Buccaneers Odds Released to Win NFC South in 2023
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been the favorite to come out of the NFC South for the past few years since Tom Brady's arrival. Now with Brady retired and a slew of other moves still needing to be made, the Bucs' betting odds to win the NFC South have slipped compared to recent memory and now sit with the third-best odds according to Draftkings.com.
There are a number of factors that are being taken into consideration here for all of the teams in the NFC South.
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The New Orleans Saints, the team currently holding the worst salary cap situation, still look to possess one of the better rosters in the NFC South, and their defense remains one of the best in the league. We now know that neither Andy Dalton nor Jameis Winston will be the Saints' starting quarterback next season as they seemingly "upgraded" by signing former Las Vegas Raiders' quarterback, Derek Carr. The Saints will have to make a number of moves, much like the Bucs, to get salary cap compliant by March 15th, but even with those moves, it is easy to see why they will still be the betting favorite to win the division.
As for the Carolina Panthers, it is expected that they will upgrade at their quarterback position as well this offseason. It doesn't look like the Sam Darnold situation worked out and PJ Walker isn't the ideal starting NFL QB. They could give second-year guy, Matt Corral a shot, but it is more likely they snag a quarterback in free agency that can start right away or draft one in the 2023 NFL Draft to compete with Corral. The Panthers also have a slew of draft picks and have room to maneuver in free agency due to their cap situation - ultimately improving their roster overall.
The Atlanta Falcons appear to be the worst team in the division at this point. The team has decided to move on from veteran quarterback, Marcus Mariota, and as it stands now, it would seem like the team is more than okay rolling with second-year QB, Desmond Ridder, as the starter heading into next season. Ridder didn't show much during his rookie outing, but there is promise if the Falcons can somehow surround him with more weapons and create a roster that is evenly balanced with a defense to go with it.
As for your Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there is much work to be done. The biggest hole on Tampa Bay's roster at the moment is obviously at the quarterback position. As of now, the only QB on the Bucs' roster is Kyle Trask. The team seems willing to roll with Trask, but it would be wise for them to bring in someone to compete/mentor the young gunslinger. The Bucs are also in the works of cutting dead salary cap to become cap compliant by the deadline in a week. They have already announced the release of veteran, and long-time Buccaneer left tackle, Donovan Smith and plan to eventually release other veterans Leonard Fournette and Cameron Brate. Even with those three being released, the Bucs will still sit $40 million over the salary cap. With that being said, the Buccaneers will have major work to do in terms of cuts and restructuring contracts to hopefully be able to build a contender in the NFC South. But as it looks today, the Bucs are rightfully sitting where Draftkings has them with the third-best odds to come out of the division.
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Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2023 offseason.
