There is no division in the NFL as up for grabs this year as the 2026 NFC South. Although the Carolina Panthers are the reigning champs, they did not win last year’s race decisively. The team came out on top of a three-way tie at 8-9 with the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers via a complicated common-opponent tiebreaker, despite losing their Week 18 matchup against the Bucs.
Even the New Orleans Saints, who finished two games back at 6-11, left 2026 with considerable momentum. The Saints won five out of their last eight games to end the year, setting up a full season with head coach Kellen Moore and quarterback Tyler Shough to build on that success.
With the Bucs getting healthier (and with one of the steals of the first round), the Panthers shoring up their biggest weakness from last year in the offseason, and the Saints and Falcons adding talent from the AFC, every team in the division has a shot to claim the title of NFC South champ.
Panthers Spend Big on Pass Rush
Carolina’s defensive unit ranked 15th in both points and yards allowed per game last season, an overachievement considering their well-below-average defensive line. The ineffectiveness of the guys in the trenches hindered both their pass and rush defense: Carolina was in the bottom third of the NFL last season in rushing yards allowed per game and per rush attempt, and their pass rush mustered up just 30 sacks (tied for third worst in football) and 150 total pressures (dead last).
Carolina’s sack numbers were even worse under inspection. Of their 30 sacks in 2025, 15 came on blitzes. Defensive tackle Derrick Brown and linebacker Nic Scourton led the team with just five sacks apiece despite both playing all 17 games.
The Panthers clearly weren’t oblivious to their shortcomings in 2025. They shelled out the largest total contract of any team in the offseason, a $120 million deal to former Dolphins and Eagles pass-rusher Jaelan Phillips in free agency. A big and talented edge who has yet to put it all together for a whole season, Phillips will instantly become the team’s best pass-rusher, and they are banking on him taking a leap heading into year six of his NFL career.
Carolina also addressed their weaknesses in stopping the run. They selected defensive tackle Lee Hunter in the second round of this year’s draft, a run-stuffing specialist from Texas Tech, and signed Jags linebacker Devin Lloyd in free agency. Hunter will form one of the best run-stopping duos in the NFL with Derrick Brown, who will have newfound support behind them in Lloyd and fellow free-agent signing Bobby Okereke.
Bain and Co. Lead A Front Seven Rebuild In Tampa
Last year’s Buccaneers were ravaged by injury from start to finish. All-Pro tackle Tristan Wirfs and reliable slot receiver Chris Godwin missed the first three games of the year, but it didn’t end there: starting guard Cody Mauch tore his meniscus in Week 2 and missed the rest of the season, DT Calijah Kancey played just 3 games after sustaining a pectoral injury, Mike Evans missed 9 games with several ailments, Bucky Irving missed 7 games with a shoulder injury, and starting o-linemen Ben Bredeson and Luke Goedeke both had spells on the IR during the season.
Every team deals with injuries, but the Bucs were dealt one of the worst hands in the league last season. The strengths of the 2024 Buccaneers (who won the NFC South), offensive line and skill position versatility, were completely wiped away by injury, and Kancey’s absence exacerbated existing pass-rushing deficiencies in the edge room. Tampa hopes improved health will aid the offense while their offseason additions strengthen the defense.
The Buccaneers kept University of Miami star Rueben Bain Jr. in Florida by selecting him with the 15th pick in the first round of the 2026 draft. A consensus top-five talent in the class, Bain fell because of concerns about his short arms and off-the-field incidents. His stout frame will make him an excellent run defender right away, even if the concerns about his arm length come to fruition.
Bain joins free agent signings A’Shawn Robinson and Al-Quadin Muhammad in a revamped Tampa front seven. Robinson gives the Bucs another interior defender to spell Vita Vea and Kancey, and Muhammad is a pass-rush specialist who had a career-high 11 sacks last season with the Detroit Lions.
