At one time I thought the NFC East would be one of the best divisions in the league for a long time to come. Just a few years ago Washington had their qb of the future in Kirk Cousins, the Giants were building with a still productive Eli Manning and an exciting up and comer named Odell Beckham Jr. Dallas loved their “Stars” in Tony Romo, Dez Bryant and Jason Witten and the Eagles were ready to bring in a new wave of offense with the man from Oregon, Chip Kelly. Fast forward a few years and Philly moved on from Mr. new age but thanks to Doug Pederson and a stacked team overall, they stole a Super Bowl from the Pats. The Cowboys said farewell to the old regime; Romo, Bryant and Witten and welcomed in some new hopeful mega stars in Dak, Zeke and a brick wall of an o line. Year one for Dallas was a major success, however, year two….underwhelming. The Giants were a train wreck in 17′ with Manning dwindling, Beckham Jr. searching for on and off the field consistency and a defense that was just flat out awful. As for Washington….they couldn’t even remember what their QB’s name was so, obviously, KIRK (not Kurt) moved on. Will Alex Smith make the Skins feel better about how they handled Cousins? Surely not…right? It’s a good thing the SB champ came from the East otherwise I’d say this division is the most unstable in the league. But is it on the mend?
Dallas: Where do you want to start? In two seasons, the Cowboys lost their money makers; Romo, Bryant and Witten. Now they rest their hopes on a young QB in Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliot. Prescott was not bad in his sophomore season, Zeke was impressive but missed 6 games while serving a suspension and the best offensive line in the league was simply average. Yet, they won more than they lost going 9-7 in 2017. Even with a shaky line and Elliot missing half a dozen games they were 2nd in rushing averaging over 130 yards per game. It took them a bit to deal with life without RT Doug Free (retired) and Ron Leary (Broncos) but once they did we started to see their line dominate like they did in 2016. They’ll start a rookie at left guard (Connor Williams) but standing next to Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin and La’el Collins should have him ready to play at a high level soon. With Elliott projected to play 16 games, I am flat out terrified of their rushing attack. But they’ll need help in the passing game. They finished in the bottom 10 in passing yards per game and now they are without long time producers; Witten and Bryant. They love their WR’s but even they’ll admit they don’t and may not have a clear cut number 1 in 2018. Allen Hurns, Cole Beasly and CSU rockstar Michael Gallup should make training camp interesting. By seasons end, I think EVERYONE in the league will know the name Michael Gallup. I also believe he’ll be one of the leagues elite in the next few seasons. Defensively the Cowboys were good. Not special but solid for sure. They’ll look for rookie MLB Leighton Vander Esch out of Boise State to make an immediate impact while hoping DE DeMarcus Lawrence can have a repeat of 2017 when he had 14.5 sacks. I like this team a lot this season. I love a good rush game and they certainly have it. Defensively they should be a top 10 again. They have a lot riding on youth; rookie LG, rookie MLB, two year QB and RB and no name WR’s in terms of elite status. They drafted 3 players from the Mountain West conference (Vander Esch, Gallup and WR Cedrick Wilson) so their hoping some deep scouting will pay off. I say they will be a top team in the NFC East. 11-5.
New York Giants: Thankfully, the simplified offense of Ben McAdoo is long gone. No more will the Giants hope Eli to Beckham will be enough. Now, they’re going to be more spread out. How could you not be? After taking arguably the best player in the draft, Saquon Barkley at #2, the G-men certainly have the look of a team that could be very dangerous offensively. But like i’ve asked a lot in these previews; can their QB outrun father time? Eli Manning was benched last season for the first time in his career but new HC Pat Shurmer is confident he has a few great years left. Beckham Jr. is fresh off an ankle injury and a whole lot of drama but make no mistake, if he’s healthy physically and between the ears, he’s impossible to stop. Throw in tight end Evan Engram, Barkley and a revamped o line led by former Patriot Nate Solder, this offense could be on the mend. On the defensive side of the ball they were an even bigger mess. Everything that could go wrong in 2017 did. Safety Landon Collins called young CB Eli Apple a “cancer,” while three other DBs were suspended for violating team rules. However, the Giants are comfortable with their guys and hope that the offseason made their hearts grow fonder of one another. They’re going with an “aggressive” 3-4 look with basically two tackles and an end; A NT in Damon Harrison and DT in Dalvin Tomlinson. Because of the schematic overhaul, New York traded Jason Pierre Paul, who simply doesn’t fit this unique style. D coordinator James Bettcher is going to be aggressive and hopes that this new style will let the athletes be play makers. Surely it can’t get any worse than last year? So which team will we see in 2018? In 16′ they went 11-5 but last year won only 3 games. My guess is somewhere in the middle. 8-8.
