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A look at key players for each NFC South team who are coming back from injuries:

Atlanta Falcons: Bradie Ewing was ticketed for the starting fullback job as a rookie last season. But he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason, and the Falcons were forced to juggle fullbacks. That’s one reason why the running game never really got on track last season. The Falcons want a more consistent running game this season, so they brought in running back Steven Jackson to replace Michael Turner. But Ewing is a key component to the running game. If he’s back at full strength, he’s going to get a lot of work as Jackson’s lead blocker.

Carolina Panthers: Linebacker Jon Beason has had three surgeries in the past 17 months, and has played in only five games over the past two seasons. But Beason is only 28, so it’s possible he can get back to being an impact player and a leader of the defense. However, Beason is going to have to do that while switching positions. Luke Kuechly is firmly established at Beason’s old middle linebacker position. Beason will move to the outside. If Beason is healthy, he, Kuechly and Thomas Davis have a chance to become one of the league’s best linebacking corps.

New Orleans Saints: Linebacker Jonathan Vilma was slowed by knee problems the past two seasons. But Vilma has said the knee issues are a thing of the past, and he feels better than he has in several years. If that turns out to be true, that could be a huge boost for a defense that ranked No. 32 in the league last season. But Vilma, 31, is going to have to make some adjustments to his game as the Saints switch to a 3-4 defense. It’s a scheme Vilma did not thrive in when he was with the New York Jets early in his career.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tampa Bay’s vision of having the league’s best guard tandem went out the window when guard Davin Joseph suffered a season-ending knee injury last preseason. But the vision is back with Joseph set to make his return. If Joseph and Carl Nicks, who missed the final nine games of last season with a toe injury, can get back to full strength, Tampa Bay should be dominant in the middle of the offensive line. It’s scary to think what running back Doug Martin can do with a pair of Pro Bowl guards in front of him.

It’s trendy and fun to debate which NFC South team has the best offense.

Is it Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints or Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons? Heck, you can even look at all the offensive talent Carolina and Tampa Bay have and throw the Panthers and Buccaneers into the conversation.

But trendy and fun will only get you so far. Even in this day and age, you still must play defense once in a while. Especially if you’re a team in the NFC South. The division teams must face each other twice, as well as Seattle’s Russell Wilson, New England’s Tom Brady and San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick this season.

Maybe the more practical and important debate is: Which team has the best defense in the NFC South? No defense in the division was great last season. To win the division -- or do much of anything else -- this season, some NFC South defense must at least be halfway decent.

So which defense is the best?

I’m not going to even venture a guess right now because there are too many variables that must play out. I can see reasons why any of the four defenses could be the division’s best. I also can see reasons why each couldn’t.

Let’s take a look at the ceiling and the floor for each of the NFC South defenses:

ATLANTA FALCONS

Why they could be the division’s best defense in 2013: Coordinator Mike Nolan is one of the game’s better defensive minds. His defensive system might really take hold in Atlanta in his second season. Outside linebacker Sean Weatherspoon is a budding star and is the centerpiece. The Falcons got a little younger at defensive end by replacing John Abraham with Osi Umenyiora.

Nolan might get a little more creative and use some more 3-4 looks. He also might be able to get more aggressive because he has fresh legs at cornerback after the Falcons drafted Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford. William Moore and Thomas DeCoud are emerging as one of the league’s best safety tandems. There’s enough talent for this defense to be very good.

Why they could be the division’s worst defense in 2013: The Falcons were No. 24 in total defense (No. 21 against the run and No. 23 against the pass) last season. Umenyiora is on the downside of his career, too, and it’s not as if the Falcons have a lot of other proven pass-rushers.

The young cornerbacks could take some lumps early on. Problems covering the tight end were exposed in the playoffs last season, and the rest of the league got to watch.

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Why they could be the division’s best defense in 2013: In terms of pure talent, I think Carolina has the best front seven in the division. The arrival of rookie defensive tackle Star Lotulelei could put the Panthers over the top. Lotulelei is the kind of wide body who’s going to make everyone around him better.

