Every Wednesday from now through the preseason, we’ll be taking a look at each position group in the NFC South, ranking them from worst to best. Here’s a list of the positions we’ve already covered:
Quarterback
Running back
Wide Receiver
Tight End
Offensive tackle
Attack Guard
Center
Now let’s turn our attention to the defensive side of the ball and start with defensive tackle.
Defensive tackle
Buccaneers
Vita Vair
Kariya Kanshi
Logan Hall
Greg Gaines
Will Golston
Buccaneers DT Kariya Kansi and Vita Via – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
It was a close race for the top spot in the NFC South, but I view the Buccaneers as having the best defensive tackle room in the division, thanks in large part to the rise of second-year defensive tackle Kalijah Kansey. After missing most of training camp and the first few weeks of the season, Kansey burst into the spotlight last year during a very turbulent campaign, ranking third in pressures among rookie interior linemen.
Kansi will receive a point deduction for run defense from the scoring site. Pro Football Focus But they’re much better than they say they are. His gap shooting style and quick reaction ability will help him create plays in the backfield in both run and pass defense. As for Cuncy, the arrow is pointing up and I think he could be one of the best pass rushing DTs in the NFL in 2024.
Following Kansi is Vita Vea, who bounced back last year after a lackluster 2022 season. Vea has established himself as a 30-40 yard pressure guy over the past few seasons, but he doesn’t have the full technique to truly utilize his superhuman strength. What remains is a highlight bull rush and quality run defense, but Vea is a very good to great defensive tackle rather than a really good one.
Behind the starting duo is Logan Hall, who has improved in his second season but is better suited to a backup role than a starter. The former second-round pick favors the swim move as his go-to move for winning as a pass rusher. Unfortunately, his short arms mean few attempts go through. While it helps move the pocket a bit, Hall is unlikely to perform to the draft expectations in Year 3.
Greg Gaines is a serviceable backup nose tackle who helps control the run game and gives the Bears some much-needed rest throughout the game. He’s solid in the gaps and assignments, but he’s not contributing much as a pass rusher anymore. The same can be said about Will Gholston, but his decline is a few years away. Gholston is a solid early 4i defensive lineman who can help guide others, but he doesn’t have much energy left.
The Buccaneers have two defensive tackles under the age of 30, one established as a star and the other on his way to becoming one, and with a talented but limited reserve pool behind them, the Buccaneers are in first place in the NFC South as the top defensive tackle team.
Falcons
Grady Jarrett
David Onyemata
Luke Olhoro
Brandon Doraas
Lakal London
Buccaneers RG Cody Mouch, C Robert Hainsey and Falcons DT Grady Jackson – Photo courtesy of USA Today
Some would argue that Atlanta has the best defensive tackles in the division, and they have plenty to back up that claim. Grady Jarrett and David Onyemata are a formidable duo that is at least as good as Bear/Kansey and probably better overall.
Where I give Tampa Bay the edge is with youth. Kansey is only 23 and still developing. Bear won’t turn 30 until next year. Jarrett and Onyemata are both over 31. Jarrett was an iron man for most of his career, but missed more than half of the Falcons’ games last year with an ACL injury.
There’s a good argument to be made that the Falcons’ starting duo is past their prime and fading, and I think the Falcons are making that argument in the form of the 2024 NFL Draft. The team gambled even further by selecting Clemson defensive tackle Luke Olhorolo in the second round and Oregon defensive lineman Brandon Doras in the fourth. The draft picks give the Falcons a solid base and solid room for upside.
Jarrett remains a strong pass rusher, but he hasn’t recorded a 10% pressure rate since 2020. That’s in part because the Falcons struggled to pair him with an above-average edge rusher, allowing opposing offensive lines to target him, but it still limits his impact to some extent.
Onyemata is coming off the best year of his career, recording 34 pressures and five sacks (per Pro Football Focus). He combined elite pass rushing ability with excellent run defense to make him one of the best and perhaps most forgettable free agent signings of last year.
Dollarus is still raw, having played primarily an edge rush role at Oregon, but his size and build will push him to the interior, where his quickness and athleticism should serve him well as a rotational rusher. Olhoro is a strong, compact, athletic rusher with limited pass-rush weapons. He has struggled to maintain pad level and will likely have an inconsistent play in his rookie season.
LaKale Rondon is a middling player like Dollarus who played 200 snaps for the Falcons last year and had a limited impact as a pass rusher but was a good run defender.
Panthers
Derrick Brown
A’Shawn Robinson
Shy Tuttle
Nick Thurman
Jayden Cramedy
Panthers DT Derrick Brown – Photo courtesy of USA Today
The Panthers have the best defensive tackle in the NFC South with some solid but unspectacular marks surrounding him, including Derrick Brown, who is coming off his second straight season with 40 yards of pressure.
And while this talented lineman didn’t record any impressive sack numbers, (Only eight sacks in four seasons) Still, Carolina gave Brown a very legitimate four-year, $96 million extension, making him the fifth-highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL. His incredible play and superior athleticism make him a nightmare for offensive linemen trying to block him one-on-one, making him nearly impossible to reach. Brown may not get close to the quarterback often, but that doesn’t mean he can’t make an impact on the pass.
Shy Tuttle may be the projected starting nose tackle at this point, but I really think A’Shawn Robinson should take the loss. Tuttle is nearly ineffectual as a pass rusher and his run defense has declined in recent years. Robinson is probably better in both areas at this stage of each player’s career. Neither will be very productive as a pass rusher, but they are capable run stoppers.
Nick Thurman was a solid rotational run defender for the Panthers last year, and Jaden Crumedi was a sixth-round pick this year out of Mississippi State, but only allowed 22 pressures last year. Brown is a boost for this team, but if he drops off, this team could quickly become the worst DT team in the NFC South.
saint
Brian Bressey
Karen Sanders
Nathan Shepherd
Kendall Vickers
Christian Boyd
Saints DT Brian Bresee – Photo courtesy of USA Today
The Saints have really been shuffling this part of their roster over the last few years. It’s a real sore spot that their salary cap management has eroded talent across the roster. The best DT the Saints have going forward is 2022 2nd round pick Brian Bresee. He’s PFF Grade (45.5) would have you believe.
Bresee had a respectable 31 pressures, 4.5 sacks and 7 tackles for loss, but his pad levels were still very inconsistent and his play varied from week to week. Still, I think his future is bright and he will develop into a solid starter in the NFL.
Next up behind Bresee is Cullen Sanders. Sanders, a former Kansas City player, is a capable nose tackle who can tuck the pocket a bit, but the Saints tried to take him off the field on passing downs last season and may try to do so again in 2024. On passing downs, the Saints will likely continue to rely on former New York Jets guard Nathan Shepard, who set career highs in pressures (23) and sacks (3.5) last year. The Sanders-Shepard combination is a solid starter.
Rounding out the Saints DT room are Kendall Vickers and Christian Boyd. Vickers has been below replacement level for five seasons. Boyd is a sixth-round pick out of Northern Iowa who excelled his final two years of college, so there might be something in him.