Philadelphia Eagles: They did the unthinkable and beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl. And on the back of a backup quarterback named Nick Foles. If you were to tell me that the Eagles would win playoff games let alone the BIG one without their young stud Carson Wentz I might call you crazy. In fact, I doubted Foles and the Eagles all the way through the post season much like I doubted the Vikings and Case Keenum. So what do I know? I know that the hope is that Wentz can go game 1 but if not, they are just fine with SB MVP Foles filling in again. Either way, the Eagles like their wide outs; Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor and Mike Wallace. None of those guys are top tier receivers but they can get the job done. Tight end Zach Ertz led the team in receptions and yards last year and should have no issues doing the same again in 2018. They let LeGarrete Blount go to Detroit but are confident in former Boise State Bronco Jay Ajayi and young gun Corey Clement. The two of them had just over 140 carries combined last season but with Blount out of the picture their work load should double. Last year, they had a top 5 defense and the best in the league against the run. Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox and Jordan Hicks look poised to lead a talented group back to big numbers yet again. For good measure, Philly signed DT Haloti Ngata and former Bronco, OLB Corey Nelson. It’s very difficult to point out any weaknesses on the defensive side of the ball but if pressed it would be their secondary. Early in 2017 they failed to click but as the season progressed they became a solid group. They were a middle of the road team against the pass so they will push to improve with FS Malcolm Jenkins and SS Rodney McLeod leading the way. Can they return to the promise land this season? Will Carson Wentz be ready or will they be forced to call on Nick Foles once more? I don’t know why but my gut tells me this team regresses and somehow misses the playoffs. I’m not sold on their receivers as a whole and their CB’s, Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby will struggle against the tough Wr’s they’ll face this year; Atlanta’s Jones and Ridley, NY’s Beckham, Dallas’s rookie Michael Gallup and Houston’s DeAndre Hopkins to name a few. 9-7.
Washington Redskins: I was actually amazed Washington finished 7-9 last season. Was that off the arm of Kirk Cousins? If so, then they are in big trouble. I am not exactly a big time believer in Cousins but was he the type of QB to simply keep the bottom from falling out completely? They will tell you they upgraded the position in Alex Smith. I would say more like a wash but the bigger question is what did the Skins put around their signal caller? They were an ok passing team last season with Jamison Crowder leading the way (66 rec for 789 yards) but will need more playmakers to show up if they want to compete in what I believe to be a competitive NFC East. The O line is led by Pro Bowler Trent Williams and Brandon Sheriff but the rest of the group really struggled with injuries that will be lingering into camp. Another guy on the “if he can stay healthy”watch is tight end Jordan Reed. The guy is a stud and should work well with Smith, a qb who loves to utilize the tight end. At running back they will likely trust a rookie in 2nd round pick out of LSU, Derrius Guice. I thought Guice would go in the first round but somehow fell to round 2. Steal for Washington. However, it might take some time for him to develop. I don’t see him as a sure thing like Saquon Barkley or even former San Diego State standout Rashaad Penny. Ryan Kerrigan will look to lead their defense to a much better season than last where they were the worst in the league against the run but a top 10 against the pass. Was that simply because teams knew they didn’t need to throw? Perhaps. Either way, Washington made a statement by drafting defensive tackle Da’ron Payne out of Alabama. He should be NFL ready by game 1 but is there enough around him? In the secondary they lost Su’a Cravens to the Broncos and Bashaud Breeland. However, there is still a lot of talent in the secondary with Josh Norman and D.J. Swearinger. All in all I just don’t see it this season for Washington. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Skins are a bottom team this year. 6-10.
NFC EAST: Dallas: 11-5 NFC East Champs. Philadelphia: 9-7 no playoffs. New York: 8-8. Washington: 6-10.
