|
The NFC East had three of its four teams qualify for the playoffs last season. The Division Champion New York Giants would be defeated in the first round by the rival Washington Commanders while Philadelphia would lose to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Saints down in New Orleans. Washington would then lose to the Rams in the Divisional game. The Dallas Cowboys never got going and they now are under the leadership of Jeff Beyel who guided the Houston Texans to the AFC South Division crown last year.
Philadelphia Eagles:
The Eagles have, once again, the most talented team in the division by a wide margin and are, arguably, the most skilled team in the NFC. QB Jalen Hurts is the best signal caller in the division. Philly went out and added some firepower at the wide receiver position with the free agency signing of 6'4" Michael Pittman who caught 83 balls for 988 yards and 5 TDs with Indianapolis last season. Pittman now gives the Eagles a deadly trio of targets with AJ Brown and Davonta Smith completing the grouping. TE Dallas Goedert will be the main man there. Ex-Bills' tailback Damien Harris was also inked in the off-season and seems the likely starter ahead of Kenneth Gainwell and Rashaad Penny. The offensive line is still formidable particularly on the left side where LT Jordan Mailata and LG Landon Dickerson reside. C Jason Kelce is gone and the center duties could fall to veteran Ryan Jensen who was signed from Tampa Bay. RG has Cam Jurgens there and aging Lane Johnson will be at RT.
The Eagles had to do some retooling on defense as well. DE Mike Danna comes over from Kansas City after posting an impressive 5 sacks in just 317 snaps! Josh Sweat should be the RE but 3rd round pick Adisa Isaac should see some time as well. Fletcher Cox is out but the interior of the line seems in good hands with the mammoth Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter holding it down. The two Georgia products produced a combined 20 sacks last season. The linebacking unit could be something. Haason Reddick, Nakobe Dean, and rookie sensation Jeffrey McGriff form quite a gang. McGriff is a freak of nature standing at 6'6" 262 Lbs and possessing 88 speed and 91 acceleration numbers coming out of Iowa State. He can cover too with solid 70+ numbers. Lorenzo Carter can still play zone and can easily play along the line as a pass rusher. Veterans Darius Slay and James Bardberry are still a solid duo at the corners with 2nd round pick Josh Newton and Avonye Maddox adding solid depth. First round pick Calen Bullock comes on board as the new FS and has elite potential while the SS position remains a but unsettled.
Outlook: Philadelphia will be favored in almost every game they play this season and should win at least 13 games if not more. A trip to the Super Bowl is well within their expectations.
Washington Commanders:
The Commanders were a perplexing club a season ago with a bit of a Jekyl and Hyde personality. Their passing game with QB Sam Howell was explosive and the team did upend the Giants in the first round of the playoffs last year so expectations are running high in DC. HB Brian Robinson starred with 1546 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns and the Commanders added some depth with the drafting of Oregon Duck speedster Bucky Irving to offer a change of pace option. The receiving corps is a bit thin in terms of depth but Terry McLaurin is as good as it gets and Johan Dotson is coming off an amazing campaign in which he averaged 19 YPC, had 1500+ yards receiving, and 13 touchdowns! Not sure who will get the most snaps at tightend with John Bates, Cole Turner, and Andrew Ogletree vying for playing time as of this writing. The offensive line returns intact.
The defensive line remains a strong point. Montez Sweat, Chase Young, D'Ron Payne, and Jonathan Allen are as good as one can hope for. Washington signed journeyman OLB Anthony Barr and drafted California Golden Bear LB Michael Sheehan in the 3rd round. They will join a re-tooled group that will feature rookie Jeremiah Trotter Jr., veteran Jamie Collins who was penned from Atlanta, and Jamin Davis. Trotter's dad was a star linebacker with the Philadelphia Eagels and ended his career here with the Commanders. The Commanders added Chidobe Awuzie to their secondary to work with Kendall Fuller. Awuzie has travelled around a bit and was last seen in a Bengals' uniform where he recorded 5 TFLs, 3 sacks, and a forced fumble. Emmanuel Forbes could play as the slot corner and will almsot certainly see time vs spread offenses. The safety spots are very good with Kamren Curl and Darrick Forest back there.
Outlook: The team has question marks for sure at wide receive and tight end that could end up costing them. They will need to make hay in the early part of their season with favorbale matchups against Dallas (2), Carolina, San Francisco, and Atlanta on tap. If they can get off to a good start a 10+ win season is possible.
New York Giants:
For much of the first 2/3rds of the season last year the Giants were the toast of the league rolling out to an impressive start that included some big wins. Then the team stumbled down the stretch, lost out on the #1 seed to the Rams, and were summarily shown the door with a first round loss to the Commanders. QB Daniel Jones will be given the reins one more time but the club did draft Texas Longhorn QB Quinn Ewers in the 4th round. Saquon Barkley is back yet again to tote the ball. Darius Slayton and Jalin Hyatt return as speedy and dangerous targets at WR and stud TE Darren Waller is back as well. The offensive line is not dominant although LT Andrew Thomas is elite.
