NFC South preseason power rankings: Carolina Panthers trailing division rivals

The Carolina Panthers are very much in the early stages of a long rebuild. Frank Reich is gone and Dave Canales is in, but the franchise needs to figure out a way to be competitive with a young roster lacking in several areas.

The Panthers should overtake last year's putrid two-win total. However, given how some of their NFC South rivals have improved, it might take a while before Carolina can take themselves to that next level. Once again, playing spoiler will be their primary role in 2024.

Carolina could be a thorn in the side of their division rivals, but they will need major improvements to leap up these power rankings.

NFC South Power Rankings: Panthers behind division rivals

4. Carolina Panthers

Despite some renewed optimism that suggests Carolina will be better this season than they were in 2024, they could still be at the bottom of the division. Perhaps even the NFL as a whole when it's all said and done.

The defense is better despite losing several influential figures. Second-year quarterback Bryce Young will be in a much better situation than the nightmare he found himself in last year. That said, the rest of Carolina's roster is lacking in key areas.

The only way to avoid this fate will be Young taking a Peyton Manning-type leap in Year 2.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It seems harsh to put the Tampa Bay Buccaneers here after winning a playoff game last year and proving that Baker Mayfield is a solid starting quarterback in this league. But they did get some extremely fortuitous bounces in 2024.

Mayfield will lose Canales, who helped get his career back on track during his one season as Tampa Bay's offensive coordinator. The running game is also very much a work in progress.

The Buccaneers have a good defense, but Mayfield's performance in close games will likely regress to the mean. Still, Tampa Bay should be considered a wild card threat.

2. New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints were expected to coast through the division last year, but Derek Carr's struggles to get acclimated contributed to an early-season slump. Even with the roster thinning around them, the veteran signal-caller's improvement toward the end of the campaign should be good enough to get fans optimistic heading into 2024.

This could be the last charge of the Light Brigade for the Saints, as they will need to shed some money in the offseason. A lot is hanging on Carr's arm.

1. Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are the most dangerous kind of sleeping giant. With one of the best collections of skill players in the league and a promising defense, any above-average quarterback with more panache than Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke should be able to take them to the postseason.

Like him or not, Kirk Cousins represents a massive upgrade over those two.

With a quarterback capable of distributing the ball and Raheem Morris in charge, the Falcons should be considered the favorites to win the NFC South. As for the Panthers? They're playing catch-up until further notice.

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