Lotulelei is going to keep blockers off linebackers Luke Kuechly, Jon Beason and Thomas Davis. He also is going to take blocking away from defensive ends Greg Hardy and Charles Johnson, who already were pretty good at getting after the quarterback.

Why they could be the division’s worst defense in 2013: As much as I can see the front seven being very good, I can see the secondary being very bad. Veteran cornerback Chris Gamble is gone, and I don’t see anything close to a true No. 1 cornerback on this roster. The picture isn’t much brighter at safety.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Why they could be the division’s best defense in 2013: New coordinator Rob Ryan is going to bring swagger and an aggressive attitude. That can only help a unit that ranked No. 32 in total defense last year.

More importantly, Ryan is going to bring a 3-4 scheme. That’s the defensive system that seems to be having leaguewide success these days. The Saints have some good individual talent on defense with players such as end Cameron Jordan and inside linebacker Curtis Lofton, and rookie safety Kenny Vaccaro should make an immediate impact.

Why they could be the division’s worst defense in 2013: The defense was a mess under coordinator Steve Spagnuolo last season, and I’m not sure simply changing schemes will solve everything. Outside of Vaccaro and cornerback Keenan Lewis, it’s not as if the Saints have added a lot of big-time talent this offseason.

It could take more than one season for Ryan’s defense to really turn the corner.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Why they could be the division’s best defense in 2013: On paper, I think Tampa Bay might have more talent than any other defense in the division. After ranking No. 32 against the pass last season, the Bucs went out and got cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Johnthan Banks and safety Dashon Goldson. Linebackers Lavonte David and Mason Foster and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy already are very good.

If young defensive ends Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers can step up, this could be a solid defense in all areas.

Why they could be the division’s worst defense in 2013: It seems as if the Bucs are pinning a lot of their hopes on Clayborn and Bowers. Both have already dealt with injuries and are not that experienced.

If the pass rush isn’t effective, all those upgrades in the secondary might not matter very much.

The fifth round of the NFL draft is over, so let’s take a look at what the NFC South teams did.

At No. 144, the New Orleans Saints selected Oklahoma wide receiver Kenny Stills. The Saints have Marques Colston and Lance Moore, but they’re revamping their depth after those two. Stills will get a chance to compete with Nick Toon and Joseph Morgan for playing time.

At No. 147, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted University of Buffalo outside linebacker Steven Means. The Bucs have an opening on the strong side after releasing Quincy Black. Free-agent pickup Jonathan Casillas probably will get the first shot at that job, but Means could at least be in the competition and he’ll probably be a regular on special teams.

At No. 148, the Carolina Panthers chose Iowa State linebacker A.J. Klein. He can play inside and outside and can provide depth behind Luke Kuechly, Jon Beason and Thomas Davis. But Klein’s initial role is likely to be as a special-teams player.

At No. 153, the Atlanta Falcons traded up and drafted TCU defensive end Stansly Maponga. That came after the Falcons took defensive end Malliciah Goodman in the third round. It’s pretty obvious the Falcons are taking a scatter-shot approach and hoping one of their young defensive ends can provide a pass-rush complement to Osi Umenyiora.

In the first draft of his tenure, Carolina Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman did something predecessor Marty Hurney never did.

Heck, Gettleman did something Bill Polian never did. He did something Dom Capers and George Seifert did in the brief windows when coaches held general-manager powers in Carolina.

Gettleman drafted a defensive tackle in the first round for the first time in franchise history. He drafted Utah’s Star Lotulelei with the 14^th overall pick.

It’s not a fancy move, but I think this is a great start for Gettleman, who wasn’t bluffing when he said at his pre-draft news conference that he believes the game starts up front and that he likes big defensive and offensive linemen.

In Lotulelei, Gettleman and the Panthers are getting a huge defensive tackle that once was being talked about as the potential No. 1 overall pick in this draft. Lotulelei had a bit of a health scare around the scouting combine, but reportedly later received a clean bill of health.

I don’t know Gettleman well yet, but I know enough about him and his scouting staff that I’m sure the Panthers wouldn’t have taken Lotulelei if they had any doubts about his health.

