Best and worst offseason moves by every team: NFC South
NFC
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Atlanta Falcons
Best: Drafting Calvin Ridley
The Falcons benefited from having few holes to fill on their roster and, with that luxury, chose the best player available with the 26th overall pick in the draft.
Atlanta used the pick on Ridley, adding to its already dynamic offensive weaponry. Ideally, the Alabama star will take some focus away from all-world receiver Julio Jones and provide more options for 2016 MVP Matt Ryan.
It was the best move of the offseason for the Super Bowl hopefuls.
Worst: Letting Dontari Poe walk in free agency
Up against the salary cap entering free agency, the Falcons didn't have much money to play with and, as a result, allowed defensive tackle Dontari Poe to walk.
Poe is now three years removed from his last Pro Bowl appearance, but in his lone season in Atlanta, he helped the unit climb from 16th in rushing defense to ninth in the league. He alone shouldn't be credited with the improvement, but the Falcons identified his absence as a significant one, as they used a third-round pick on defensive tackle Deadrin Senat.
Senat and minor signings Garrison Smith and Justin Zimmer won't immediately fill Poe's void, however.
Carolina Panthers
Best: Handing the franchise to David Tepper
Jerry Richardson could have sold the Panthers to the highest bidder. Instead, the founder of the franchise handed the keys to Tepper, a former minority owner with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In Tepper, the NFL is adding another self-made billionaire to its collection of owners, one that has suggested he intends to keep the team in the Carolinas and has reportedly already met with team captains regarding the league's new anthem policy.
Tepper just may be the kind of progressive and forward-thinking owner the league sorely needs.
Worst: Hiring Norv Turner as offensive coordinator
The Panthers fired offensive coordinator Mike Shula and quarterbacks coach Ken Dorsey in January after the team finished 19th in total offense and 28th in passing in 2017. The team envisioned a more dynamic offense, one with a reduced workload on quarterback Cam Newton and a focus on playmaker Christian McCaffrey. So, by all means, hire a 66-year-old coordinator who resigned his post as Vikings OC seven weeks into last season.
Turner is a puzzling hire. He comes with 26 years of NFL coaching experience, but doesn't elicit much hope for establishing a creative, new offensive approach.
New Orleans Saints
Best: Cutting Coby Fleener
Two disappointing seasons was all the Saints needed to see from Coby Fleener.
The team hoped Drew Brees could bring the best out of the former second-round draft pick, but he battled drops and inconsistency, recording just 72 catches during his tenure with New Orleans.
Signed to a five-year, $36-million deal ahead of the 2016 season, the Saints ate $3.4 million on his 2018 contract to save $3 million in cap space. The team will move forward with capable tight ends Benjamin Watson and Josh Hill.
Worst: Trading 2019 first-round pick to draft Marcus Davenport
The Saints made arguably the boldest move of the first night of the draft when they traded up - and surrendered a future first-round pick to the Green Bay Packers - in order to select pass-rusher Marcus Davenport.
Such currency as a future first-round pick is normally only traded for quarterbacks. But the Saints so desperately sought an end to pair with Cameron Jordan and recognized there were few options via trade or free agency.
That's a heavy price to pay for the second-best player at the position in the draft class, however.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Best: Jumping market with extension for Mike Evans
In the immediate future, the Bucs helped themselves by rebuilding their defensive line via signings and trades (Jason Pierre-Paul, Vinny Curry, Beau Allen, Mitch Unrein). But their best move of the offseason was one they made for the future.
The Bucs wasted no time, locking up franchise receiver Mike Evans on a five-year, $82.5-million extension in March. The Bucs were wise to get in front of the receiver signings and give Evans $16.5 million per season as, months later, Sammy Watkins reset the market by landing $16 million per in free agency. That deal raised the ceiling for upcoming deals to superstar wideouts Odell Beckham Jr. and Julio Jones, something the Bucs won't have to worry about.
Worst: Retaining head coach Dirk Koetter
Tampa was reportedly in the running in the Jon Gruden sweepstakes but couldn't match Mark Davis' desire to reunite with his former coach in Oakland. Instead, the Bucs chose to retain Dirk Koetter despite a disappointing 5-11 season.
The team opted for familiarity in an important season for the development of QB Jameis Winston. While a defensible move, keeping Koetter for one more season may ultimately stunt the growth of their franchise signal caller.
NFC
EAST | NORTH | SOUTH | WEST
AFC
EAST | NORTH | SOUTH | WEST
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)