The G-Men had a special group on defense last year and may have to rely on that D to carry them again this season. The Giants tabbed FSU product Jered Verse to tag team with stud end Leonard Wiilliams who terrorized quarterbacks last year with 22 sacks. Verse has the size, speed, power moves, and pursuit numbers to be a star right away. Dexter Lawrence and unsung hero Rakeem Nunez-Roches form a dynamic duo inside. The linebacking was stellar as well last season, Kayvon Thibideaux, veteran Bobby Okereke, and Azeez Ojulari are all good. Second year CB Deonte Banks had a DROY type season last year. Cordalle Flott and Aaron Robinson will need to step up. Xavier McKinney, Isiah Simmons and rookie Javon Bullard are the backenders. Bullard could push for slot duties or maybe even beat out Simmons.
Outlook: The defense seems rock solid again and the team might have enough O to be a factor but there is lingering worries about the overall WR corps and the offensive line. Jones will need to show he is the man or the G-Men could be seeking a new QB going forward. They have a tough first place schedule that includes the Rams, Lions, Texans, and Ravens. They cannot afford too many slip up but the D should keep them a viable playoff team all season long. 10+ wins is reasonable.
Dallas Cowboys:
Dallas is under new leadership as Jeff Beyel steps into the role. Beyel will be moving up north just a ways coming from Houston where he led the Texans to an AFC South title and a first round playoff victory. Still, this is a team that Beyel found in utter disarray. The Cowboys lacked any money to resign any veterans or be active in free agency and was strapped with several decaying player contracts. The big news in Big D, of course, was the club's decision to trade up from their 8th spot in the draft with the Carolina Panthers in order to take UNC quarerback Drake Maye. Maye has a cannon for an arm and could be a star, no pun intended, for years to come. His drafting, however, all but signals the end of the line for Dak Prescott. Dallas saw starters CB Stephon Gilmore, DE Demarcus Lawrence, HB Tony Pollard, LT Tyron Smith, RT Terrence Steele, and NT Jonathan Hankins leave in the off-season further depleting the roster. The team drafted Maye and then took LT Tyler Guyton in the 3rd round to take over for Smith They were able to cobble enough money up to sign HB James Robinson who was Saquon Barley's caddy while in New York. They then drafted Clemson bulldog Will Shipley in the 5th round. The receiving corps could be exciting with Cee Dee Lamb, Michael Gallup, Brandin Cooks, Jalen Tolbert, Jaen Moreno-Cropper, and super quick rookie Ainias Smith all vying for playing time. The Cowboys have a nice trio of tight ends as well with Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker likely battling it out this pre-season to be the primary while Peyton Hendershot will serve as the #3. The offensive line, as mentioned, had to be addressed immediately. Guyton is a 6'7" 326 Lbs bruiser who is very strong. He is a quick learner and was the only LT in the class with star development. Tyler Smith was a pro bowl guard last season as was fellow guard Zach Martin. C Tyler Biadasz was resigned and Charles Leno was singed to a free agency deal coming over from Washington.
The defense will be diverse and there are rumors that the team could be employing some new defensive concepts designed to get the most out of the club. Micah Parsons will shift from the right to left defensive end position and super quick Sam Williams will start at LE. Second year NT Maz Smith will start for the departed Hankins. Osa Odighizuwa will be the 3-tech DT along with newcomer Brandin Bryant. Danny Shelton was recently signed on as the backup NT. A plethora of linebackers with various skill sets will all get playing time in the Cowboys' system. Jabril Cox, Jaylon Smith, Leighton Van Der Esch, DeMarvion Overshown, and Damone Clark can all cover. Malik Jefferson and Devin Harper offer run support and blitzing skills. Dallas was able to shore up their secondary as Beyel signed CB Steven Nelson over from the Texans. Nelson recorded a career best 4 interceptions last year while playing for Beyel. Trevon Diggs will be the other corner. Similar to the linebacking unit, the secondary has a number of specialty type players the Cowboys will need to find roles for. Daron Bland is a speedy zone defender while Jourdan Lewis is a slower man defender. Kelvin Joseph and Chris Wilcox bring speed to the table. Malik Hooker is a good safety and backup Marques Bell could be used in some defensive schemes. SS Donovan Wilson probably lacks the speed to be a steady presence at safety but he could fill a valuable role with some slot responsibilities.
Outlook: To be honest, Dallas is a bit of a mess and really is in a total rebuild mode. Prescott will not be resigned, Martin will be let go at the end of the season, and there are rumors WR Brandin Cooks might not make the final roster for the regular season. They have major games right out the gate that could determine if the team can be a factor or not. 6-7 wins is possible but anything more than that would be wishful thinking.
|
