In an ongoing summer time sequence, Pewter Report ranks every place group inside the NFC South. In case you missed any of the earlier positions listed below are hyperlinks to every.
Quarterbacks
Operating Backs
Huge Receivers
Tight Ends
Offensive Tackles
Offensive Guards
Facilities
Defensive Tackles
Edge
Linebackers
Cornerbacks
Nickelbacks
We now transfer to our final place on protection. It is without doubt one of the deepest positions inside the division. I’m going off of depth charts maintained by Ourlads.com. Now let’s get to the again finish of the secondary with security.
Security
1. Tampa Bay Bucs
Antoine Winfield Jr.
Jordan Whitehead
Christian Izien
Kaevon Merriweather
Relating to the security place, the highest of the NFC South begins with the Bucs and Antoine Winfield Jr. The younger celebrity is the quintessential definition of a “do-it-all” participant. His calling card is his capacity to play deep zone protection. In doing so he has enabled the Bucs to stay a heavy single-high, cover-3 group in a league that has more and more shifted to a two-high world.
Bucs Ss Jordan Whitehead and Antoine Winfield, Jr. – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
However past his deep protection capabilities Winfield has confirmed himself to be a plus slot defender, a incredible cross rusher and an elite run defender. Final yr Winfield put all of it along with one of many biggest seasons in fashionable historical past for a security, contributing large performs on a routine foundation. He had six sacks, six tackles for loss, six pressured fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, 12 passes defensed and three interceptions. It was a season for the ages.
Subsequent to Winfield Jr. the Bucs are bringing again a well-recognized face in Jordan Whitehead. Lengthy thought of probably the greatest field safeties within the NFL, since leaving the Bucs in 2022 Whitehead has confirmed a dependable deep two-high participant with ball expertise of his personal. The 2 create a formidable pair that may vie for the highest security tandem within the NFL.
Christian Izien will most certainly transfer from beginning nickel, the place he performed final yr, to backup free security. He has stable athleticism and a excessive soccer IQ. That offers Tampa Bay a excessive ground for substitute degree play ought to both Winfield or Whitehead has to depart the sphere. Kaevon Merriweather noticed some prolonged motion in the direction of the tip of 2023 and appeared stable as a hard-hitting field security in the identical vein as Whitehead. He’s coming off an incredible preseason debut in Cincinnati, too.
2. Atlanta Falcons
Jessie Bates III
Richie Grant
DeMarcco Hellams
Micah Abernathy
Falcons FS Jessie Bates III – Picture by: USA Right this moment
Jessie Bates III is one among two safeties within the NFL who has any argument to occupy the identical stratosphere as Antoine Winfield Jr. Like his Bucs counterpart Bates is an elite deep security with distinctive ball expertise. This enables his defensive coordinator to be extra inventive in scheming in entrance of him. Bates can also be a plus run defender, however the place he’s not so good as Winfield is as a cross rusher. With simply 12 profession pressures and no sacks it simply isn’t part of his recreation that will get utilized very a lot. Nonetheless, he is an excellent backstop that quarterbacks should at all times account for.
Bates is paired with former second-round choose Richie Grant. Grant is an effective field security who leverages his fast burst to excel as a run defender in addition to a cross rusher. He set profession highs in quarterback pressures and sacks final yr. However a scarcity of top-end velocity creates considerably of a ceiling for Grant and may make him susceptible when he has to zone match in opposition to speedy receivers on deep seam and publish routes.
DeMarcco Hellams performed virtually 400 snaps in his rookie marketing campaign in 2023. He had a powerful protection report, having been focused simply 12 instances and permitting simply 36 yards in 249 protection snaps, although that got here with no ball manufacturing. Hellams was run defender who missed lower than 10% of his sort out makes an attempt. He simply suffered an ankle damage in camp and could also be out to start out the season. Free agent Justin Simmons is visiting the Falcons and might be signed so as to add depth. Micah Abernathy is an undrafted free agent from the 2019 draft class with simply 25 defensive snaps in his profession.
3. New Orleans Saints
Tyrann Mathieu
Jordan Howden
Johnathan Abram
J.T. Grey
Bucs TE Cade Otton and Saints S Tyrann Mathieu – Picture by: USA Right this moment
If the Saints pull the set off on signing free agent Justin Simmons, who the group just lately hosted on a free agent go to, they are going to transfer up my rankings to second and probably even problem for the highest spot within the NFC South. However for now, they’re a really gifted and respectable third place.
It begins with Tyrann Mathieu, who regardless of being on the unsuitable aspect of 30, has posted back-to-back high quality campaigns with the Saints. Since arriving in New Orleans, Matthieu has allowed lower than 500 yards over two seasons and 1,279 protection snaps. He’s nonetheless a high quality chess piece who can transfer across the area and pose matchup issues for passing assaults, however he’s extra of than nice run defender.
Jordan Howden began 4 of the Saints final six video games of 2023 and had some stable success. The previous Golden Gopher has positional flexibility having performed each robust and free security together with manning the slot in a number of video games. He’s nonetheless a little bit of an unknown as a starter, which is what retains the Saints simply behind the Falcons within the NFC South security rankings.
Johnathan Abram has by no means lived as much as his first-round draft standing. He’s routinely picked on in protection and has by no means been a robust run defender. He can fill in a pinch, however over prolonged appears to be like he has been uncovered as a legal responsibility. J.T. Grey is getting into his sixth season with New Orleans, and regardless of being hardly ever known as upon he has performed comparatively effectively over that point interval.
4. Carolina Panthers
Xavier Woods
Jordan Fuller
Nick Scott
Jammie Robinson
Louisiana Tech S Xavier Woods – Picture courtesy of La Tech
The Panthers don’t have a foul security room. It’s simply the every of the opposite groups within the division has a celebrity main their teams whereas Carolina has a stable group with out a true headliner. Xavier Woods is coming off of his greatest season as a professional beneath defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. His 132 receiving yards allowed and seven.3 yards per catch allowed have been each profession bests for him. Like Atlanta’s Jessie Bates, Woods is an effective top-down security who will help in run assist, however isn’t used as a cross rush weapon as Evero will not be one to name many defensive again blitzes.
Jordan Fuller was a extremely good signing by the Panthers. After beginning his profession off effectively with two high quality seasons in 2020 and 2021, a hamstring damage pressured him to overlook most of 2022. Nonetheless, he had an incredible comeback in 2023 posting 94 tackles, eight passes defensed, three interceptions and three pressured fumbles.
Given his robust run protection I’d think about the Panthers attempt to carry Fuller into the field greater than the Rams did. Particularly since Woods is an effective deep security in his personal rights. Evero likes to run plenty of two-high appears to be like as a disciple of Raheem Morris so search for each gamers to get loads of alternatives to patrol deep.
Evero is conversant in Nick Scott, as the 2 labored collectively in Los Angeles with the Rams. He has confirmed to be a protection legal responsibility up to now, however the Bengals have been capable of weaponize him as a blitzer final yr in a small pattern dimension. Jammie Robinson was a much-heralded prospect popping out of Florida State, however fell to the fifth spherical and performed lower than 65 snaps final yr. His lack of athleticism retains his ceiling low.
