NFC East Preview

  Over the last decade, the NFC East has been the most competitive division in the NFL. No team has won the division in consecutive years since the Philadelphia Eagles won it from 2001-2004. Last year, the Dallas Cowboys took home the divisional crown for the second time in three years after finishing with a 13-3 regular season record. However, the division was actually much more competitive than the Cowboys’ record would reflect. The New York Giants, who finished the season at 11-5 and made the playoffs as a wild-card team, actually handed the Cowboys 2 of their 3 losses. Also, the Washington Redskins narrowly missed the playoffs after winning the division in 2015, and, at one point, the Philadelphia Eagles looked like the best team in the division after an easy 3-0 start. This year, the division has even more question marks than last year, and is once again shaping up to be the most highly contested division in the NFL. Will Zeke’s suspension cost the Cowboys’ their chance to repeat as champs? How will Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz follow up their impressive rookie years? Can the Giants repeat their success from a year ago? Will Kirk Cousins finally earn his big contract? Here’s how I believe the NFC East will look in 2017:

4th Place: Washington Redskins (7-9):

   Another offseason, another franchise tag for Kirk Cousins. After throwing for nearly 5,000 yards, 25 touchdowns, and just 12 interceptions last season, many people believed Kirk Cousins had finally earned himself a long-term contract. Obviously, Washington’s management felt otherwise, as they began their offseason by hitting Cousins with the franchise tag for a second straight season. Honestly, I am not sure what else they expect from Cousins at this stage of his career. He has shown promise, and I believe has shown he can be an above average NFL quarterback, and that is all he will probably ever be. If the Skins want to be a super bowl contender with Cousins at the helm, they are going to have to surround him with plenty of talent on both ends of the ball. Last season, they signed free agent cornerback, Josh Norman, to a five-year deal in an effort to bolster their secondary. The move did not pay off the way they wanted it too, as they allowed just over 258 passing yards per game, good for 25th best in the league. Pair that with a run defense that allowed nearly 120 yards per game and you end up with the 28th ranked defense in yards allowed per game in the NFL. I don’t care who your quarterback is, no team will be very successful if they finish with one of the worst defenses in the league. To improve their unit this offseason, the Redskins drafted defensive lineman Jonathan Allen out of  Alabama. Allen was one of the top rated prospects in the entire draft, but due to shoulder injuries he fell to the Redskins at 17th overall. If Allen truly is 100% healthy, he should be an instant difference maker for a team that struggled to stop the run and get after the quarterback. Washington also added second round pick, Ryan Anderson, free-agent Terrell McClain, and free-agent Zach Brown to add depth and versatility at the linebacker position. On paper, this team looks like they improved their defense, but until they prove it in the regular season, I do not see this team as anything but average on that side of the ball. Offense was not an issue for this team last season, as they finished the year ranked third in average yards per game. Some people believe the departures of Desean Jackson and Pierre Garcon could hurt this team’s ability to throw the ball downfield. I think Terrelle Pryor, Jamison Crowder, and Jordan Reed will easily be able to pick up the slack and make this team, once again, one of the most feared passing attacks in the NFL. Ultimately, Kirk Cousins and this Redskins offense will not be able to win this team enough games to make it back the playoffs. However, i am guessing that after another productive year, the Redskins finally give Cousins his long-term deal. Now is that a good or a bad thing for this organization?

3rd Place: New York Giants(8-8):

   Last offseason, the Giants decided to spend big in free-agency. They added cornerback Janoris Jenkins, pass rusher Olivier Vernon, and defensive tackle Damon “Snacks” Harrison. These moves could not have worked out any better for the Giants, as their defense improved exponentially. In 2015 they allowed over 27 points per game, good for 30th in the league. Last season, they ranked second in that category, allowing just under 18 points per game. No doubt, this defense led the Giants to the playoffs and often times had to come up with a big play or timely stop to keep the Giants in games. The main reason why their offense struggled last season was the woeful play of the unit’s offensive line. Not only did their line fail to give Eli Manning enough time to find an open receiver downfield, but they also failed to create any running room for veteran back Rashad Jennings or for rookie Paul Perkins. Surprisingly, this offseason, the Giants made no significant moves to improve their dreadful offensive line. Their biggest offseason moves were the signing of former All-Pro wide-receiver Brandon Marshall, and selecting tight end Evan Engram in the first round of the NFL draft. And while i do believe these moves will help improve the Giants’ offense, the offensive line trouble is something that absolutely should have been addressed in one way or the other. I do not think this offense will be very effective because they will, once again, not be able to run effectively or throw the ball downfield. Another reason i expect this Giants team to regress a bit this season is due to the amount of close games they were able to win last year. Eight of this team’s 11 wins were by just one possession, and six of those eight wins were by 5 points or less. Even with a great defense, it is tough to come away with so many close victories in today’s NFL. This year, Eli Manning and the Giants hover around .500 and fail to make the playoffs, begging the question, “Just how much longer can Eli play at a high level?”

