With the AFC now behind us, we're down to our final four NFC divisions. We'll keep things local for the first of these previews, starting in the East with "America's Team"...
Dallas Cowboys
Down to Big D we go, to an offseason characteristically filled with drama. Dak Prescott's been in the headlines openly weighing a massive extension now, or one north of $70 million in a few years. He's 2-5 in the playoffs mind you, truly never passing a gut check-- at least in this writer's humble opinion.
Then you have CeeDee Lamb, who's missed by the Cowboys, okay?? But not missed out there competing or putting pressure on anyone. Odd play there Jerruh. A receiving core of Brandin Cooks, Jalen Tolbert and KaVonte Turpin doesn't exactly inspire confidence. The backfield of Zeke, Rico Dowdle and Royce Freeman isn't much better. And remember Trey Lance? He's third string behind Cooper Rush; an ungraceful fall from the #3 overall pick.
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| Photo: Abbie Parr/ Getty Images |
The Dallas defense should be slightly less dysfunctional. Mazi Smith takes up space in the middle, as should newly added Jordan Phillips. Micah Parsons is the bona fide star of the unit, but will his running mate Demarcus Lawrence be able to return to form after a down '23?
DaRon Bland will surely welcome Trevon Diggs back in the opposite corner spot. Diggs had his first full practice on Wednesday since his ACL tear, signaling that he should be good to go come week one. Jourdan Lewis is decent in the slot, while Malik Hooker continues to underperform for a guy taken 15th overall.
One Bold Prediction: The Cowboys finish in the bottom in yards per carry. Ezekiel Elliott was a pleasant surprise for New England last season when he was thrust into a starting role, but it's not super realistic to think the 29-year-old is primed to run it back as the RB1 on an alleged contender. Rico Dowdle, Royce Freeman and Deuce Vaughn are a pretty mid trio as well behind him. Low expectations for that running back room, despite a solid offensive line.
New York Giants
The Giants' brass seem pretty hellbent on making this appear not to be a lame duck season with Daniel Jones back under center, but that's definitely the way it feels. Numerous videos from camp have surfaced with him missing his speedy receivers wide-open downfield-- a trend we may have to get used to. Drew Lock will seemingly surpass Tommy DeVito as DJ's top backup, all but ending that fun saga of New York sports.
Devin Singletary's a solid running back, but quite the downgrade from Saquon Barkley. Last year's 5th round pick Eric Gray has showed well through the preseason and could definitely earn a respectable share of carries.
Malik Nabers, Wan'Dale Robinson, Jaylin Hyatt, Darius Slayton...all dudes that can fly. Isaiah Hodgins' is alright too, plus they added Allen Robinson II to cash another check. A fun receiver room that'll likely be let down by inadequacy at QB. Daniel Bellinger and rookie Theo Johnson could be a solid tandem too, although the team would have preferred Darren Waller play this season instead of pursuing his rap career.
Defensive end Brian Burns cost a pretty penny, but the established pass rushing specialist will be well worth it if he produces. Kayvon Thibodeaux should only benefit from the assistance in that department as he enters his third year. Dexter Lawrence is a stalwart in the middle of the line too, giving the G-Men a group up front that can't be slept on.
The secondary will have it's concerns though. Deontae Banks is a prototype at cornerback, but he can't do it alone. Dru Phillips, Cor'Dale Flott and Darnay Holes are all raw and/or untested. Isaiah Simmons is a nice hybrid piece, it'll be interesting to see how he's deployed. Love second rounder Tyler Nubin out of Minnesota at free safety too, he has some real potential.
One Bold Prediction: Drew Lock starts at least six games this season for the Giants. His huck and chuck playing style will probably mesh better with their speedy receiving core than Daniel Jones', on top of DJ resorting back to his turnover-prone ways in a small sample size last year. Brian Daboll definitely will feel the heat if Jones comes out looking bad again, resulting in him betting his head coaching job on the sixth year Missouri alum. Good luck.
Philadelphia Eagles
In that same vein of coaches in hot water, Nick Sirianni's seat is definitely warm. After last season's collapse from 10-1 to 11-6, with a first round playoff exit, he should consider himself fortunate to have this opportunity.
Jalen Hurts was a huge part of both the good and the bad of last year. It's MVP caliber when he's on, but when he's off, there's some really ugly football put on display. Adding Saquon Barkley to his backfield provides a new, dynamic piece for this offense. Will he receive as scattered usage as D'Andre Swift did?
Few duos more potent at receiver than AJ Brown and Devonta Smith. Parris Campbell is a fun addition to plug into the slot between them too, as long as he can stay healthy. Pretty thin behind that though, which isn't a new development. Tight end Dallas Goedert is going to be solid contributor at tight end to help alleviate that lack of depth.
As up and down as Hurts was, this "vaunted" Philly defense was the biggest reason for 2023's collapse. From the sack kings of the league with Darius Slay and James Bradberry holding down the perimeter to...a decent pass rushing team with Slay/Bradberry getting cooked crispy, all in the matter of one season. It clearly coincided with defense coordinator Jonathan Gannon's departure to Arizona, a failure of Sirianni's to not adequately replace him.
Still plenty of talent on that side though. Jalen Carter is a monster pass rusher, with room to explode into a true game wrecker. Bryce Huff is a nice replacement for Haason Reddick, especially given Reddick's contract situation up in New York. Devin White is a really worthwhile project at middle linebacker after flaming out in Tampa. Bringing back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson should help the secondary too. Can DC Jim Johnson get the most out of them?
One Bold Prediction: At minimum, Jalen Carter doubles his sack totals. The former Georgia Bulldog managed six in his rookie stint, but it felt like he created more havoc than the numbers show. With a revamped supporting cast around him now, look for Carter to pick up at least a dozen sacks this go round.
Washington Commanders
Outside of Chicago, there may not be a franchise who reignited more hope and optimism this offseason. Jayden Daniels is an electric prospect under center whose already showing his upside in the preseason. Will he finally be a hit at the position for Washington??
Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler are a pretty nice pair to have behind the dynamic QB. That timeshare is going to be an interesting thing to track throughout the season. Terry McLaurin should be in for a huge target share of his own, as all signs point to him clicking early on with Daniels. Jahan Dotson, once again, has some hype building around his name too. Can the first round pick from 2022 finally put together a consistent campaign?
While the Commanders' D won't be tops in the NFL, it should have some teeth. Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen are beasts on the interior line and now have a young stud in Jer'Zhan Newton to learn rotate in with them. Behind them, the linebacker trio of Frankie Luvu, Bobby Wagner and Dante Fowler Jr. at least boasts a solid floor.
That secondary though; how did they take Emmanuel Forbes over Christian Gonzalez?! Was baffling pick then and still is to this day, as Forbes was relegated to a backup spot before the first preseason game. Fellow corner Benjamin St. Juste is okay, while free agent addition Michael Davis isn't anything special. Jeremy Chinn is a decent piece at safety, but this is definitely the weakest unit on this defense.
One Bold Prediction: Terry McLaurin posts career highs in receiving yards and touchdowns. Those numbers are currently set at 1,191 and 7, respectively. If Daniels is half the quarterback that he appears to be so far, McLaurin should have no problem surpassing those totals.
Divisional Shakedown
So far through the AFC previews, our winners have been a little chalky, so we'll mix it up here and go with Washington to win it all. For what it's worth, I'd take Philly over Dallas, but there's a fun mix of youth and talent in DC. With the new ownership in place, vibes are high, so let's have them to steal the division late, while the Eagles sneak into the wild card and Mike McCarthy bids adieu from Dallas.
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@Choppinglines
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