If they’re right, the Panthers got a steal. If they’re right, Carolina suddenly has a heck of a defense.

Think about it? Middle linebacker Luke Kuechly, last year’s NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, suddenly has someone to jam up the middle. That’s going to allow Kuechly to roam freely. Same for outside linebackers Jon Beason and Thomas Davis.

And picture Lotulelei taking a little blocking attention away from defensive ends Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy, who each had double-digit sacks last season? Carolina’s secondary still isn’t loaded with talent, but the front seven might be able to compensate more for that now that Lotulelei is on the roster.

Carolina’s defense suddenly is looking like a major strength. It might even be the best in the NFC South.

That’s a pretty major statement for a defense that was horrible two years ago. Coach Ron Rivera’s tenure got off to a rough start because of the defense in 2011 and coordinator Sean McDermott took a beating from fans.

Things started to improve last season, but there still was a gaping hole in the middle of the defense. The sad part is Hurney, who was promoted to general manager in 2002, might still have the job if he had used a first-round pick on a defensive tackle sometime after 2007.

It was after that season that Kris Jenkins, who had a brief stint as the best defensive tackle in the NFL, left the team. Jenkins (a second-round pick in 2001) had to go because there were chemistry issues between him and the coaching staff at the time.

But Hurney never devoted the resources to fully replace Jenkins. He did overspend for veteran Ron Edwards coming out of the 2011 lockout. Edwards promptly got hurt in that training camp and never really got healthy. Edwards never really contributed in Carolina and the Panthers released him in one of Gettleman’s first personnel moves.

Hurney also tried to address the defensive tackle position by taking Terrell McClain and Sione Fua in the third round of the 2011 draft. But you don’t get stud defensive tackles in the third round. You’re rolling the dice and Hurney didn’t get lucky with McClain and Fua. McClain no longer is with the team and Fua is best suited to be a backup.

There’s only one way to get a dominant defensive tackle (and we’re only going to briefly mention how Capers once gave up the farm to get Sean Gilbert in a trade that went wildly bad back in 1998). If you want success in the middle of the defensive line, you need to draft a defensive tackle in the first round.

The Panthers never had done that before. That means it’s time to review the overall history of this franchise. Since coming into the league in 1995, the Panthers have had only four winning seasons.

Maybe that’s largely because the people who ran the show in the past never saw the importance of plugging the middle of the defense with a big-time talent.

Maybe Gettleman just made a move that can help put this franchise on a path to consistent success.

 
The Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints both went with defense in the first round of the draft.

The Panthers took Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei at No. 14, and the Saints took Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro at No. 15.

My quick analysis on both:

Let’s start with Lotulelei. This was a guy that some people talked about as a potential No. 1 overall pick before medical questions arose. Reportedly, he checked out fine medically, and I’m sure the Panthers wouldn’t have made this pick if they thought there was any risk. Lotulelei should be able to jam the middle, something the Panthers haven’t been able to do since the departure of Kris Jenkins after the 2007 season. Linebacker Luke Kuechly is going to be able to roam more than he did last season, and Lotulelei is going to take blockers away from defensive ends Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy.

Now, let’s move onto Vaccaro. I’m a little surprised the Saints didn’t go with a pass-rusher at this spot as they convert to a 3-4 scheme. But this shows that new coordinator Rob Ryan saw some major problems in the existing secondary. I think this move probably means the beginning of the end for strong safety Roman Harper.

I’ll be back with more later.
 

We continue our pre-draft rankings of position-group needs with the linebackers.

Remember, the earlier the ranking, the greater the need.

New Orleans Saints: There’s some hope that Martez Wilson and Junior Galette can make an impact as pass-rushers. But the Saints might have a chance to get an elite pass-rusher in this draft. They also could look for help in the middle because Jonathan Vilma is nearing the end of his career.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The starting spot on the strong side is wide open after the release of Quincy Black. Lavonte David had a great rookie season at the other outside spot and he and middle linebacker Mason Foster give the Bucs the nucleus of what could be a very good linebacker corps.