2nd Place: Philadelphia Eagles(9-7):

   In 2016 the Eagles came out of the gate flying! They started the season at 3-0, after blowing out the AFC Championship- bound Pittsburgh Steelers by a score of 34-3. In those 3 games, Carson Wentz threw for 769 yards, 5 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and posted a passer rating of 104.5. After just 3 games, analysts were already comparing the young rookie to NFL legends Peyton Manning and Brett Favre. Fast forward to Week 15 and the Eagles had lost 9 of their next 11 games and carried a very pedestrian 5-11 record. To me, this proves that Wentz, and this whole Eagles squad, has the talent to make this a playoff caliber team in the near future. That near future could be as soon as this season due to a terrific offseason which saw them acquire some great veteran players along with several elite prospects from the draft. They added Alshon Jeffery, Legarrette Blount, Torrey Smith, and Chris Long via free-agency to pair with their talented draft picks. Derek Barnett will have a monster rookie season off the edge, then combine the additions of former PAC-12 standout Sidney Jones and dynamic young back Donnel Pumphrey for what should be a great infusion of youth. They also acquired the very underrated cornerback, Ronald Darby, from the Bills in exchange for Jordan Matthews and a third-round pick. Darby is someone I believe will have a true breakout season as the number 1 corner for the Eagles this year. After outplaying  fellow teammate, Stephon Gilmore, for the past two seasons and after beating out Marcus Peters for Pro Football Focus Rookie of the Year two years ago, it is time for him to take the leap and become a top tier cornerback in the NFL. With Jeffery as a true number 1 target for Wentz, Darby and Jones at corner, and the combination of Blount and Pumphrey at running back, this team seems to have filled many of its glaring holes from a season ago. Finally, if Carson Wentz makes the leap that i believe he is capable of making in his second season, watch out for this Eagles squad, because they will be playoff bound!

1st Place: Dallas Cowboy(10-6):

   I am not even going to bother to recap last season for this Cowboys team because anyone who has ever watched football knows that it was the story of two young players and their historic rookie seasons. Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott set the world on fire. Dak was awarded the Offensive Rookie of the Year award and Zeke led the league in rushing yards. However, this year will not be as easy as the last one because 1. The Cowboys come into this season with a target on their back after winning 13 games a year ago, and 2. They will be without Zeke Elliott for their first six games this season. And yes it is obvious that the Cowboys’ offense will be significantly less effective without Zeke in the backfield, but what goes overlooked is his importance to the team’s defense. Having an elite running back like Zeke on the field allows the Cowboys to run their ball control style offense which keeps their defense off the field and limits the time of possession for their opponents. Keeping their defense off the field for as long as possible will be the key for this Cowboys team after suffering some big losses on the defensive side of the ball this offseason. They lost two of their three starting cornerbacks in Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne along with starting safety J.J. Wilcox via free-agency. The Cowboys did do their best to restock a pretty barren secondary by drafting 4 defensive backs in this year’s draft. They should also be getting back last year’s second round pick, Jaylon Smith, who, before suffering a major knee injury in his final college game, was viewed as a top 10 talent. If he can play anything close to his upside, that will be a massive boost for this defense in need of some speed and athleticism. Overall, I do not think this Cowboys team is any better than last year’s squad and the loss of Zeke will definitely cost this team at least a game or two this season. That being said, I am a big believer in Dak Prescott and I fully expect he, Dez Bryant, and whoever is running the ball behind this team’s dominant offensive line will be able to hold down the fort and win some games while Zeke is suspended. I see this Cowboys team regressing a little bit from a record standpoint, but do not be mistaken, they are the team to beat in the NFC East this season.

Written by Ryan Scimone