Philadelphia Eagles
I am decidedly in the camp of believing that Jalen Hurts isn’t an elite QB and clearly the Eagles are planning on finding out one way or the other. They went all in for WR AJ Brown during the draft to make sure Hurts has no excuses left, it’s sink or swim time. Brown takes over as the #1 WR with DeVonta Smith a seriously talented #2. They also have Quez Watkins, veteran free agent Zach Pascal and Jalen Reagor, if he can find the talent that made him a first-round pick two years ago. TE Dallas Goedert is also a great safety valve for a young QB.
The running game needs to be more effective and the first step would be for the coaching staff to actually use the talent they have, try handing the ball off a little more. Miles Sanders is a talented back and yet Jalen Hurts had more carries last year, that’s a bad plan. Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott are solid backup guys, especially Gainwell. Use the running backs to run, not the QB. The offensive line needs to have all five guys healthy and that especially includes RT Lane Johnson. He’s 32 years old but when he’s healthy, he’s still one of the best RTs in the game. LT Jordan Mailata was a development dream, a seventh-round pick who has become a top-notch starting LT. Jason Kelce is still manning the middle and the team even drafted his potential eventual replacement in Cam Jurgens, that gives them some insurance inside. Landon Dickerson was great at LG and Isaac Seumalo is fine at RG.
The Eagles have some new blood coming in on the defensive side but they are still counting on a number of players who are 30 or older, that’s a dangerous game to play. DE Brandon Graham is 34 and missed most of last season. They re-signed Derek Barnett but he’s the definition of a middling pass rusher. They need Josh Sweat to continue to develop into an every-down DE and be a pass rushing force. Fletcher Cox returns at a cut rate because he’s 31 and not as effective as he used to be. Javon Hargrave is solid inside next to Cox but he’s 29 this year so they need to prepare for the future. Enter first-round pick Jordan Davis. He’s 6’6, somewhere between 340 and 360 lbs. depending on the day, and he’s an athletic marvel. He’s the future inside.
The team realized they don’t have much pass rushing outside of Sweat so they signed Hassan Reddick who’s coming off back-to-back double digit sack season (one in Arizona, one in Carolina). He’ll play LB but they can’t afford to waste his pass rushing skills. They also finally realized they needed more talent at LB, they signed Kyzir White and drafted Nakobe Dean. Dean fell in the draft largely because of some supposed injury issue but if I were TJ Edwards, the starting MLB, I wouldn’t get too comfortable.
The secondary has some veterans they are really counting on. CB Darius Slay has fended off father time and is still pretty good. They signed Jaquiski Tartt to be SS and they have the overrated Anthony Harris at FS. They also signed Giants’ castoff James Bradberry, he’s a solid addition. Avonte Maddux is a good nickel corner. This is the definition of team that is pushing all in, their window to win is right now. They have to really hope Jalen Hurts is the guy they want him to be.
Dallas Cowboys
I can’t say I’m overly convinced the Cowboys will be all that good this year but the other two teams in the division are led by Daniel Jones and Carson Wentz, I’ll take Dak Prescott over those two. The Cowboys are far from a sure thing, if things go right, they could be good but they have plenty of questions to answer and not a lot of things to count on. Dak Prescott is solid but his pass catching group is getting a little thin. WR CeeDee Lamb is ready to be the legit #1 WR but after him they have Michael Gallup coming off another injury and not much else. They signed James Washington from Pittsburgh, maybe he’s better with Dak throwing to him but he promptly injured his foot. Right now, rookie Jalen Tolbert is the #2 WR, that’s not good. TE Dalton Schultz was good last year as a pass catcher, he’s the next best passing game weapon after Lamb.
The team will have to use their running backs in the passing game and luckily Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard are both good there. Statistically, Elliott wasn’t bad last season overall but it’s clear he isn’t the elite player he once was, not surprising considering his career workload. Pollard should be used more in the run game. The offensive line was a major strength a few years ago but age and injury have taken a toll. LT Tyron Smith is elite when he’s healthy and available, two things he hasn’t been often enough the last few years. Rookie Tyler Smith was drafted to start at LG (and probably eventually replace Tyron Smith at LT), he comes from a smaller school but he should be fine. C Tyler Biadasz is overmatched, he’s the weak link up front. RG Zack Martin can still be elite but he has to be healthy and stay that way. RT Terrence Steele finally played well last year and he’s the reason the team felt confident letting La’el Collins go. He might be the most stable piece right now.
The defense is much like the offense, a number of really good players and an equal number of question marks. DE DeMarcus Lawrence renegotiated his contract but he hasn’t been a great pass rusher in three years, he was injured most of last season, and he’s 30. They had to keep him because they are very thin up front but they need a bounce back season from him, badly. They lost Randy Gregory in a contract dispute so they signed the very well-traveled Dante Fowler Jr. They also drafted Sam Williams, and have Tarell Basham and Dorance Armstrong, not an impressive group at DE. The top three DTs are Neville Gallimore, Carlos Watkins, and Trysten Hill, an even less impressive group.
The LB group is led by second-year star Micah Parsons. He’s the best defender they have. He’s a chess piece that Dan Quinn moves all over the formation, he’s pass rushing star, and he’s the leader they need. Leighton Vander Esch is back, he stayed healthy last year but the jury is still out on him overall. They will use Jabril Cox and Luke Gifford as their third LB when needed.