Atlanta Falcons: Sean Weatherspoon is the leader of this defense. Akeem Dent started in the middle last year and Stephen Nicholas is the other incumbent. The Falcons could look for linebackers to provide competition for Dent and Nicholas.

Carolina Panthers: They’re set with Luke Kuechly in the middle and Thomas Davis and Jon Beason on the outside. They also brought in Chase Blackburn as an inexpensive and versatile backup. But, given the injury history of Davis and Beason, the Panthers could look to add some depth at linebacker.

We all have our doubts on whether Georgia linebacker Alec Ogletree will be available when the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings draft at No. 20 and No. 23/25 overall, respectively. This Sport Science video helps explain why.

Ogletree puts up acceleration numbers that compare him with Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Lamar Woodley and produces a force of impact on par with the Denver Broncos' Von Miller. Overall, Sport Science puts Ogletree on par with Carolina Panthers middle linebacker Luke Kuechly, the No. 11 overall pick of the 2012 draft and last year's Defensive Rookie of the Year.

» NFC Eight in the Box: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

A look at the top under-the-radar move made by each NFC South team thus far this offseason:

Atlanta Falcons: Most of the attention has gone to the additions of running back Steven Jackson and defensive end Osi Umenyiora. But the re-signing of safety William Moore might have been just as significant. Moore is coming off his first Pro Bowl season and is just hitting his prime. He should only continue to get better. He and free safety Thomas DeCoud have a chance to become one of the best safety tandems in the NFL.

Carolina Panthers: The salary cap has prevented the Panthers from making any significant moves in free agency. But they’ve been active in signing some role players. One addition who should be a nice fit is linebacker Chase Blackburn. New general manager Dave Gettleman knows him well from their time together with the New York Giants. The Panthers are set with Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis and Jon Beason as their starting linebackers. But Blackburn will give them a top-notch backup, which is important because Davis and Beason have had injuries in the past. He also is likely to be a regular on special teams.

New Orleans Saints: Most of the moves this offseason have been focused on the defensive side of the ball. But the Saints quietly made a move that should make a great offense even better when they signed veteran tight end Benjamin Watson. They already have one of the game’s best tight ends in Jimmy Graham. But Watson also is a good pass-catcher. Coach Sean Payton is an innovator, and I have no doubt he’s going to have a lot of sets in which he’ll use both tight ends to create nightmare matchups for opposing defenses.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The signing of safety Dashon Goldson was Tampa Bay’s biggest move of the offseason, but the Bucs have done a nice job of bringing in role players. One of them is running back Brian Leonard. He’s a jack of all trades and should fill the role as the third-down back. Leonard played for Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano at Rutgers. The Bucs are so confident in Leonard that they released D.J. Ware, who was the third-down back last year.

The Carolina Panthers are releasing linebacker James Anderson, according to Adam Schefter.

Your first thought probably is that this is a salary-cap move. Well, that’s not necessarily the case. Anderson was scheduled to count $4.4 million against the cap. He has $4.2 million in outstanding pro-rated bonus money that likely all accelerates toward the 2013 cap. The only way there is any real cap benefit to this move is if the Panthers designate Anderson a June 1 release and spread his cap hit over this year and 2014.

I think this move is more about making things more clear at linebacker and I think it’s a strong sign that Jon Beason is staying, although he almost certainly is moving to outside linebacker and perhaps doing it with a restructured contract.

With Anderson, the Panthers had four starting-caliber linebackers and they play a 4-3 defense. It has become very clear that Luke Kuechly is going to be the middle linebacker going forward.

With Anderson out of the picture, Beason and Thomas Davis are set as the outside linebackers.

When the Carolina Panthers signed Ron Edwards coming out of the lockout in 2011, the thinking was he’d give the team the run-stuffing defensive tackle it had lacked since Kris Jenkins left after the 2007 season.

It never came even close to working out that way and now Edwards’ time with the team is over. The Panthers announced Friday afternoon that they have released Edwards. The move frees up $2.4 million for a team that’s working to get under the salary cap.

