Check, check and check: Saints seems to have upper hand in NFC South headed into training camp.

With training camp set to start Wednesday (physicals, meetings, strength/conditioning tests), let’s go down the New Orleans Saints’ off-season checklist.

After the unexpected death of Tom Benson in March, his wife, Gayle Marie Benson, has transitioned nicely from being the unquestioned First Lady of Saints football into full-time team owner. Check.

Quarterback Drew Brees is happy, healthy and under contract 5 1/2 months shy of his 40th birthday. Check.

Team officials appear to have assembled a roster that is capable of making a strong run at Super Bowl LIII, upgrading the talent and depth at O-line, linebacker, secondary and wide receiver and investing in a potentially good, young pass rusher (No. 1 pick Marcus Davenport). Check.

Yes, they will be without running back Mark Ingram for the first four games because of a PED-violation but GM Mickey Loomis and coach Sean Payton have thrown a handful of potential replacements up against the wall hoping one will stick. Check.

And the tight end position appears to still lack scoring punch but veteran Ben Watson does add a touch of class. No check.

All in all, I’ll give the Saints football operations a solid B for their offseason work.

Now comes the hard part — making a quantum leap from a walkoff loss in the divisional round at Minnesota to becoming Super Bowl champions for the second time in franchise history.

It will take all hands on deck, which is why I’ll be watching not only those players who take the field during the first few days, but also those who don’t participate at all or may be limited because of ongoing injury-related problems.

They include DE Alex Okafor (Achilles), LB Alex Anzalone (shoulder), LG Andrus Peat (fibula), LB Hau’oli Kikaha (ankle), LB Nathan Stupar (knee), DE Marcus Davenport (thumb) and WR Cameron Meredith (knee), among others.

I’ll also be monitoring the status of standout third-year wide receiver Michael Thomas, who is believed to have missed the team’s minicamp in June after undergoing a surgical procedure June 11 to treat an injured wrist.

That said, whatever ails the Saints going into training camp pales in comparison to the problems facing NFC South foes Atlanta, Carolina and Tampa Bay.

Consider:

▪ In Atlanta, it appears team officials will not extend the contract of perennial Pro Bowl wide receiver Julio Jones who has three years and almost $35 million remaining on a five-year, $71.25 million contract extension that he signed in August 2015. He was AWOL during the offseason, missing workouts, OTAs and minicamp because of a contract dispute. Whether JJ holds out during camp remains to be seen. But he doesn’t appear to be a happy camper.

▪ In Carolina, new OC Norv Turner has the task of reinvigorating 2015 NFL MVP Cam Newton and trying to jump-start a punchless Panthers’ offense the past few seasons. Plus, standout LB Thomas Davis must serve a season-opening four-game suspension after testing positive for a banned substance.

▪ In Tampa Bay, the Bucs will be without franchise quarterback Jameis Winston for the first three games after he violated the league’s personal conduct policy, including the season opener at New Orleans on Sept. 9.

Which is why I say the Saints are the team to beat in the NFC South.

Brian Allee-Walsh, a longtime Saints reporter based in New Orleans, can be reached at sports@sunherald.com.

This story was originally published July 20, 2018 at 11:14 AM.