Dallas Cowboys
2020 Record: 6-10 (3rd in NFC East)
Head Coach: Mike McCarthy (2nd season)
Notable Additions: S/OLB Keanu Neal, P Bryan Anger, DT Brent Urban
Notable Departures: QB Andy Dalton, DE Aldon Smith, S Xavier Woods
Biggest Reason for Excitement: Seeing What CeeDee Lamb Can Do in Year 2
Dak Prescott's gruesome season-ending ankle injury in Week 5 robbed football fans of the chance to see what CeeDee Lamb could do in a high-powered NFL vertical attack. After Prescott went down, the lauded receiver prospect out of the University of Oklahoma was effectively relegated to a respectable possession receiver status with Andy Dalton and Ben DiNucci under center and ended up finishing his rookie season with a decent but not overly impressive 69 catches for 935 YDS and 5 TD's in 15 games.
Clearly nobody knows what Prescott is going to look like a year removed from a major injury, but the prospect of Lamb teaming up with the vaunted 28-year old signalcaller for a full season is exciting to say the least. With a quarterback that boasts Prescott's arm strength and accuracy under center, there's pretty much no limits to what Lamb can do. Deep or short passing game, contested catches over the middle of the field or running wide open down the sideline, lining up in the slot or on the outside-Lamb has the rare route running skills, YAC ability and body control to be the next star WR in this league and it's very possible that we'll see him make that leap this year if he can get the level of QB play required to maximize the value of his versatile gifts.
Biggest Question Mark: Dak Prescott's Health
Sure there are better QB's in the league than Dak Prescott, but is there another team that is more dependent on QB play to win games than the Cowboys? Ezekiel Elliott had his worst year of his career last year when he asked to shoulder a bigger offensive workload in Prescott's absence, their defense is a complete joke from top to bottom that lacks any consistently reliable performers outside of DeMarcus Lawrence and Mike McCarthy's most notable coaching achievement since winning a Super Bowl all the way back in 2010 is smashing watermelons on multiple occasions last season to get the team fired up during team meetings.
Their reliance on Prescott to win games is what makes the forecast for this season so cloudy. Expecting Prescott to just bounce right back from what was among the most serious, viscerally brutal injuries suffered in recent NFL history is naïve at best and reckless at worst. Prescott's status for the 2021 campaign managed to get even murkier upon the start of camp last week after he was shut down for multiple days after dealing with tightness in his throwing shoulder. The only thing scarier than Prescott's sketchy health status is that the semi-competent backup Andy Dalton has been replaced by a TBD doofus (the options as of now are DiNucci, Garrett Gilbert and Cooper Rush) that has past experience in their system, leaving them with zero insurance in case Prescott ends up on the shelf at any point this season. Prescott certainly has embraced being an underdog since he entered the league in 2016 as a 4th round draft pick that was drafted behind 6 other QB's in his class and stranger things have happened than a good veteran NFL QB making a swift, graceful recovery 1 season removed from a scary severe injury, but all signs to this point aren't pointing towards Dak going on a dominant comeback tour.
Key to Reaching Their Ceiling: Ezekiel Elliott Returning to Form
Every member of the "Ezekiel Elliott is overrated" camp had a field day with his dumpster fire of a 2020 season. The 26-year old back was a shell of his usual self-posting only 979 rushing YDS, 4.0 YPC and 8 total TD's in 15 games (all career lows) while coughing up a position-high 6 fumbles-during a season where the Cowboys needed to lean on his services more than ever.
Now it does need to be noted that the stacked boxes he faced in the wake of Prescott's absence certainly contributed to his struggles, but his issues went well beyond being unable to break through 7-8 man fronts. He was running with considerably less urgency than he usually does and was so desperate to put a stop to his struggles that he began playing with an increased level of frustration-induced recklessness that served as the catalyst for his fumbling issues.