The secondary is led by CB Trevon Diggs, he’s a turnover machine. He’s big and rangy and gets his hands on a lot of passes. He gambles a bit much for some but the team needs his playmaking in a secondary that is devoid of difference makers. Anthony Brown and Jourdon Lewis are the other top CBs. Malik Hooker and Jayron Kearse man the safety spots, these guys don’t keep offensive coordinators up at night.
Washington Commanders
As much as I don’t want to give the team credit for having Carson Wentz, the did win seven games last year with Taylor Heinicke at QB and I do like their roster better than the Giants at the moment. If they get back a few key players from injury, they won’t be too bad. Wentz will have Terry McLaurin, one of the more underrated WRs in the NFL, as his top target. They drafted Jahan Dotson in round one and he specializes in making tough catches, a skill that will serve him well playing with Wentz. If Curtis Samuel can get healthy, a huge if, he’s a talented playmaker. TE Logan Thomas was hurt much of last season, getting him back would be big. Wentz likes to use the TE spot.
The offensive line isn’t great but it’s passable. LT Charles Leno Jr. isn’t winning any awards but he gets the job done. RT Samuel Cosmi should be better in year two. The interior of the offensive line isn’t stellar but veteran additions Andrew Norwell and Trai Turner are professional blockers who can hold their own. If Chase Roullier or Tyler Larsen can be healthy at center, they shouldn’t be terrible up front. Antonio Gibson is a talented playmaker who isn’t your typical full-time back and he has a propensity to fumble. That is not endearing him to his coach. He’s probably better in the passing game and they should look to get him his touches in space more. JD McKissic does a lot of that work too which is why they drafted Brian Robinson out of Alabama. He’s a guy they should look to use as much as possible. If Wentz can just not screw it up, I actually think this can be a decent offense. The line may end up holding them back but they have plenty of skill position talent.
The defense is built off of their front four and it would really help if Chase Young gets healthy and lives up to his true potential. Young can be a superstar pass rusher and his presence on one side would make Montez Sweat that much more affective on the other side. Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne are a great duo inside and Allen is a true disruptive force in the backfield. The team drafted Phidarian Mathis to eventually replace Payne so they don’t have to pay all these guys but for now, Mathis is just really nice depth inside.
Cole Holcomb and Jamin Davis don’t set the world on fire at LB but they are young guys who are coming along. They will use David Mayo when they use a third LB, he’s okay. The secondary is full of veterans who are good enough to start but aren’t good enough to make you any good. CB Kendall Fuller, CB William Jackson III and safety Bobby McCain do just enough that you can’t hate them but you don’t love them. Kamren Curl is still young enough (23) that he could breakout and be a star at some point. They don’t have any great depth to speak of.
New York Giants
The Giants have one major question that will define their season, is Saquon Barkley good? Just kidding. Can Brian Daboll turn Daniel Jones into a legitimate NFL QB? That’s the question on everyone’s minds. Jones hasn’t been all that good so far in his career but it’s pretty easy to make the argument that the franchise has failed him with the coaching they have surrounded him with so far. Daboll is an accomplished QB developer and play caller. Even if Daboll gets Jones going he’s going to need the WRs to step up. Kenny Golladay was bad in his first year with the Giants. Sterling Shepard is coming off an injury, isn’t he always? Kadarius Toney is a wildcard after a tumultuous rookie year. Darius Slayton might be his best bet for a productive WR if he can recover after being forgotten by the staff last season. WR Wan’Dale Robinson is a rookie they hope does something along with free agent TE Ricky Seals-Jones.
They may have finally fixed their offensive line problems now that Andrew Thomas is set at LT and they drafted RT Evan Neal in round one. Neal is an immediate starter to go with free agent guard Mark Glowinski and C Jon Feliciano. There will be some competition at LG and maybe center but this line will be much improved no matter who starts. That should be good news for Saquon Barkley if he’s healthy. He’s a talented back who started his career like gangbusters but his last two years have been awful. If Daboll can use his myriad of skills both running and receiving behind this new offensive line, they may actually resurrect his career.
The defense will also undergo another change and they get a very accomplished coordinator to run things too. Don “Wink” Martindale from Baltimore comes in and they gave him a shiny new pass rusher to use in first round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux. There were questions about Thibodeaux’s commitment to football but with Martindale running the defense you’re about to see the full Thibodeaux experience, he’s coming for your QB. He joins last year’s rookie Azeez Ojulari at OLB and Martindale will build his defense around those two pass rushers. Ojulari had eight sacks last year in a limited role. Blake Martinez and Tae Crowder will be the ILBs, they are solid starters but not stars in this defense.
Up front the Giants have Leonard Williams, a truly disruptive force at DE. Dexter Lawrence, the immovable object in the middle and then likely a guy like Justin Ellis, a free agent who came over from Baltimore who knows Martindale’s defense. Three tough players up front who make the LBs better. The secondary lost James Bradberry for salary cap purposes and Jabrill Peppers left in free agency. That leaves Xavier McKinney and Julian Love to man the safety spots and Adoree’ Jackson as the top CB. They are going to need guys like Aaron Robinson, Darnay Holmes, Rodarius Williams, or rookie Cor’Dale Flott to step up at CB. Dane Belton was looking like he would get some playing time at safety until he had an injury that will set him back.
The Hott Read 