NFC East Preview

The last of our divisional previews is here, which means the NFL season is officially one day away. The wait...is finally coming to an end, excuse me while I wipe the tear from my eye. Make sure to get in your future's bets now!

We saved one of the more interesting divisions for last, the NFC East. The Eagles were the cream of the crop among this group a year ago, but they won't be again if this next team has anything to say about it...

Dallas Cowboys

Big D! America's Team, allegedly anyway. This'll be year 27 since their last Super Bowl, so many will be assuming this is finally the year.

Not this guy! Not as long as Dak is under center. The 30 year old is a fine quarterback, but really not much more. He'll produce and win you most of the games he's supposed to, but seems to falter far too regularly in big moments. Trey Lance will not be replacing him at any point though, at least not this year, so we can squash those rumors now.

Tony Pollard is officially the man in the backfield with Zeke taking his cereal bowl and midriff to New England. He definitely has the skill set to be not only the RB1, but an every down back in this offense-- it just depends how well his body can take the extra punishment. Rico Dowdle and 6th rounder Deuce Vaughn will be his backups.

Photo: Dairyland Express

CeeDee Lamb is poised for another big statistical output, fresh off a career high 107 catches and 1,359 receiving yards in '22. The addition of Brandin Cooks and a fully healthy Michael Gallup will only help take the focus off him. Jake Ferguson has some upside at tight end too with Dalton Schultz moving across state to the Texans. Expect rookie Luke Schoonmaker to integrate himself into the game plan more and more as the season progresses. 

Micah Parsons is the name to know on this defense. The dude's as intense a pass rusher as you'll come across and is a legit threat to take home the Defensive Player of the Year. Jonathan Hankins will help out by creating some push in the middle, with DeMarcus Lawrence cleaning up the opposite edge. 

The Cowboys' biggest offseason move was trading the Colts for cornerback Stephon Gilmore to pair up with Trevon Diggs. It's a great tandem, with Gilmore's fundamental ability allowing Diggs to be a bit more of a ball hawk again. Jourdan Lewis as the CB3 is solid too. Not a ton at safety, but with the corner play in front of them, they shouldn't have to be spectacular.

Synopsis/Predictions

Dallas is going to win some games, they're simply too talented across the board not to. Hammer the over on their win total of 9.5, which should be cashed with relative ease. They'll eventually hit a wall though against a quality opponent late, bouncing them from the playoffs early; a story we've seen far too many times from them of late. Jerry's latest conniption will be a fun one, especially if his guy Dak is to blame for their exit.

-Tony Pollard delivers on the hype, delivering at least 1,200 rushing yards and 400 receiving yards

-CeeDee Lamb eclipses 1,500 yards receiving and double digit scores

-Micah Parsons racks up 18 sacks and wins DPOY

New York Giants

As polarizing a conversation as it was, Daniel Jones got his bag; time to go show the world he's worth it. The fifth year guy put up career highs for passing and rushing in 2022, really thriving in a Brian Daboll offense that was tailored to his skillset. Temper expectations, but I don't anticipate a major drop off for Jones.

His RB1 Saquon Barkley will be behind him in the backfield, after receiving a one year deal that paid a little more than the franchise tag. With this essentially being yet another contract season for Barkley, the sky's the limit for what he can produce...as long as he can remain healthy. Last year was the first time he hadn't missed a game due to injury since 2018-- a development that had a tremendous impact on the Giants' performance.

Very interesting core of receivers in New York. Darius Slayton is the mainstay, with Isaiah Hodgins and Wan'Dale Robinson as emerging contributors. The latter of those three was really starting to come into his own prior to an ACL tear last November. A glutton of depth in this group should allow him to take his time returning from the major injury. Parris Campbell was added as a slot guy in free agency, and rookie Jaylin Hyatt has the skill set to take the top off any defense. Throw in uber-talented tight end Darren Waller, who the team traded for in March, and this passing attack could have some teeth.

Photo: NFL.com

This Giants' defensive line is a criminally underrated group. Dexter Lawrence is an absolute force at D tackle, only made stronger by being in between Leonard Williams and A'Shawn Robinson. With Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari on the outside getting after the quarterback, there's a ton for opposing offensive coordinators to consider.

The secondary isn't quite as impressive, but aren't any slouches either. Adoree Jackson and rookie Deontae Banks should make for a fast cornerback duo, at the bare minimum. Xavier McKinney is a baller at safety too. Given the team's penchant to control the clock with the run game, this should be a pretty fresh defense more often than not.

Synopsis/Predictions

Excited to see what Brian Daboll has in store for the league after taking it by storm in 2022. His offense should improve noticeably, while the defense at least holds serve. Definitely some pressure on the shoulders of Daniel Jones to not stunt this team, if he's unable to elevate them. The Giants performance should pretty closely correlate with that of their QB.

