Bucs' NFC South Ranked Worst For QBs

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are three-time NFC South division champions going back to 2021 when the team went 13-4 in quarterback Tom Brady's second season before being outsted by the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams 30-27 in the divisional round.

The last two division titles have also gone the way of the Bucs, with Brady's final season ending with an 8-9 record for a South title and Baker Mayfield's first season last year ending 9-8.

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The South has not been the strongest of divisions over the past couple of seasons, and NFL.com's Eric Edholm believes that has everything to do with quarterback play.

"The NFC South has been down a bit, with the Buccaneers extending their divisional reign by going 9-8 and 8-9 over the past two seasons, but the QB names don't look horrible on the surface," Edholm wrote.

"Granted, Young had a rough rookie season, and as solid as Carr and Mayfield were statistically, they'll always have their share of doubters," Edholm continued. "Plenty of haters even scowled at the Falcons for dishing out $45 million per year (and $100 million in guarantees) for Cousins, who is coming off an Achilles injury. But you can't say that there aren't capable (or potentially capable) quarterbacks here."

Edholm ranked the South last out of eight divisions across the NFL, citing the play of Atlanta's Kirk Cousins, the Panthers' Bryce Young, Saints' Carr and Bucs' Mayfield as one of the reasons.

Edholm also believes losing his offensive coordinator from last season might hamper Mayfield next year.

"Mayfield loses Dave Canales to the Panthers, which surely will help Young. But can Mayfield break out of his good-season/bad-season career track? 2023 was arguably his most well-rounded NFL campaign, and the Bucs bring everyone back," Edholm continued.

Is it a bad division right now? Yes. Is it solely due to quarterback play? No.