In our continuing summer series evaluating each position group in the NFC South, we’ve finished offense and defense and now we’ll be looking at special teams. If you missed any of the previous groups, here’s a quick link tree to each one.
Quarterback
Running back
Wide Receiver
Tight End
Offensive tackle
Attack Guard
Center
Defensive tackle
corner
Linebacker
Cornerback
Nickelbacks
Safety
Just one quick update: In the last 48 hours, the Falcons made two additions to their team by acquiring edge Matthew Judon in a trade and signing free agent safety Justin Simmons. The addition of Judon moved them from fourth to third in the NFC South in my rankings, while the signing of Simmons kept them in second place but significantly closed the gap to the Buccaneers. These two moves will be reflected in my final rankings article, which I plan to use to conclude this series.
In ranking special teams, I will focus on punters and kickers, as well as consider how each unit has performed recently. As with each position group so far, I Auras For depth chart projections. I considered rating returners as well, but decided against it due to the new return rules. This would be an indirect reflection of how each unit has performed thus far.
Special teams
1. Falcons
Koo Young-hoe
P Bradley Pinion
Though he hasn’t shown the same outstanding performances as he did in 2020-2021, Koo Yun-hoi is still a very good kicker. His final two seasons were the lowest in field goal percentage of his career, but still very good numbers of 86.5% each. Barring a terrible showing against Tampa Bay in Week 14, he would have been eligible for another Pro Bowl appearance. Koo has been a model of consistency since his second year in the league and shows no signs of slowing down.
Falcons P Bradley Pinion and K Young-Ho Koo – Photo courtesy of USA Today
Former Buccaneers punter Bradley Pinion has re-established himself as an above-average punter after a second straight strong season with Atlanta. Pinion was Pro Football Focus’ highest-rated punter last year (88.3 points), but I don’t think that was the case.
Pinion’s expected points per punt was 0.04, 17th in the league, and 40% of his punts landed inside the opposing 20-yard line, although some punters had a higher percentage. Still, he’s shown he can be dependable when healthy, which wasn’t the case late in 2021 when he was playing for the Buccaneers.
The Falcons have had solid special teams play over the past three years under special teams coordinator Marquis Williams, and new head coach Raheem Morris’ decision to retain him after his tenure in Atlanta is a testament to his ability.
2. Buccaneers
K Chase McLaughlin
P Jake Camarda
Chase McLaughlin signed a new three-year contract with the Buccaneers after the best year of his career. His season was arguably the best season by a Buccaneers kicker in team history. He shot 93.5% from the field this year, including seven of eight attempts from 50 yards or more. All of McLaughlin’s misses were due to blocks. The 2023 season marks the second consecutive year that McLaughlin has improved his field goal percentage, rising from 71.4% in 2021 to a record 83.3% in 2022, his highest mark since last year.
Behind McLaughlin is the extremely talented but frustratingly inconsistent Jake Camarda. After showing the world during his rookie season in 2022 that he has the strong legs to keep up with just about any punter in the NFL, Camarda has improved his consistency and efficiency in 2023. Among qualified punters (minimum 20 punts), he ranked 9th in the league in EPA/punt (+0.07) and 5th in yards/punt (50.0), but was tied for 18th in net yards/punt (41.8).
Camarda also ranked 23rd in punting percentage within 20 yards (36.36%) and 5th in touchback percentage (11.69%). The difference between those two numbers was sixth-lowest in the league, indicating he still struggles with accuracy on short punts. If he can improve on that, he could be in the mix. Done Be the best punter in the league.
The Buccaneers’ special teams rank in the bottom third of the league in terms of coverage and return units, and McLaughlin’s two blocks from having a clean season are factors in their failure to top the NFC South special teams rankings. The team is hoping a change in leadership will help with that. Gone is the much-maligned Keith Armstrong. In comes Thomas McGaughey. He coached some high-performing units with the New York Giants, but his recent units have been more subpar. average Than better.
3. Saints
K Blake Group
P Lou Hedley
Blake Grupe had a strong rookie season, connecting on 30 of 37 field goal attempts (81.1%) and all 28 of his extra point attempts. His field goal percentage last year was 25th out of 34 kickers in the NFL. His success rate from 49 yards or further out was 6 of 9, right in the middle of the pack among all kickers in the 2023 class.
Hedley was one of the NFL’s worst kickers in EPA/play (-0.11), last in yards per attempt (43.0) and tied for 28th in net yards per attempt. He excels on short fields, finishing 45.33% of his attempts inside the 20. In the modern NFL, which demands punters to flip the field when the offense stalls early, Hedley will need to improve his consistency on punts of 50 yards or more. His 2023 long of 62 was tied for shortest among all qualified punters.
Despite lackluster specialists, the Saints still rank third in special teams as they have a great returner in Rashid Shahid and an overall unit that has ranked in the top 3-10 every year since 2018. New Orleans has consistently performed well with its coverage units and boasts the highest punt return average in the league.
4. Panthers
K Eddy Pineiro
P Johnny Hecker
Panthers P Johnny Hekker and K Eddie Piniello – Photo courtesy of USA Today
Eddy Pineiro has been a solid player since entering the league in 2019. He has missed just 11 of his 100 field goal attempts during that span. His lack of leg strength has not allowed him to take many shots over 50 yards (12 attempts). However, Pineiro has excelled on those attempts, making 10 of them, including a 56-yarder last season, which was the longest attempt of his career.
Johnny Hekker would top this group in the quarterback rankings, but they get paid by their legs, not their arms. Hekker made a name for himself by pulling off fake punts throughout his career, but he ranks 23rd in pure punting. EPA/Punt. His supporting statistics tell a similar story, ranking 20th in punting yards and 28th in punting percentage inside 20 yards.
Tracy Smith is the new special teams coordinator for the Panthers after spending the past three seasons as the Seahawks’ assistant special teams coordinator. Seattle has had top-half special teams units the past two years, while the Panthers have been a middling team overall.
