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The sheer unpredictability of the NFC South makes it one of the NFL's most interesting divisions, and last season was a perfect example of this. The Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers each went 8-9 to finish in a three-way tie for the division title.
While the Panthers won due to having divisional tiebreakers over both the Falcons and Buccaneers, it could have easily worked out differently. Even though Atlanta won its final four games of the year, the team opted to clean house over the offseason.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank brought back franchise legend Matt Ryan to be the team's president of football. Ryan led Atlanta's search for a new head coach and general manager, ultimately hiring Kevin Stefanski and Ian Cunningham.
So how did the Falcons make out in their first offseason under the new regime? Matt Okada of NFL.com gave the team a B-minus grade in his NFL offseason rankings, which was tied for the lowest grade in the NFC South.
"The Falcons saw a ton of turnover this offseason, so they’re one of the tougher teams to grade," wrote Okada. "They released QB Kirk Cousins and WR Darnell Mooney. OT Kaleb McGary retired, and RB Tyler Allgeier, LB Kaden Elliss, DT David Onyemata and CB Dee Alford were among the players they lost in free agency. On the flip side, they hired Stefanski as head coach, signed Tagovailoa for the veteran minimum to compete with Michael Penix Jr., and then picked up a rash of potential contributors with minimal star power."
The Falcons didn't have much salary cap space to work with, which certainly impacted their approach. Plus, the team's lack of draft capital didn't help things. Atlanta traded its first-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams last year.
"Their draft was middling, highlighted by the selections of CB Avieon Terrell (A.J.’s brother) and WR Zachariah Branch in the second and third rounds, respectively," added Okada. "The South is winnable, but the Falcons aren’t in a significantly better or worse position than they were during their 8-9 season in 2025."
While the Falcons didn't get a bad grade, Atlanta and Tampa Bay tied for last in the NFC South. The Panthers and Saints, both of whom received B-plus grades from NFL.com, tied for first in the division.
At the end of the day, all four teams finished under .500 and have plenty of room to improve in 2026. The Falcons will kick off training camp at their Flowery Branch facility later this month.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons tie Buccaneers for worst offseason grade in NFC South
Continue reading...
While the Panthers won due to having divisional tiebreakers over both the Falcons and Buccaneers, it could have easily worked out differently. Even though Atlanta won its final four games of the year, the team opted to clean house over the offseason.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank brought back franchise legend Matt Ryan to be the team's president of football. Ryan led Atlanta's search for a new head coach and general manager, ultimately hiring Kevin Stefanski and Ian Cunningham.
So how did the Falcons make out in their first offseason under the new regime? Matt Okada of NFL.com gave the team a B-minus grade in his NFL offseason rankings, which was tied for the lowest grade in the NFC South.
"The Falcons saw a ton of turnover this offseason, so they’re one of the tougher teams to grade," wrote Okada. "They released QB Kirk Cousins and WR Darnell Mooney. OT Kaleb McGary retired, and RB Tyler Allgeier, LB Kaden Elliss, DT David Onyemata and CB Dee Alford were among the players they lost in free agency. On the flip side, they hired Stefanski as head coach, signed Tagovailoa for the veteran minimum to compete with Michael Penix Jr., and then picked up a rash of potential contributors with minimal star power."
The Falcons didn't have much salary cap space to work with, which certainly impacted their approach. Plus, the team's lack of draft capital didn't help things. Atlanta traded its first-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams last year.
"Their draft was middling, highlighted by the selections of CB Avieon Terrell (A.J.’s brother) and WR Zachariah Branch in the second and third rounds, respectively," added Okada. "The South is winnable, but the Falcons aren’t in a significantly better or worse position than they were during their 8-9 season in 2025."
While the Falcons didn't get a bad grade, Atlanta and Tampa Bay tied for last in the NFC South. The Panthers and Saints, both of whom received B-plus grades from NFL.com, tied for first in the division.
At the end of the day, all four teams finished under .500 and have plenty of room to improve in 2026. The Falcons will kick off training camp at their Flowery Branch facility later this month.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons tie Buccaneers for worst offseason grade in NFC South
Continue reading...