His time in Carolina was star crossed almost from the beginning. Soon after his signing, he tore his triceps in training camp and missed the entire 2011 season. Edwards returned last season, but his impact was minimal.

Edwards started 11 games in 2012, making 16 tackles and recording one sack. But an elbow injury cut his season short.

At 33 and with a high salary, it was no longer practical for the Panthers to keep Edwards around. They can use some of the savings to try to re-sign defensive tackle Dwan Edwards, who had a productive 2012 season.

Former general manager Marty Hurney deserves credit for bringing in quarterback Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly. But disappointments like Edwards are the reason Hurney was fired midway through last season and why the Panthers face salary-cap challenges.

NEW ORLEANS - Somewhere Marty Hurney should be smiling.

He was fired as general manager of the Carolina Panthers in October. But Hurney’s legacy got a lot stronger Saturday night.

Linebacker Luke Kuechly, the last first-round pick by Hurney, was named by the Defensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press.

That comes one year after quarterback Cam Newton won the Offensive Rookie of the Year. There is little doubt Hurney’s tenure had to end when it did.

Amid extremely high hopes, the Panthers got off to a horrid start. Someone had to take the fall because the Panthers haven’t had a winning season since 2008. Hurney left, coach Ron Rivera stayed and, with Newton and Kuechly stepping up in the second half of the season, the Panthers rallied to finish 7-9.

Kuechly finished with a league-high 164 tackles and firmly established himself as the middle linebacker, after opening the season on the outside. Veteran Jon Beason had been Carolina’s middle linebacker, but he suffered a season-ending injury.

It’s pretty obvious the Panthers will keep Kuechly in the middle. Beason either will move to the outside or become a salary-cap casualty.

Hurney’s tenure began in 2002. He did some good things. But he also made plenty of mistakes and things didn’t end well.

Still, Hurney did some positive things that are going to stay with the Panthers in the future.

Hurney gave the Panthers a franchise quarterback in Newton.

He also left them with a quarterback for their defense in Kuechly.

NEW ORLEANS -- Seattle's Bobby Wagner was second and St. Louis' Janoris Jenkins fifth in defensive rookie of the year balloting by the Associated Press.

Throw in a third-place finish in offensive balloting for Seattle's Russell Wilson and the future appears bright in the NFC West.

Wagner, the Seahawks' starting middle linebacker as a second-round draft choice, finished a distant second to Carolina's Luke Kuechly in balloting.

Kuechly also enjoyed a strong rookie season. He entered the 2012 season amid greater fanfare than Wagner. That gave Kuechly a head start with voters. I suspect the same factor helped Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck finish ahead of Wilson in balloting on the offensive side.

Dave Gettleman said almost all the right things as he officially was introduced as the general manager of the Carolina Panthers on Tuesday.

He talked about how he’s confident how he can work with coach Ron Rivera and staff the team already has in place. He talked about how his philosophy is similar to that of former general manager Marty Hurney.

“You have to build through the draft," Gettleman said. “You raise your own. You fill in with unrestricted free agents."

And he talked about how his past experiences should help him with the Panthers.

“I’ve learned from some great, great people," Gettleman said. “I feel more than ever with the background I have and the different philosophies I’ve employed and learned from and the different ways there are to build a team that this is absolutely the perfect fit for me."

But the one thing Gettleman didn’t want to talk about was Carolina’s messy salary-cap situation.

“I need more information, very frankly, I’m not going to say something silly," Gettleman said.

All right, let’s give Gettleman some information. The Panthers currently have $131.7 million committed toward a 2013 salary cap that’s likely to be around $120 million.

