[h=1]Plugging the Holes: NFC South[/h][h=3]Identifying biggest post-draft needs for Falcons, Panthers, Saints and Bucs[/h]By Vince Verhei | Football Outsiders
ESPN INSIDER
In this post-draft edition of Plugging the Holes, Football Outsiders will look at the biggest remaining personnel need of every team, going division by division.
Thursday's edition examines the NFC South.
[h=3]Atlanta Falcons: Pass-rusher[/h]
The Falcons' defense finished 29th in Football Outsiders' DVOA rankings, 26th against the run and dead last against the pass. So general manager Thomas Dimitroff went to work in free agency, adding starters up front (former Kansas City defensive end Tyson Jackson and former Miami defensive tackle Paul Soliai) and depth in the secondary (cornerbacks Javier Arenas from Arizona and Josh Wilson from Washington). Dimitroff failed to add a pass-rusher, though, and that's a problem. By FO's adjusted sack rate metric, the Falcons had the league's worst pass rush last season.
Osi Umenyiora led the team last season with 7.5 sacks, but he'll be 33 in November, and he hasn't cracked double-digit sacks since 2010. <OFFER>Plus, the Falcons seem likely to use more 3-4 looks, which might limit Umenyiora to a specialized third-and-long role. Nobody else on the roster has ever collected more than six sacks in a season. </OFFER>
Most 3-4 teams get pass rush from their outside linebackers, but it's not even clear whom the Falcons will be starting at that position. Jonathan Massaquoi, a part-time end for his first two seasons in the league, is a favorite, and he has shown flashes of potential (four sacks and 19 hurries in only 528 defensive snaps last season). The team also drafted defensive lineman Ra'Shede Hageman (10 career sacks in college) and linebacker Prince Shembo (19.5). If the Falcons are lucky, one of those players could turn into the edge rusher they so badly need.
[h=3]Carolina Panthers: Offensive tackle[/h]
Jordan Gross, one of the top left tackles in the NFL, surprised the Panthers by calling it a career in February, and the Panthers surprised everyone by not making a move in free agency or the draft to try to fill his spot. General manager David Gettleman explained why quite succinctly in an interview with Bryan Strickland on the team's website: He didn't like any of the available options any more than the ones he already had on the roster.
The likely favorite to take over for Gross is Byron Bell, who joined Carolina in 2011 as an undrafted free agent out of New Mexico (where he played on the left side of the line) and started 41 games at right tackle during the next three seasons. Another option to compete with Bell (or take his old job at right tackle) is Nate Chandler, a former defensive lineman who started eight unimpressive games at guard last season; FO charters charged him with one blown block every 33.4 snaps, putting him among the bottom 10 guards in the league with at least 500 snaps. Garry Williams started 11 games at right tackle in 2010, but has started only 10 games since (and just one in 2013) due to myriad knee and ankle injuries. The Panthers also could have an opening at guard, especially if Chandler wins one of the tackle spots and Travelle Wharton retires. Trai Turner, a third-round rookie out of LSU, could be the next man up.
[h=3]New Orleans Saints: Center[/h]
Usually when we write about a team's biggest hole, what we mean is that the players at a given position are too old, or too young, or too small, or just plain no good. For the Saints, though, the center position is literally an empty space. They do not list a veteran center on their roster. Tim Lelito is listed as "C/G," and if the Saints had a game tomorrow he'd probably be the guy snapping the ball. Lelito, an undrafted rookie in 2013 out of Division II Grand Valley State, played in every game last season, including a couple of starts at guard. He did play center in college. The only other center on the team right now is Matthew Armstrong, a college teammate of Lelito's who joined the Saints as an undrafted free agent this year. In an interview with Gary Estwick of The New Orleans Advocate, Armstrong didn't sound like he was interested in a competition. "I'm not here to compete for a starting spot," he said. "I'm just trying to make the team."
Jonathan Goodwin, who started in New Orleans for three years before spending the past three seasons in San Francisco, recently visited the Saints. Goodwin could sign after June 1, when he won't cost the Saints a compensatory draft pick. Even then, though, the Saints' best option would be a guy the 49ers let walk away. Other available centers include ex-Bengal Kyle Cook, ex-Titan and Steeler Fernando Velasco, and ex-Cowboy, Raven, and Raider Andre Gurode.
[h=3]Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Offensive line[/h]
This certainly is a common thread among NFC South teams, isn't it? Even Atlanta might have needed a lineman if it hadn't taken Jake Matthews in the first round of the draft. As for Tampa Bay, the Bucs made some major changes on the line this season, but none of their acquisitions seem like permanent fixes. Gone are center Jeremy Zuttah (traded to Baltimore) and guard Davin Joseph and tackle Donald Penn (both released after the season). The only remaining starters from 2013 are tackle Demar Dotson and guard Carl Nicks. Nicks, signed to a $47.5 million contract in 2012, played in only nine games in his first two seasons in Tampa Bay after a battle with staph infection, but the Bucs are hopeful he finally will be healthy in 2014.
The rest of the line will be filled by spare parts picked up cheap from other teams. Center Evan Dietrich-Smith spent three years on the Packers' bench before winning a starting role in Tampa last season. Similarly, Anthony Collins spent six seasons as a spot starter for Cincinnati, impressing in limited duty. He was never able to nail down a first-string job, but he shined in 2013, with fewer blown blocks per snap than any other tackle and was rewarded with a five-year, $30 million deal in free agency from the Bucs. The right guard spot is a bit of a question mark, but the favorite is likely Jamon Meredith, who spent time with the Bills, Lions, Giants and Steelers before starting 20 games the past two seasons for the Buccaneers.
