Ah, the NFC South -- where even north of Florida, hope is to be found, small as it may be.
The Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons are annoying spoilers sitting right around .500, with star receivers and young quarterbacks showing flashes of brilliance. New Orleans has a top pick almost guaranteed next year!
Hopefully they spend it on an actual starting QB!
Regardless, there is always some tweaking to be done at the now-looming trade deadline, and while the majority of the NFC South should largely be selling rather than buying, there are always players that can bear to be ... upgraded. These are our picks for whom each team in the NFC South should look to replace.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Haason Reddick, LB
Despite injury luck so bad that it rivals that of the San Francisco 49ers, the Bucs have cushy seats atop the NFC South and are genuinely poised for a deep playoff run. Despite coming back down to earth a bit, Baker Mayfield remains one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and has made lemonade out of the revolving door of backups for Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka (newly back, thank goodness), and running back Bucky Irving. Tampa Bay is as complete a roster as you can get ...
... But, with Haason Reddick week-to-week with an ankle sprain, Tampa Bay is awfully thin at linebacker. And that lack of depth has exposed SirVocea Dennis, who has been healthy this year, but has been a leaky faucet in coverage. Granted, covering the likes of Bijan Robinson, Christian McCaffrey, and Jahmyr Gibbs is no small ask, but the Buccaneers need help, and even with Reddick on the field they're still painfully bereft of playmakers around him. Maybe rookie Chris Braswell, but the Bucs' expectations are too high for maybe's.
Atlanta Falcons: Darnell Mooney, WR
Atlanta's defense is set, especially their newly-mighty pass rush. Michael Penix, Jr. isn't great, but he has clear chemistry with Drake London. Bijan Robinson could be the best running back in the league. Everything seems tailor-made for the Falcons to compete atop the NFC South for years to come.
And then London goes down, and Darnell Mooney couldn't drive end-to-end in the massive shoes he leaves behind. He doesn't necessarily have to be cut, but Mooney is not a #2, let alone a decent 1A, and the Falcons are in a great place to take a swing on a veteran name. Best of all, in a year where plenty of veteran receivers are looking for new homes (more on that later), Atlanta is one of those rare teams blessed with too many talented edge rushers. Arnold Ebiketie and Leonard Floyd are valuable trading chips with the immediate emergence of rookies Jalon Walker and James Pearce, Jr., and could be used for either valuable draft capital or to give the Falcons some decent receiver help.
Carolina Panthers: Tershawn Wharton, DE
The Panthers are so boringly middle of the road, it's painful. They began by opening up the season 1-3, then cranked off three wins in a row against the true dregs of the NFL. Their run defense was seemingly fixed before James Cook ripped off a 216 yard, 2 TD nuke on them in Week 8. This team is confusing, but there is potential there. Bryce Young, for better or for worse, is their future for now, Tetairoa McMillan is a star, their offensive line is improved, and they even have one of the best running back duos in the league. On paper, Carolina is not half bad.
But then you look at their passing defense and their average-at-best secondary. And while I'd love to tear that entire unit to shreds, the one thing Carolina can do to address the issue is to pick up a true playmaker in the pass rush. They need someone to finish plays before quarterbacks can extend them, and Tershawn Wharton is not it. Boy, oh boy, do the Panthers desperately miss Brian Burns. And while Trey Hendrickson is older and will be expensive, maybe he could be what pushes Carolina over the edge.
New Orleans Saints: Rashid Shaheed, WR
We have arrived at the most maddening team for this exercise. The Saints are 1-7, directionless, and so very old, and have rightfully been labelled as the team that should hold the biggest fire sale at the deadline. There is no replacing anyone on this roster with much of any meaning.
But they also recently made the decision to see what they have in 26-year-old rookie Tyler Shough (no, I will not shut up about his age), and given their surprisingly decent offensive line -- they successfully held the Giants' pass rush at bay in Week 5 -- the best thing they can do for Shough is to get him a number two receiver that can feasibly take the heat off of Chris Olave. Rashid Shaheed ain't it, but 2025 is the year of the wide receiver trade rumors, and there are plenty of vets that New Orleans could use, from DJ Moore to Jakobi Meyers and even Calvin Ridley.
Of course, the more likely scenario is that New Orleans blows up the whole roster anyway and tears everything down to the studs. I know I probably would, if the draft capital were good enough in return.