Carolina Panthers: Finished 12-4
Coming into the 2013 football season, most of the country was expecting the Carolina Panthers to be a surprise team that might fight for a wild card seed. But nobody could have predicted that the Panthers would ride one of the NFL's best defenses to earn a division title and a #2 seed in the playoffs. Carolina's defense was one of the most complete and talented in the league last year, with a strong front seven and a better-than-average secondary. Similar to the Arizona Cardinals, the Panthers have the majority of their problems on offense, especially along the offensive line. As a team that is trying to build around Cam Newton, the Carolina Panthers need an improved offensive line to keep their franchise quarterback upright. This will eventually lead to Newton having more time to throw, which always leads to a better passing game. Speaking of the passing game, Cam Newton and the Panthers were in the bottom half of the NFL in passing offense last year, and the team could use a new receiver to compliment an aging Steve Smith. Since the Panthers already have six offensive lineman and four pass-catchers heading toward free agency, I would expect these two positions to be the highest priorities during the off-season. Fortunately, the Carolina Panthers have $21.2 million in cap space, which should be enough to compete for another division title.
At the beginning of last season, the New Orleans Saints were the clear favorites to win the NFC South, with their explosive offense running through Drew Brees, Sean Payton, and Jimmy Graham. The Saints looked like they did in the 2010 and 2011 seasons, as a highly explosive team riding on their elite quarterback. Unfortunately for the organization, the defense did not match the offense, despite an amazing job by defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. One of the key areas for improvement on defense would be the linebacker corps, which was not very good against the run. With an expected five free agent linebackers leaving the organization, the first priority for the Saints' front office is obviously to improve at the linebacker position. Along with linebacker, the Saints could also improve their depth in the offensive line and the defensive secondary. Although New Orleans is not losing a large amount of defensive backs, they are losing a few players that managed to play well in certain situations. During the free agency period, I would expect minimal spending on linebackers and possibly defensive backs. The New Orleans Saints are in a tough position, as they only have about $8 million in cap space during this off-season. I believe that the Saints' success next season will be decided by the Carolina Panthers' failures, since there is little that New Orleans can do during this off-season.
The Atlanta Falcons were absolutely shocking last year, going from a Super Bowl contender to the bottom of the NFL. Before the season started, I predicted the Falcons to even win the NFC and go to the Super Bowl, but instead they finished 4-12. The reasons that the Falcons played bad last year were because of multiple injuries, a poor offensive line, a non-existent pass rush, and an underwhelming secondary. In the defensive passing game, the Atlanta Falcons were in the bottom five for touchdowns allowed, completion percentage, opposing quarterback rating, interceptions, and sacks. On the opposite side of the ball, the offensive line also played poorly, only gaining 3.9 yards per rush and allowed 100 hits to Matt Ryan. With all of these statistics, it's easy to see that the Atlanta Falcons have major rebuilding to do on the offensive and defensive lines, as well as the secondary. Thankfully, the Falcons have a healthy $26 million in cap space, which should provide plenty of spending room for this front office. During the free agency period, I would expect the Atlanta Falcons to upgrade along the offensive and defensive lines, since these will be very deep positions and these are most likely the #1 priority. If the Falcons can avoid injuries and upgrade in the trenches, I believe that they can easily win eight games. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Finished 4-12
Last season was one to forget in Tampa Bay, with the Josh Freeman debacle and then going on to only win four games. Despite their record, the Buccaneers actually have a decent amount of talent, including players like Darrelle Revis, Vincent Jackson, and Gerald McCoy. But, the Tampa Bay Bucs have serious concerns on offense, especially with the offensive line and their quarterback, Mike Glennon. Tampa Bay ranked dead last at passing yards per game, and the offensive line only gained 3.8 yards per run. Since Mike Glennon is still a young quarterback and has not started many games, I would be surprised if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would immediately look for a big-name quarterback in free agency. That being said, I would also be surprised if the Bucs did not bring in any quarterbacks at all, since this is still an area of concern. I would also be surprised if the Buccaneers did not add depth to the linebacker position, as this is probably the weakest part of their defense. Luckily for general manager Jason Licht and head coach Lovie Smith, the team has about $18.7 million in cap space to work with, which isn't a lot, but is still a decent amount of money. I believe that if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can improve their offensive line, their whole team will play better, and the team might have a shot at winning half of their games. 
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