-Danny Dimes clears 3,500 yards passing, over twenty passing touchdowns and an interception number in the single digits. He'll add at least 500 on the ground too

-Jaylin Hyatt has 5+ plays of 50+ yards during his rookie year

-Kayvon Thibodeaux has ten or more sacks in his sophomore campaign

Philadelphia Eagles

The reigning NFC Champions appear poised yet again for a deep run this upcoming year. As far as turnover goes, their offense switched out Miles Sanders for the D'Andre Swift/Rashaad Penny platoon, which shouldn't result in a noticeable (if any) decline in production. Jalen Hurts is looking better than ever and should only stand to gain from another offseason with Devonta Smith and AJ Brown. Thin receiving core outside of those two monsters at the top however.

Photo: Mitchell Leff/ Getty Images

Dallas Goedert helps out with that though, looking to clear 50 receptions for the third straight season. Philly's rocking one of the strongest offensive lines in the NFL too, which should give Hurts plenty of time to find his guys downfield, or lanes to tuck and run through.

Terrifying proposition that the league's top defensive line added Jalen Carter to the mix in this most recent draft. He's a freak of a human being and should thrive on this defense. Throw in Josh Sweat, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Haason Reddick and Nolan Smith...and it's truly a pick your poison for defensive coordinator Sean Desai. And let's not forget run stuffer Jordan Davis on the early downs.

Darius Slay and James Bradberry are an aging but strong pair at the cornerback position, that should be excellent models for Kelee Ringo to learn from. Terrell Edmunds coming over from across the state during the offseason will help over the top as well. Really not much of a weak point on this D, at least when Davis is healthy to clog up the running lanes.

Synopsis/Predictions

Top to bottom, hard to argue there's a better team in the NFC than Philly. MVP caliber quarterback play, two stud wideouts, enough defensive lineman to field two solid units...just a very talented group. They're going to win a lot of games.

-Jalen Hurts will take home MVP, after falling just short in 2022, clearing 4,000 yards passing plus 500-700 on the ground

-Dallas Goedert's career high for touchdowns in a year is a modest five; a total he'll double this year with ten or more

-Jalen Carter has double digit sacks and wins Defensive Rookie of the Year

Washington Commanders

The true wild card in the NFC East, the Washington Commanders. People around the team are singing the praises of Sam Howell, and he looked good in a small sample size as a rookie, but how will he fare in a full schedule? Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson, while not a flashy duo, will help the second year QB pace things on the ground. Expecting more explosiveness from Robinson, he was understandably a little inefficient last year after returning from a gun shot injury.

Photo: Randy Litzsinger/ Icon Sportswire

Terry McLaurin's toe injury, in a useless preseason win over the Ravens, is definitely a concern for Washington. He's a premier receiver that any quarterback would benefit from having out there, particularly an inexperienced one. Jahan Dotson came on strong at the end of last year and was looking like an incredible second wideout. Will he be able to shoulder the WR1 role until McLaurin's return? 

Curtis Samuel is a nice Swiss army knife, while Logan Thomas seems like he'll never quite reach his ceiling. Two injury-prone but exciting weapons. John Bates, sleeper watch for the thin tight envd position in fantasy.

This could be the class of the defensive lines in the league, but they're just so inconsistent. Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen, Montez Sweat have all produced throughout their careers, it just hasn't all seemed to happen at the same time. Getting former #2 pick Chase Young back in the mix helps on paper, but I'm not totally sold on his fit with the team either. Just seems like the coaches aren't getting enough out of this group.

Rookie Emmanuel Forbes got a ton of hype in camp. The undersized but sticky cornerback was an interesting selection in this most recent draft, but the kid's a ball hawk. We'll see how his 166 pound frame holds up in the league. Kendall Fuller's a decent corner on the other side, and Kamren Curl's turned into a pretty good safety. #4 pass defense a year ago, not inconceivable that they put up similar numbers.

Synopsis/Predictions

Who are you, Sam Howell? The answer to that question will play a large impact on how successful this team can be. His teammates have rallied behind him, and there's enough talented skill players to help alleviate some of the pressure, but playing QB in the NFL ain't easy. It also feels like Ron Rivera hasn't been able to get the most out of the Commanders during his tenure. With new leadership in town, I'm curious how attached they'll be to their head coach.

-Brian Robinson racks up over 200 carries and clears 1,000 rushing

-Jahan Dotson at least matches his touchdown total of seven from 2022

-Emmanuel Forbes has three or more interceptions, taking one to the house

Wrap Up

How can you pick against the Eagles in the NFC East? The other three teams are good too, they just can't compare to that Philly roster. They're betting favorites to run it back in not just the division, but the conference, and rightfully so at this point. An offseason of continuity and minimal turnover should have them no worse off than their 2022 Super Bowl run.

Dallas will finish second and snag a wild card, which Dak will inevitably mess up. Or Mike McCarthy, some collaboration between the two. 

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@Choppinglines

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