With Prescott potentially being limited once again, the Cowboys really need Elliott to return to All-Pro form. Their offense is so much more frightening when Elliott is picking up big chunks on the ground, powering across the goal line and allowing Prescott to dig into his special play action bag of tricks, and they definitely have the firepower upfront with Zach Martin, La'el Collins and Tyron Smith to establish more of a run-driven attack. Whether or not Elliott still has it in him to be a dominant back is another question, but they sure as hell need to feed the man and cross their fingers that he'll still be able to hit (at least) the 1,300+ scrimmage YD mark.
Bottom Line:
Dak Prescott has long odds of being his usual self this year and the Cowboys have basically no chance of doing anything of note if that's the case.
New York Giants
2020 Record: 6-10 (2nd in NFC East)
Head Coach: Joe Judge (2nd season)
Notable Additions: WR Kenny Golladay, CB Adoree' Jackson, TE Kyle Rudolph
Notable Departures: G Kevin Zeitler, DT Dalvin Tomlinson, OLB Kyler Fackrell
Biggest Reason for Excitement: Their Sneaky Good Defense
With a decimated receiving corps, putrid offensive line and zero running game to speak of after Saquon Barkley went down for the year in late September, the Giants offense was one of the more hopeless units in the NFL last year. Despite their exceptional struggles on offense, their defense led by unlikely standouts such as James Bradberry, Leonard Williams and Blake Martinez emerged as one of the most surprisingly productive groups in the league as they finished in the top 10 in multiple categories (9th in scoring defense, 9th in rushing YDS allowed, 10th in takeways, 5th in passing TD's allowed) and were solely responsible for getting them back in the NFC East title hunt after a brutal 1-7 start.
Even with the departure of some key rotational pieces including interior defensive line stalwart Dalvin Tomlinson, pass-rushing specialist Kyler Fackrell and inside linebacker David Mayo, this group appears to be on a path back to the top 10 again in 2021. The addition of Adoree' Jackson-whose career got off to a terrific start before injuries slowed him down last season and led to his release from the Titans-should mark a considerable improvement at the #2 corner spot that was occupied by the very shaky duo of Isaac Yiadom and Darnay Holmes last season, Todd Davis is a very respectable veteran inside linebacker that could contend for a starting spot or just be a solid insurance policy for Martinez and while there are some valid concerns about his durability, rookie Azeez Ojulari has the motor and sound technique to come in and boost this so-so pass rush right away. If all goes well, you might even see this group start to get compared to the standout defenses they had during their Super Bowl runs in 2007 and 2011.
Biggest Question Mark: Daniel Jones
Daniel Jones is just impossible to figure out. He's the type of QB that will string together 10 beautiful passes in a row then turn around and make the most boneheaded decision imaginable and immediately undercut all of the positive plays he made.
To be fair to Jones, he hasn't exactly been put in a great spot to succeed during his 1st 2 pro seasons. The Giants have had huge talent gaps at offensive-line/receiver, star RB Saquon Barkley has either sidelined or ineffective because he was playing with a significant injury for the bulk of Jones' tenure and the playcalling he's received from his stooge OC's (Mike Shula, current numbskull Jason Garrett) has been just wretched. As he heads into 2021 with Barkley coming off a torn ACL, a new top WR in Kenny Golladay who has his extensive own injury baggage and pratically no changes to the offensive line (free agent pickup Zach Fulton sliding into veteran cap causality Kevin Zeitler's spot at left guard is the only projected change at the moment) that made life difficult for him last year with their all-around struggles, Jones will have be tasked with hurdling yet another steep set of obstacles that are out of his control while trying to establish himself as a legit pro quarterback.
The problem is that regardless of all the factors that aren't his fault impeding his chances to succeed, time is running out for Jones to prove himself. None of his beautiful highlight reel throws or long runs on broken plays will matter if he doesn't start punching the ball into the endzone with more regularity (he only threw 11 TD's in 14 starts last season), further improve his accuracy (his career CMP% is just 62.2) and cut down on his stupid turnovers (Jones has thrown 22 INT's and astonishing 29 fumbles in 27 career games)-particularly in the red area. As big of a swing as Dave Gettleman took on Jones when he selected 6th overall in 2019, it wouldn't be shocking if they started to look elsewhere if he struggles again this year.
