The NFC South didn't have a single team with a winning record in the 2025 season, but the potential is off the charts heading into 2026.
Despite not having a single team with a winning record in the division last season, only one team -- the Falcons -- changed head coaches in 2026. This is a division that is trusting the process in a lot of ways, and teams are believing the best for some of the top young players on their roster who have not yet proven much, if anything.
Which players are the top breakout candidates in the NFC South for the upcoming season? We made our top four picks -- one player per team -- to have breakthrough seasons in 2026, potentially helping change the equation for each of these teams.
Top 4 breakout player candidates in the NFC South for the 2026 season
Carolina Panthers: Jonathon Brooks, RB
If Jonathon Brooks is able to have a breakout year for the Carolina Panthers in 2026, it will end up being one of the best storylines across the NFL.
Back in 2024, Brooks was a 2nd-round pick out of Texas, but the Panthers knew he was coming into the league with a significant road to recovery from injury. He was having a phenomenal season at Texas before tearing his right ACL in 2023.
When he finally got back on the field in December 2024, he tore his ACL again and missed the whole 2025 season. Now, he's been back out on the field for offseason activities and training camp, and is impressing. Even with Chuba Hubbard likely taking the bulk of touches, Brooks has a chance to carve out a substantial role if he can stay available this season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Rueben Bain, EDGE
The Buccaneers need an immediate breakout from Rueben Bain in the worst way.
Especially with the friction between the team and defensive tackle Vita Vea, the Bucs need that impact type of player we saw from Bain while he was at Miami. He's coming into the NFL with huge expectations as one of the top steals of the 1st round of this year's draft.
All of the talk during the offseason was that Bain would be a top-5 pick, certainly landing somewhere within the top 10 overall. When the Buccaneers got him in the middle of the first round, it felt like they were given an absolute gift.
Having him produce in the same types of ways we saw at Miami would help this Bucs team potentially get back on top of the division.
Atlanta Falcons: Jalon Walker, LB/EDGE
The Falcons went after a couple of disruptive defensive playmakers atop their 2025 NFL Draft class, and it's looking -- on the field, at least -- like they have a couple of big hits. James Pearce Jr. had 10.5 sacks as a rookie, and Jalon Walker showed the type of potential that made him a coveted player coming out of Georgia.
Walker played just 492 snaps during his rookie season, racking up 9 QB hits, 5 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks. He also added a pair of forced fumbles.
There's plenty of room to grow for Walker, and we could see him taking over the role vacated by departed free agent Kaden Elliss, who played off the ball but also got after the quarterback a lot as well.
New Orleans Saints: Danny Stutsman, LB
With Demario Davis gone, the Saints might be challenging 2025 4th-round pick Danny Stutsman to step up and prove himself capable of taking on a full-time starting role for the team.
Stutsman started earning more and more snaps down the stretch last season, and he was a heat-seeking missile. He only played 204 snaps, but managed to rack up 53 tackles. That's a pretty incredible rate of making plays when you're on the field.
It's no wonder the Saints started giving Stutsman some of Pete Werner's snaps last season, and why those two are now in a camp battle for the starting job next to Kaden Elliss. If Stutsman can prove himself to be trustworthy enough on all three downs, he could take over that role and become the league's next tackling machine.
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