It was a busy first day in free agency for the NFC South teams, with several division rivals plundering starters from the New Orleans Saints defense. But how do the Monday moves for the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers grade out? Where do the Saints themselves stand after losing so many important pieces? Here’s a quick recap of Monday’s agreed-upon deals and trades for each team in the NFC South:
Note: This is only focused on the opening wave of moves during Monday’s start to the legal tampering period, so more-recent changes like the Falcons signing quarterback Taylor Heinicke and the Buccaneers trading guard Shaq Mason are not factoring in just yet.
Carolina Panthers
Key Additons
- S Vonn Bell (three years, $22.5 million)
- DL Shy Tuttle (three years, $19.5 million)
Key Losses
- QB Sam Darnold (San Francisco)
Key Extensions
- C Bradley Bozeman (three years, $18 million)
Grade
- B-plus. Losing Sam Darnold is meaningless for a team that just traded up for the first overall pick. Vonn Bell is a great addition to their secondary, and Shy Tuttle will be a key part of the rotation in their interior. Their big target in free agency should be getting to the wide receiver market fast to try and get a new good target for your rookie quarterback.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Key Additions
- None
Key Losses
- DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches (New York Giants)
Key Extensions
- S Jamel Dean (four years, $52 million)
Grade
- C. A pretty big nothing-burger of a day for the Bucs. Nunez-Rochez isn’t a major loss and Dean coming back was obvious. I do think if you could talk down on any of the moves, is if you think that Dean got overpaid. The Bucs are kind of stuck in limbo with Kyle Trask at quarterback and still having Tom Brady accounting for $34.5 million in dead cap.
Atlanta Falcons
Key Additions
- S Jessie Bates III (four years, $64.02 million)
- LB Kaden Elliss (three years, $21.5 million)
- TE Jonnu Smith (traded seventh round pick to New England Patriots)
Key Losses
- None
Key Extensions
- OL Chris Lindstrom (five years, $105 million)
- FB Keith Smith (one year, $2.35 million)
- P Bradley Pinion (three years, $8.65 million)
Grade
- A-minus. It may hurt to hear, but the Atlanta Falcons had an outstanding first day in free agency. Ryan Nielsen is taking two of his guys with him to Atlanta. Elliss exploded onto the scene last year in Nielsen’s defense, and now his role and opportunities will only grow. It’s also clear that Nielsen respects Onyemata and what he means for his scheme. Jessie Bates is also a very talented and young safety that will be entering his prime at just the right time for Atlanta. Terry Fontenot is making clear his intentions of rebuilding this team around this offensive core that flashed last year. The Falcons are on the rise, much to the chagrin of New Orleans.
New Orleans Saints
Key Additions
- None
Key Losses
- DL David Onyemata (three years, $35 million)
- DE Marcus Davenport (one year, $13 million)
- LB Kaden Elliss (three years, $21.5 million)
- DL Shy Tuttle (three years, $19.5 million)
Key Extensions
- QB Jameis Winston (one year, $8 million)
Grade
- D-plus. Despite the talent that has left the Saints being deemed replaceable by the community, losing three defensive starters and a key rotational player in one day is a huge hit. Some might be viewing Davenport leaving as a victory, but it’s another body you have to fill before the season. Large parts of the draft capital will have to be used to address solely the defensive line. You might lose out on some big fish if you have to worry about just replenishing your stock. It also hurts that so many of them are staying in division to be seen twice a year. Elliss, the biggest loss, hurt because of his emergence last season. In reality, you wouldn’t want to pay your third linebacker that much money. Onyemata is another that just got a bigger payday than he might be valued at to fans, not much the Saints could do there.