The Panthers have a bunch of veterans with high salary-cap figures. I left out guys like quarterback Cam Newton, linebacker Luke Kuechly and center Ryan Kalil, who aren’t going anywhere. But here’s a list of guys that Gettleman will have to look at and make decisions on restructuring or releasing:

• Jon Beason $9.5 million

• Thomas Davis $3.4 million

• Ron Edwards $3.3 million

• Chris Gamble $10.9 million

• Jordan Gross $11.7 million

• Geoff Hangartner $2.3 million

• Charles Johnson $13 million

• Haruki Nakamura $1.63 million

• Greg Olsen $5.7 million

• Steve Smith $5.75 million

• Jonathan Stewart $2.8 million

• Mike Tolbert $2.03 million

• DeAngelo Williams $8.2 million

Gettleman said he soon will begin the process of sitting down with Rivera, the coaching staff and personnel department and making decisions.

“The most important thing you have to do when it comes to the cap is you have to do is put the proper value on the player,’’ Gettleman said. “You get into trouble when you overpay. The litmus test on the cap is when the ink is dry and you’re not happy then you made a mistake.’’

There’s no doubt the Panthers made some mistakes in recent years. While Gettleman emphasized he’ll use a team approach, he said he’s not afraid to make the tough decisions.

“If it’s a situation where I have to make a unilateral decision, that’s part of the gig,’’ Gettleman said.

Gettleman better get used to that in a hurry because Carolina has to make some painful cap decisions between now and March.

Ron Rivera is staying as the coach of the Carolina Panthers, but that doesn’t mean he’s off the hot seat.

Owner Jerry Richardson’s Saturday decision to keep his coach means Rivera will enter the 2013 season on a seat that might be the hottest in the league. Richardson wants to win and he wants to win immediately.


The only NFL owner to play in the league is very impatient, because the Panthers haven’t had a winning season since 2008 and haven’t won a playoff game since 2005. So why does Richardson think Rivera can get the job done in 2013?

There’s no doubt Richardson likes the fact Rivera, and the Panthers finished 2012 on a four-game winning streak. Richardson also must believe that Rivera can turn around his early season trend of losing close games.

I can see Rivera turning things around and getting the Panthers to the playoffs, which would be the only way he’ll keep his job in 2014. But it’s not automatic.

Rivera probably will have to tweak his coaching staff a little bit. I’ve heard the chemistry on the offensive coaching staff wasn’t great. Rivera also is going to have to change his ways a little bit, perhaps becoming a bit more aggressive, and it wouldn’t hurt him in the eyes of the fans to become just a bit more animated on the sidelines.

But the biggest thing Rivera needs to do is get more out of the players that stay on his roster. The Panthers face a salary-cap nightmare, and lots of veterans are going to depart just to get the Panthers under the cap in mid-March.

The Panthers aren’t going to be players in free agency. Their cap situation means the only way they can add any talent to the roster will be through the draft.

That means they have to get more out of the players that stay on the roster. But I still can see the nucleus for a playoff team.

Guys like quarterback Cam Newton, linebacker Luke Kuechly, defensive end Charles Johnson, center Ryan Kalil and running back Jonathan Stewart still are going to be around. They’ll have to step up and be better than ever, and so will some other guys.

If that happens, Rivera will be just fine. If not, the Panthers will be looking for his replacement at this time next year.

Now that Rivera is set, the Panthers have to hire a new general manager. There’s talk that Dave Gettelman, Marc Ross and Lake Dawson are candidates from the outside, and there could be others.

But I think there’s at least a decent chance interim general manager Brandon Beane could become the permanent general manager, but that might come with some restructuring of the personnel department. The Panthers already have pro personnel director Mark Koncz, college scouting director Don Gregory and salary-cap manager Rob Rogers in place, and all are competent. But fans might not be very happy if the Panthers simply elevate Beane and stick with what they’ve got. I can see a situation in which Beane is promoted, but someone with a strong personnel background is brought in to oversee the personnel department.

However the Panthers structure things, they have to win in 2013, because Richardson isn't going to be patient any longer.

Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly has been named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Month for December, the league announced Thursday.

Kuechly, who led the NFL in tackles, helped the Panthers get hot at the end of the season. Carolina won its final four games.

Kuechly is only the second player in Carolina history to win Defensive Rookie of the Month. Julius Peppers (in 2002) was the first.

Kuechly began the season on the outside, but moved to the middle after Jon Beason suffered an injury. Kuechly also should be a strong candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year.