Falcons’ Facelift Should Worry Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers can’t overlook the improvements made up north in Atlanta these days. With a front office facelift, the Atlanta Falcons may have found the combination to take the NFC South. The latest addition of general manager Ian Cunningham speaks to that since he’s fresh off aiding the Chicago Bears turnaround. Chicago became this year’s feel good story with an 11-5 record for the NFC North crown and a Divisional Round appearance. The Bears finally maximized quarterback Caleb Williams under first-year head coach Ben Johnson, and the future looks bright in the Midway. Chicago wasn’t a one-hit wonder for Cunningham. He has been part of successful front office staffs with the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles when the teams won Super Bowls, so he knows what he’s doing to build a winner. Atlanta has a new head coach in Kevin Stefanski to work with Cunningham, who will try to maximize the team’s talented offense. Stefanski notably had the most success of any Cleveland Browns head coach since the 1990s with a playoff win, courtesy of Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield when he played in Cleveland. The Falcons already gave the Buccaneers trouble this past season with two close games during a series split. In addition, the Falcons knocked the Buccaneers from the playoffs by beating the New Orleans Saints in Week 18. This season already showed that the rest of the NFC South is catching up with the Buccaneers, such as the Carolina Panthers snatching the crown and playoff spot. It will behoove the Buccaneers to build this year’s roster to be ready for a tougher Falcons squad let alone the rest of the NFC South. For more on the Buccaneers from Matthew click here. Then follow him on social media.