New Orleans Saints
How many more big hits can Drew Brees take before he breaks in half, Joe Montana style?
Will the players added via the draft and free agency finally help New Orleans feature a defense that won’t be a league laughingstock?
New Orleans added Adrian Peterson to the mix, and its defense could be much improved. Rookie Marshon Lattimore will be an instant starter, and the linebacking corps added some serious depth in free agency.
If the Saints can keep Brees upright and the defense is even halfway respectable, then there’s little reason to think this team cannot take over as the team to beat in the NFC South.
Tampa Bay is an up-and-coming squad that has loads of potential, Atlanta just went to the Super Bowl and Carolina is a season removed from the same fate. But no team is clearly dominant at this time, especially after Atlanta lost a significant amount of coaching talent.
This division is wide open, and the Saints could claim it once again after three years of being absent from postseason play. But what happens if Brees finally breaks? Even if he stays healthy, if the defense remains pathetic, the Saints will be fated to another season of misery.