Key to Reaching Their Ceiling: Saquon Barkley and Kenny Golladay Staying Healthy
There's plenty of optimism within the Giants camp that they'll be able to improve upon their wretched 31st ranked scoring offense from 2020. Rookie Kadarious Toney is being viewed as a Deebo Samuel-type swiss army knife that can run people over in the short passing game with his physicality/speed combo or line up in the backfield and take jet sweeps and there's hope that bringing in a steady veteran presence in Kyle Rudolph will bolster their blocking while also provide them with a more trustworthy big redzone target to compensate for all the TD's Evan Engram's stone hands have cost them over the past few years. The reality is that Toney and Rudolph are most likely going to be secondary players on this mission to make the G-Men's offense competent. The two men that will be leading the way are Barkley and Golladay-who was handed a splashy 4-year deal worth up to $72 mil in free agency-which is a risky proposition to say the least.
Everybody's aware of the type of impact Barkley and Golladay are capable of having on a game. Barkley is an incredible dual threat force out of the backfield that is extremely difficult to stop once he gets he cooking while Golladay is one of the league's most lethal threats in the downfield passing game. The trouble is that these two simply can not be relied upon to be the driving forces of an offense. Both of them only have 1 season in which they appeared in every game under their belts and at this very second, they're coming back from respective major injuries they suffered in 2020 (Barkley tore his ACL, Golladay had a major hip ailment that kept him out of the final 9 games to which the severity was never fully disclosed).
Their major injury red flags wouldn't be as big of a problem if this group had other options. Newly acquired backup Devonate Booker is as blah of an employed veteran running back as there this in league right now and the rest of the receiving group outside of Rudolph and Toney is the same one (Sterling Shepard, Engram, Darius Slayton, Dante Pettis, C.J. Board, Alex Mack) that struggled to produce in 2020 except now ex-Bengals speedster/Hall of Fame 1st round bust John Ross is also in the mix. The Barkley/Golladay experiment is a significant leap of faith for the Giants to make (Update: Gollday left practice this morning with a hamstring/leg injury. Things are going great!) and how it pans out should ultimately determinate what Joe Judge's team is able to do this season.
Bottom Line:
Despite the boom-or-bust status surrounding their offense, the Giants strong defense should keep them in the thick of the race to win this weak division.
Philadelphia Eagles
2020 Record: 4-11-1 (4th in NFC East)
Head Coach: Nick Sirianni (1st season)
Notable Additions: S Anthony Harris, CB Steven Nelson, DE Ryan Kerrigan
Notable Departures: QB Carson Wentz, WR DeSean Jackson, S/CB Jalen Mills
Biggest Reason for Excitement: An Upgraded Secondary
Bringing in a top corner in Darius Slay that's still in the middle of his prime last season was a nice start to the Eagles long overdue secondary overhaul. Now admittedly Slay wasn't in top form in 2020- only securing 1 INT, registering 6 passes defensed (his lowest since his rookie year in 2013) and allowing the 12th most receptions in the league- but he still made enough plays to give the Eagles a boost at that spot. This offseason, they continued to invest in their secondary with the hopes of taking them from the middle of the pack (15th) into the top 10 and finally have a back-end that matches their long dominant front 7.
Their biggest move came early on when they signed ex-Vikings safety Anthony Harris. While Harris isn't exactly a known commodity around the league due to him playing next to Future of Hall Famer Harrison Smith for 6 seasons, he's a certified playmaking safety that tackles exceptionally well and has flashed some serious ball skills at times (he had a league-high 6 INT's back in 2019 and has 24 passes defensed over the past 3 seasons).
Then a few weeks back, they were handed the somewhat unexpected gift of Steven Nelson choosing to signing a 1-year deal with them over several other more competitive suitors (Saints, Chargers, 49ers, Seahawks, Bears). Nelson asked for his release from the Steelers back in March for undisclosed reasons after another very solid season and is still very much in contention for the title of most underrated corner in the league. Pairing him with Slay immediately gives the Eagles one of the toughest and soundest corner pairings in the league and should put them on comparable footing with the pairings their divisional foes in Washington and New York have.
