide its fate, but they also beat the reigning NFC-champion Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs, too. Do not sleep on Tampa Bay.
KEY ADDITION: WR JALEN MCMILLAN
The Bucs needed to get a new center in the Draft after not addressing the position in free agency, and Graham Barton was a solid pick in the first round.
However, one of the more intriguing additions was McMillan, who starred for Washington during the team's national title game run.
Can McMillan bring another threat to this Bucs offense that has a new system under Liam Coen after Dan Canales went to the rival-Panthers as their new head coach? He can take the top off a defense with a good route tree and blazing speed.
NFC EAST BREAKDOWN: HOW WILL DIVISION SHAKE OUT IN 2024 NFL SEASON?
BIGGEST QUESTION: CAN COEN KEEP IT GOING?
As mentioned, Canales' offensive system is no longer in Tampa Bay, and the Bucs brought in Coen, the former Kentucky Wildcats offensive coordinator, to replace him.
Tampa had solid play on offense, and though there was room to improve, it was enough to win games.
Coen's scheme needs to be able to continue the trend of positivity, or the Bucs could find themselves lost early this season.
WEEK 1: VS. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (SEPT. 8 at 4:25 P.M.)
Bryce Young, #9 of the Carolina Panthers, reacts after defeating the Houston Texans 15-13 at Bank of America Stadium on Oct. 29, 2023 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
3. Carolina Panthers
Colin says: "Carolina, not very good."
Cowherd keeps it short and sweet, but it Is hard not to look at the league's 2-15 team last season and expect anything above .500 on the record in 2024.
It will be year two for quarterback Bryce Young, the Alabama product they traded up for in last year's Draft, and they took South Carolina's Xavier Legette in the first round to give him a much-needed weapon at receiver alongside Adam Thielen.
However, the roster is still raw in Carolina as Canales takes over.
KEY ADDITION: DAVE CANALES
With so much invested in the offense, the Panthers went with Canales as their next head coach, and it could bode very well for Young and company.
They also brought in right guard Robert Hunt on a massive deal to shore up the offensive line, protecting their precious quarterback investment.
In all, Canales' scheme is going to make or break this team that was dead last in total yards and points per game last season. If he cannot get Young and the rest of the unit on the same page quickly, like Cowherd said, it is just not going to be very good in Carolina.
BIGGEST QUESTION: WILL ANOTHER WR STEP UP?
Thielen was one of the bright lights in a season to forget for the Panthers, but one of the main reasons why was due to him being the only reliable option for Young to throw the ball to.
Not only did Carolina invest in Legette, but they got Diontae Johnson via trade as well. Canales has noted that, when he looks at his offense, he is trying to find where Johnson is. The veteran had issues in Pittsburgh, but perhaps this new start can bring Young another reliable option.
However, it could be Legette in the end, too. No matter who it is, the Panthers desperately need someone to step up at receiver this season.
WEEK 1: @ NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (SEPT. 8 at 1 P.M.)
Derek Carr, #4 of the New Orleans Saints, looks on after the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on Dec. 31, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
4. New Orleans Saints
Colin says: "I don't like New Orleans' situation right now coaching at all."
If there was ever a coach to be on the hot seat to start the season, it is Dennis Allen down in New Orleans.
Yes, they went 9-8 last season and just missed out on the playoffs, but there the Saints should have won more games than their record said after finishing well in both offensive and defensive categories.
They returned most of the same team, but Klint Kubiak took over as offensive coordinator after the dismissal of longtime OC Pete Carmichael Jr.
KEY ADDITION: DE CHASE YOUNG
Could New Orleans, a place with a veteran defensive line that sets a tone every game, be the place where Young can revitalize his career?
It is never good to be the No. 2 overall pick in your Draft and bounce around the league like Young has. New Orleans will be his third team in five seasons, but he still produced 7.5 sacks after being traded out of Washington last year before the deadline.
Still, Young has not shown he can be a dependable every-down edge rusher like he was at Ohio State. However, can Allen and the coaching staff find what makes him successful in this defense? He could be a difference maker if so.
BIGGEST QUESTION: IS DEREK CARR THE RIGHT QB?
Simply put, Carr has no choice but to ball out this season because, despite signing a five-year, $125 million contract to join the Saints last offseason, they have an opt-out after the 2024 campaign. It's a lot of dead cap money, but the Saints may just want to go in a younger direction.
Carr does get a lot of hate for having 3,878 yards with 25 touchdowns to eight interceptions last season, but there were times when the Saints' offense was just too stagnant, and it ultimately cost them at the end of games.
The NFC South is a division up for grabs again in the 2024 NFL season. (Getty Images)
If Carr cannot get it done early, Allen, knowing he is on the hot seat, could make a drastic move to maybe use Taysom Hill, or perhaps Spencer Rattler gets his licks.
WEEK 1: VS. CAROLINA PANTHERS (SEPT. 8 at 1 P.M.)
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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