Muhammad will be reunited with Lions teammate Alex Anzalone, an athletic coverage linebacker who will take over that mantle from the aging Lavonte David. Tampa is banking on the combination of Muhammad, Bain, and a healthy Kancey bringing some much-needed juice to their pass rush, and Anzalone to replace David’s invaluable coverage on the back end.
New Year, New Coach, Same Falcons
Although the Falcons ended the year in a three-way tie for first, their season was effectively over following a Week 14 loss to the Seahawks that eliminated them from playoff contention. Atlanta parted ways with head coach Raheem Morris at the end of the season and replaced him with Kevin Stefanski, who was let go by the Cleveland Browns.
In free agency, the Falcons signed Jahaan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus to round out the receiving core behind Drake London, Jake Bailey, and Nick Folk to replace their punter and kicker, and Jawaan Taylor to protect the blindside. Atlanta’s biggest personnel question will be their starting QB: as of September 5th, the Falcons have yet to decide between Michael Penix Jr. and free agent acquisition Tua Tagovailoa.
Whoever ends up being the starter will be supported by a solid offensive line, elite running back, and versatile pass-catching group. Stefanski’s experience navigating Cleveland’s dubious QB situation will help him manage Atlanta’s current predicament, and while Tua and Penix aren’t exactly the same, being left-handers who prefer to stay in the pocket is close enough for practice reps to translate over to either option.
Saints Build Around Shough
New Orleans got as much out of their first season under Kellen Moore as they could’ve asked for. Despite a rough start, the back half of the season gave them a foundation to build on and some much-needed clarity on the future of the quarterback position with Tyler Shough. Having secured the most important position on the field, New Orleans started to build out the rest of the offense in the offseason.
Jags running back Travis Etienne was the highest-profile signing for New Orleans, but their largest contract actually went to Bills o-lineman David Edwards. Both additions will try to improve a Saints run game that ranked 29th in the NFL in yards per game, tied for last in rushing TDs, and dead last in yards per rush. Etienne’s shiftiness should be a significant upgrade over an aging Alvin Kamara and recently waived Devin Neal, who weren’t given much to work with but still failed to maximize what little room there was to run.
The Saints also added an exciting weapon to the passing game with their selection of Arizona State receiver Jordyn Tyson in the first round of this year’s draft. A long, graceful receiver with excellent ball skills, Tyson joins an intriguing set of weapons at Shough’s disposal: Etienne and Kamara are both great pass-catching backs; tight end Juwan Johnson is joined by third-round pick Oscar Delp and free-agent signing Noah Fant; and wide receiver Chris Olave was an All-Pro in 2025.
2026 NFC South Preview: Who Comes Out on Top?
The Buccaneers are still the best team in the NFC South, and the safe bet is that their talent wins out in one of the NFL’s weakest divisions. Mike Evans’ departure may mean the passing attack can’t reach the same heights it has in previous seasons, but Baker Mayfield’s floor and a cleaner bill of health across the board should bring the Bucs another top-half finish on offense.
Tampa’s revamped front seven should also see them return to being stingy against the run, a hallmark of a Todd Bowles defense that sets up his aggressive blitzing schemes on obvious passing downs. Bowles may not even need to blitz frequently if Reuben Bain can fulfill the potential that made him a consensus top-five prospect and Calijah Kancey can stay on the field.
Carolina will provide the most resistance to Tampa Bay’s pursuit of the division title, but their hopes for the playoffs are contingent on Bryce Young maintaining an entire season of efficient quarterback play. Offseason reinforcements to the front seven should help the defense take a step forward, but ultimately the Panthers’ season will rest on the fourth-year QB’s shoulders. That may be too much to ask at this point in Young’s career.
Atlanta and New Orleans have too many question marks to be considered favorites for the division. The Falcons not only haven’t named a starting quarterback, but will also have to cope without their leading sack getter last year for the first half of the season as James Pearce Jr. serves an eight-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
New Orleans has a lot to like with Shough, but he is essentially still a rookie with only nine starts under his belt. The growing pains of an inexperienced quarterback and second-year head coach leave the Saints as outsiders in the race for the NFC South.