Top things off with their longtime solid starter Rodney McLeod slotting in at the other safety spot and the scrappy yet not overly polished Avonte Maddox moving to the slot after a rough couple of years on the outside and you have a pretty stacked group that should cause some problem in a division that has some of the more questionable passing attacks in the league.
Biggest Question Mark: The Viability of Their Receiving Corps
Is Howie Roseman even aware of the depth of the problem that his team has at receiver? His approach over the past couple of offseason would indicate that he doesn't have any fucking clue. He's refused to sign veterans that weren't aging retreads embarking on their 2nd stint with the organization (DeSean Jackson) since he got burned by the Alshon Jeffrey extension during the 2017 season and all of the draft picks he's made from 2019-2020 (J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, John Hightower, Jalen Reagor-who already has the dubious distinction of being drafted before Justin Jefferson and Brandon Aiyuk) have done jack squat in the pros thus far. Even the no-brainer slam dunk pick that DeVonta Smith was believed to be is already is starting to look a bit questionable as concerns over how the 2020 Heisman Trophy winner's slender frame (6'0, 170 lbs) would hold up in the NFL are already looking like they could be valid after he suffered an MCL sprain over the weekend that may sideline him until the start of the regular season.
So what does that leave them with? An aging Zach Ertz who has been begging for a trade to no avail for over a year now, a talented but injury prone TE in Dallas Goedert and a couple of warm bodies (Travis Fulgham, Greg Ward) that WR-needy fantasy players picked up during the most desperate days of the 2020 season. In more direct words, it doesn't seem like a repeat of the TO/FredEx or DeSean Jackson/Jeremy Maclin glory eras are going be in the cards this year.
The Eagles are flirting with a full rebuild after severing ties with Carson Wentz and it's just irresponsible and maddening to ask a 2nd year QB in Jalen Hurts that's entering his 1st full season as the starter and a 1st year HC in Nic Sirraini to enter a foundational season with a group that has disaster written all over them.
Key to Reaching Their Ceiling: Jalen Hurts Establishing an Identity as a Quarterback
No rookie quarterback became a starter last year under shittier circumstances than Jalen Hurts. Not only did Hurts have to deal with onetime franchise QB Carson Wentz breathing down his neck on a weekly basis, he was effectively being used as a pawn by Doug Pederson in a last ditch effort to save his job. The job or the team just never felt like it was really his and that had a visible effect on his confidence under center.
Now that both Wentz and Pederson are out of the equitation, Hurts can finally breathe. Siranni came to Philly knowing that Hurts was going to be his guy and just the fact that one of the more coveted HC candidates from this cycle wanted to work with him should erase any of the lingering doubts he had about his status as the team's starter. What exactly the system will look like is anyone's guess as Siranni has never been the sole shot caller on an offense before and Hurts has the arm strength/dynamic rushing ability to do a lot of different things, but as a Frank Reich disciple, there's a pretty good chance it'll be an uptempo attack that attacks defenses in a variety of ways without being extremely complex. Hurts has the raw tools to be special and it's going to be exciting to see what he can do now that's he going to be fully unleashed in a system that's tailored to his strengths.
Bottom Line:
As good as their defense and offensive line could/should be, there's too many question marks elsewhere from the offensive skill positions down to the coaching staff to have much optimism about the Eagles this year.
Washington Football Team
2020 Record: 7-9 (1st in NFC East)
Head Coach: Ron Rivera (2nd season)
Notable Additions: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, WR Curtis Samuel, CB William Jackson III
Notable Departures: T Morgan Moses, DE Ryan Kerrigan, QB Alex Smith (retired)
Biggest Reason for Excitement: The Offense Has Been Significantly Overhauled
Outside of some splash plays provided by standout young WR Terry McLaurin and rookie RB Antonio Gibson-who greatly exceeded expectations after receiving limited touches during his time at the University of Memphis, the Football Team's offense was a real mess last year. Their QB play was either abysmal (Dwayne Haskins) or so married to the game manager concept (Alex Smith) that they weren't trying to move the ball more than a few yards downfield most of the time, the receiving corps next to McLaurin was so useless that converted QB Logan Thomas-who was the epitome of a mediocre in his 1st year of extended run at TE-became the #2 option and about 8 of every 10 TD's they scored came from their defense giving them a short field to work with.
