Falcons 2016 schedule preview: Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit in Week 1

Every year, it seems, the Buccaneers get a lot of preseason love from pundits who anticipate that this is the year they make a leap. It hasn't happened in a while, to put it mildly, but this is one of the younger, more talented teams they've put on the field in the last decade. Because they play in the NFC South, that'll make this team worth watching warily.

The Bucs are also the first team the Falcons will play this year, and a pretty good test of how much better Atlanta is. This is a team with a talented young quarterback and quality passing attack, solid ground game, and a thoroughly mixed bag on defense, albeit one with enough skill in place to cause headaches.

To learn more about the Falcons' week one opponent--a team that unfortunately beat Atlanta twice in 2015--we turned to Bucs Nation. Hey, learn something.

Notable free agent additions:

Brent Grimes, J.R. Sweezy, Robert Ayers, Daryl Smith, Josh Robinson

Notable free agent departures:

Danny Lansanah, Sterling Moore, Logan Mankins (retired)

Draft picks expected to contribute as rookies:

Vernon Hargreaves, Noah Spence, Roberto Aguayo

Biggest offseason addition:

Former Falcon Mike Smith (defensive coordinator), Brent Grimes

Biggest storyline heading into training camp:

Can Vernon Hargreaves earn a starting spot?

Under-the-radar storyline heading into training camp:

Who will win the third receiver job?

Notable injuries heading into training camp:

Louis Murphy, JR Sweezy

Visit Bucs Nation to learn more about the Buccaneers. Remember, we like the blog, but we don't like the team.