NFC South 2014 Free Agency Signings

The NFC South is the division where all of the team's head coaches won the AP NFL Coach of the Year Award, most recently won by Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera. Riverboat, as they call him, has been effective for his third and crucial season for the Panthers, finishing 1st in NFC South and a playoff berth where they eventually lost to San Francisco 49ers in NFC Divisional game.

The Atlanta Falcons remains faithful to Mike Smith after a disastrous season where everyone expected that they are Super Bowl-bound in Tony Gonzales' last season with the Falcons. A horrible offensive and defensive line made them more vulnerable to opponents smash-mouth gameplan over them.

The New Orleans Saints' hoped that they can lock up Jimmy Graham in a long-term contract after they franchise tag him before free agency. Three years after bounty scandal, Coach Sean Peyton will be back again for another season and that means another competitive and contending season for the Saints towards the Super Bowl.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers another coaching change may held the team another year for a setback but with a veteran coach like Lovie Smith handling the team, things can easily turnaround for a team loaded in talent. Expect the Buccaneers turnaround like what we just saw from the Chiefs last season, in part of that, let's take a look at each team's offseason moves last month.
[next]
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished last in the NFC South race tying with Atlanta Falcons with a 4-12 record last season. With a new head coach in Lovie Smith, expect the Buccaneers to solidify their defense while their offense will take care of the football more with game manager like Josh McCown under the center. Let's take a look how Lovie Smith changes the culture of the Bucs with his recent signings:

Alterraun Verner
Jonathan Casillas
Josh McCown
Anthony Collins
Evan Dietrich-Smith
Dane Fletcher
Oniel Cousins
Jeremy Cain
Mike Jenkins
Josh Baker
Jorvorskie Lane
Major Wright
Lavelle Hawkins

Alterraun Verner and Mike Jenkins could start at both cornerback positions and give the Bucs a formidable secondary with Dashon Goldson and Mark Barron on the safety spots. Their secondary depth consists of a promising rookie with Johnthan Banks and a veteran like Major Wright, a current trend in the NFL emphasizing the defensive backfield to beat a pass-happy team for the regular season.

Evan Dietrich-Smith and Anthony Collins join All-Pro Guard Carl Nicks to anchor their offensive line to make Josh McCown comfortable in the pocket and to give some running lanes to Doug Martin for their offensive production. With a high draft pick in May, a talented offensive tackle can be the last missing piece for the Bucs offensive line.
[next]
ATLANTA FALCONS

The Atlanta Falcons create a buzz on bringing Jadeveon Clowney on their facility and let him display his athleticism in a cutting-edge drills set up by the Falcons. The Atlanta Falcons and Silicon Valley-based Sparta Software Corp., the sister company of Sparta Performance Science, uses force plate technology to measure the athletic grade of Jadeveon Clowney in his drills for the team. With a team partnering with a sports science group, the Falcons will also use their technology in this off-season and regular season to enhance their players performance in the field. With that said, let's take a look on their recent signings to join their team:

Gabe Carimi
Corey Peters
Mike Johnson
Jonathan Babineaux
Joe Hawley
Jon Asamoah
Tyson Jackson
Paul Soliai
Javier Arenas
Devin Hester
Dwight Lowery
Josh Wilson

Jonathan Babineaux, Paul Soliai, and Tyson Jackson will now form a run-stuffing defensive line that can wreck havoc to their opponents passing and running game. With Osi Umenyiora providing their pass rush, a more productive defensive line will now take place to seal the deal to their defensive woes.

Devin Hester and Javier Arenas were signed to compete for their returning jobs this offseason. Devin Hester, a possible hall of fame kick returner will prove teams that he can still be a capable returner for this Atlanta Falcons kicking game. Javier Arenas on the other hand, will try to prove his worth in special teams and willing to learn the secrets behind Devin Hester kick returning game.
[next]
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

The New Orleans Saints exercised their rights to franchise tag Jimmy Graham for retaining him as the no. 1 weapon for Sean Payton and Drew Brees arsenal. Graham was a little disappointed for not receiving a long-term contract but happily to play again for the Saints. Jairus Byrd is their biggest splash signing on the free agency, locking him up to a six-year contract to be their starting free safety. Bringing veterans to their roster, here are their free agency signings so far:

Jimmy Graham
Jairus Byrd
Ramon Humber
Zach Strief
Erik Lorig
Joseph Morgan
Parys Haralson
Luke McCown
Marcus Ball
Champ Bailey
Rafael Bush
Robert Meachem

Champ Bailey and Jairus Byrd will team up with Kenny Vaccaro and Patrick Robinson to form a defensive backfield backed with experience. Keenan Lewis and Rafael Bush will provide as a backup remedy for this starting unit and could start both at nickel and dime packages.

The Saints' prodigal son, Robert Meachem, is now back for another season for the Saints. With Marques Colston and Kenny Stills running the show, Robert Meachem could be their slot receiver on some of their packages.
[next]
CAROLINA PANTHERS

The Carolina Panthers finished strong in their last regular season with 12-4 under head coach Ron Rivera. The Panthers exercised their fifth-year option on Cam Newton to retain him as their starting quarterback on his rookie deal. On the wake of Steve Smith's released, the Panthers seem desperate to have a legitimate no. 1 receiver on their disposal. The draft can fill some of their holes, but some of their recent free agent signings will provide some depth to their current roster:

Greg Hardy
Graham Gano
Richie Brockel
Garry Williams
Mike McNeill
Jason Williams
James Dockery
Roman Harper
Jerricho Cotchery
Jason Avant
Colin Cole
Thomas DeCoud
Ed Dickson

Greg Hardy being franchise-tagged by the Carolina Panthers is their best move this off-season as Hardy is now considered as one of the top five players at his position. The signing of Roman Harper and Thomas DeCoud will be an upgrade to their incumbent starters last season.

Jerricho Cotchery and Jason Avant was not a no-name receivers but not yet proven of handling the offensive load being the starting wide receivers for the Carolina Panthers. Take note of the Panthers drafting two defensive tackles in last year's draft in Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short to fill their needs at both positions. It might happen again this time with the wide receivers group, to draft a sure-fire receivers to be their starting wideouts.
[next]
OVERALL

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons are the winners for this off-season signings so far. They showed immediate improvement based on paper alone and will try to compete against the powerhouse teams in Saints and Panthers. While the Buccaneers start over again with a new head coach and the Falcons faith on Mike Smith strengthened, the battle of the proven head coaches in the NFC South will once again put their division atop in NFL's most competitive divisions around the league.