After making the playoffs with such a limp offense in 2020 (25th in scoring, 25th in passing, 26th in rushing), new GM Martin Mayhew made adding some sizzle to this group his top priority. Considering who was available in this so-so free agency class, Mayhem did a damn fine job with that task. Ryan Fitzpatrick is the flashiest stopgap QB option there is courtesy of his tendency to just rip the ball downfield, Curtis Samuel is a burgeoning #2/#3 receiving option that has significantly improved as a YAC/jet sweep threat over the past 2 seasons (he logged a career high 1,051 scrimmage YDS last season with the Panthers) and rookie Dyami Brown was one of the most explosive, consistent downfield threats available in this year's deep receiver class. Adding those guys doesn't only bring some much needed depth and potential dynamism to this group, it makes the ceilings of centerpieces McLaurin and Gibson significantly higher now that they'll be able to run an offense that isn't almost solely focused on ball control. Plus since they are now less likely to attract all of the defensive attention from their opponents, a finish within the top 15 overall offenses seems like it could be well within the cards.
Biggest Question Mark: The Stability of the Locker Room
The steady, quiet leadership of Ron Rivera brought a level of stability and cohesion to the locker room in 2020 that's been largely foreign to the Washington football operation during Daniel Snyder's tenure as owner. Entering Rivera's 2nd season, that strong culture is already in jeopardy for reasons that aren't directly related to football.
As anyone who closely follows the league knows, Rivera was diagnosed with cancer last August and remained with the team all season while he received chemotherapy and was eventually declared cancer-free in January. Responding to a question from a reporter at training camp last week surrounding his team's low COVID vaccination rate-which sits at a reported league low 50%- the usually reserved, diplomatic public Rivera, who is now immunocompromised as a result of his treatment, expressed his frustration with the large contingent of his players who are refusing to take his health issues seriously.
Naturally, Rivera's candor with the media could create a very awkward dynamic within that room. There's a very realistic chance that Rivera has lost respect for the players who've proven they don't care about his serious underlying health conditions by not getting vaccinated and the many unvaccinated players in the room have lost respect for him for harshly criticizing them in a public setting. Given Washington's history with dysfunction, it almost seems like destiny that the unified front they formed last season could be undercut by the cruelty and selfishness of human nature.
Key to Reaching Their Ceiling: Their Defense Remaining Dominant
Rivera's number one goal when he took over as head coach was to fix the defense and despite some early season woes, he pulled that off and then some. Driven by a monstrous front 7 headed up by 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year Chase Young and some unexpected success stories (2020 7th round pick Kamren Curl gracefully stepping in at strong safety after Landon Collins went down with a torn Achilles in week 7, Kendall Fuller settling back into a groove at slot corner after 2 rough years with the Chiefs), the Football Team's D become a stout, well-balanced force that allowed them to compensate for the ineffectiveness of their offense and win close, ugly games down the stretch.
Heading into 2021, this group seems like a good bet to maintain the level of impressive play they displayed last season. William Jackson III is a reliable, instinctive cover corner that marks a big upgrade over the up-and-down Ronald Darby, rookie Jamin Davis-who popped during his lone year as a starter at Kentucky-appears to have the instincts and athleticism to play inside linebacker at a high level in the pros and thinking about what Young can do in year #2 when he's fully healthy (he missed some time last October with a groin strain) is just downright scary. Outside of the Rams, this may be the defense in the football and their play should be the determining factor in how far this team goes this season.
Bottom Line:
On paper, the Football Team are the clear best team in the NFC East. However, the potential locker room dysfunction that could be brewing over their low vaccination rates and the playoff curse that has followed Ryan Fitzpatrick to every single NFL destination he's been to clouds up their path to a title.
Projected Standings:
1.New York Giants (9-8)
2.Washington Football Team (8-9)
3.Dallas Cowboys (6-11)
4.Philadelphia Eagles (5-12)
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