ESPN INSIDER
In this post-draft edition of Plugging the Holes, Football Outsiders will look at the biggest remaining personnel need of every team, going division by division.
Thursday's edition examines the NFC South.
[h=3]Atlanta Falcons: Pass-rusher[/h]
The Falcons' defense finished 29th in Football Outsiders' DVOA rankings, 26th against the run and dead last against the pass. So general manager Thomas Dimitroff went to work in free agency, adding starters up front (former Kansas City defensive end Tyson Jackson and former Miami defensive tackle Paul Soliai) and depth in the secondary (cornerbacks Javier Arenas from Arizona and Josh Wilson from Washington). Dimitroff failed to add a pass-rusher, though, and that's a problem. By FO's adjusted sack rate metric, the Falcons had the league's worst pass rush last season.
Osi Umenyiora led the team last season with 7.5 sacks, but he'll be 33 in November, and he hasn't cracked double-digit sacks since 2010. <OFFER>Plus, the Falcons seem likely to use more 3-4 looks, which might limit Umenyiora to a specialized third-and-long role. Nobody else on the roster has ever collected more than six sacks in a season. </OFFER>
Most 3-4 teams get pass rush from their outside linebackers, but it's not even clear whom the Falcons will be starting at that position. Jonathan Massaquoi, a part-time end for his first two seasons in the league, is a favorite, and he has shown flashes of potential (four sacks and 19 hurries in only 528 defensive snaps last season). The team also drafted defensive lineman Ra'Shede Hageman (10 career sacks in college) and linebacker Prince Shembo (19.5). If the Falcons are lucky, one of those players could turn into the edge rusher they so badly need.
[h=3]Carolina Panthers: Offensive tackle[/h]
Jordan Gross, one of the top left tackles in the NFL, surprised the Panthers by calling it a career in February, and the Panthers surprised everyone by not making a move in free agency or the draft to try to fill his spot. General manager David Gettleman explained why quite succinctly in an interview with Bryan Strickland on the team's website: He didn't like any of the available options any more than the ones he already had on the roster.
The likely favorite to take over for Gross is Byron Bell, who joined Carolina in 2011 as an undrafted free agent out of New Mexico (where he played on the left side of the line) and started 41 games at right tackle during the next three seasons. Another option to compete with Bell (or take his old job at right tackle) is Nate Chandler, a former defensive lineman who started eight unimpressive games at guard last season; FO charters charged him with one blown block every 33.4 snaps, putting him among the bottom 10 guards in the league with at least 500 snaps. Garry Williams started 11 games at right tackle in 2010, but has started only 10 games since (and just one in 2013) due to myriad knee and ankle injuries. The Panthers also could have an opening at guard, especially if Chandler wins one of the tackle spots and Travelle Wharton retires. Trai Turner, a third-round rookie out of LSU, could be the next man up.
[h=3]New Orleans Saints: Center[/h]
Usually when we write about a team's biggest hole, what we mean is that the players at a given position are too old, or too young, or too small, or just plain no good. For the Saints, though, the center position is literally an empty space. They do not list a veteran center on their roster. Tim Lelito is listed as "C/G," and if the Saints had a game tomorrow he'd probably be the guy snapping the ball. Lelito, an undrafted rookie in 2013 out of Division II Grand Valley State, played in every game last season, including a couple of starts at guard. He did play center in college. The only other center on the team right now is Matthew Armstrong, a college teammate of Lelito's who joined the Saints as an undrafted free agent this year. In an interview with Gary Estwick of The New Orleans Advocate, Armstrong didn't sound like he was interested in a competition. "I'm not here to compete for a starting spot," he said. "I'm just trying to make the team."
Jonathan Goodwin, who started in New Orleans for three years before spending the past three seasons in San Francisco, recently visited the Saints. Goodwin could sign after June 1, when he won't cost the Saints a compensatory draft pick. Even then, though, the Saints' best option would be a guy the 49ers let walk away. Other available centers include ex-Bengal Kyle Cook, ex-Titan and Steeler Fernando Velasco, and ex-Cowboy, Raven, and Raider Andre Gurode.
[h=3]Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Offensive line[/h]
This certainly is a common thread among NFC South teams, isn't it? Even Atlanta might have needed a lineman if it hadn't taken Jake Matthews in the first round of the draft. As for Tampa Bay, the Bucs made some major changes on the line this season, but none of their acquisitions seem like permanent fixes. Gone are center Jeremy Zuttah (traded to Baltimore) and guard Davin Joseph and tackle Donald Penn (both released after the season). The only remaining starters from 2013 are tackle Demar Dotson and guard Carl Nicks. Nicks, signed to a $47.5 million contract in 2012, played in only nine games in his first two seasons in Tampa Bay after a battle with staph infection, but the Bucs are hopeful he finally will be healthy in 2014.
The rest of the line will be filled by spare parts picked up cheap from other teams. Center Evan Dietrich-Smith spent three years on the Packers' bench before winning a starting role in Tampa last season. Similarly, Anthony Collins spent six seasons as a spot starter for Cincinnati, impressing in limited duty. He was never able to nail down a first-string job, but he shined in 2013, with fewer blown blocks per snap than any other tackle and was rewarded with a five-year, $30 million deal in free agency from the Bucs. The right guard spot is a bit of a question mark, but the favorite is likely Jamon Meredith, who spent time with the Bills, Lions, Giants and Steelers before starting 20 games the past two seasons for the Buccaneers.
