[222] Bucs Free Agency Update & NFC South Free Agency Update

Buccaneers Observer

The Buccaneers have made some major moves since our free agency analysis last week. Tom Brady signed an extension, Shaq Barrett and Gronk are coming back, and Jason Licht and Mike Greenberg are magicians.

The NFC South, on the other hand, is a mess. Drew Brees retires from football, leaving the quarterback position in New Orleans wide open for competition between Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston. There's a steep drop-off at wide receiver after Slant Boy Michael Thomas, and the tight end room lost one of Drew Brees' favorite weapons last year, Jared Cook. The defense in New Orleans will require a lot of attention, but there's not a whole lot of cap space to pay for any of it.

The Carolina Panthers have plenty of money to spend, but a lot of holes to fill. Notably, the offensive line is in shambles. The team attempted to shop Teddy Bridgewater to Detroit when Matthew Stafford was on the table. It doesn't bode well for his future with the team. The team could upgrade at multiple positions on defense, including linebacker and the secondary.

The Atlanta Falcons pushed Matt Ryan's cap hit off another year, when he'll count $42M against the cap. The team likewise needs to rebuild its offensive line and running back room. Newly hired Arthur Smith does not have much cap room to build the team to his liking as most new coaches are wont to do.

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