Now that the draft is over, and free agency has simmered, it’s time to look ahead to the 2020 season, and take a look at how each team looks.
In the most unpredictable division, three teams changed head coaches. After a year away from the sidelines, the Cowboys hired Mike McCarthy to run arguably the most talented team in the NFL. Will he learn from his shortcomings in Green Bay? Joe Judge is getting his first head coaching gig in New York after eight years in New England. Can he restore the winning ways that kept the Giants afloat in the ’00s? Will Ron Rivera’s relocation to Washington dig the Redskins out of their never-ending hole of irrelevance? Can the Eagles stay healthy enough to be a legit NFC contender? Let’s look at the NFC East.
Rookies will be noted with *, and players from the 2019 Pro Bowl will be in bold.
Dallas Cowboys
Offense
QB: Dak Prescott
RB1: Ezekiel Elliott
RB2: Tony Pollard
FB: Jamize Olawale
WR1: Amari Cooper
WR2: CeeDee Lamb *
WR3: Michael Gallup
TE1: Blake Jarwin
TE2: Dalton Schultz
LT: Tyron Smith
LG: Connor Williams
C: Joe Looney
RG: Zack Martin
RT: La’el Collins
Defense
DE: Demarcus Lawrence
DT: Gerald McCoy
NT: Dontari Poe
DE: Tyrone Crawford
OLB: Leighton Vander-Esch
MLB: Jaylon Smith
OLB: Sean Lee
CB: Anthony Brown
FS: Xavier Woods
SS: Ha-Ha Clinton Dix
CB: Chidobe Awuzie
NB: Jourdan Lewis
Special Teams
K: Greg Zuerlein
P: Chris Jones
I kept saying last year that the Cowboys were the most talented team in the NFL, and that’s why it was an ultra disappointment that they missed the playoffs. The steal of the draft was Jerry Jones selecting Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb to compliment Amari Cooper on the outside along with Michael Gallup coming off a breakout season. As for their defense, the front four is ferocious on paper, with the addition of veterans Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe, as well as Demarcus Lawrence screaming off the edge. One underrated signing is Greg “The Leg” Zuerlein from the Rams. His apt nickname stems from having the strongest leg in the league, and if the Cowboys are going to play in a lot of close games, they need a reliable kicker to knock home the game winner. The gloves are off in Dallas if they can’t win this division with this roster.
New York Giants
Offense
QB: Daniel Jones
RB1: Saquon Barkley
RB2: Dion Lewis
FB: Elijahaa Penny
WR1: Golden Tate
WR2: Darius Slayton
WR3: Sterling Shepard
TE1: Evan Engram
TE2: Levine Toilolo
LT: Nate Solder
LG: Will Hernandez
C: Spencer Pulley
RG: Kevin Zeitler
RT: Andrew Thomas *
Defense
DE: Leonard Williams
NT: Dalvin Tomlinson
DE: Dexter Lawrence
OLB: Kyler Fackrell
ILB: David Mayo
ILB: Blake Martinez
OLB: Lorenzo Carter
CB: Sam Beal
FS: Xavier McKinney *
SS: Jabrill Peppers
CB: James Bradberry
NB: Grant Haley
Special Teams
K: Aldrick Rosas
P: Riley Dixon
On paper, the Giants’ offense isn’t half bad. We all know how great Saquon Barkley is when healthy, and Daniel Jones showed a lot of promise in what was a rollercoaster rookie season. If he can work on his fumbling issues, he has the potential to be a very good quarterback one day. They also found a 5th round breakout receiver in Darius Slayton, who lead the team with 740 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns. Their glaring need, however, was not addressed during the offseason: pass rush. Jadaveon Clowney is still out there, but do the Giants want to pay him what he wants? The secondary is also very shaky, especially at corner. Notice that Deandre Baker is not on the list. The former first round pick got into some trouble where he reportedly robbed people at a party. If first year coach Joe Judge wants to send a message about a culture change, don’t be surprised if Baker isn’t starting when the season comes…or if he’s not on the team at all.
Philadelphia Eagles
Offense
QB: Carson Wentz
RB1: Miles Sanders
RB2: Boston Scott
WR1: Alshon Jeffery
WR2: DeSean Jackson
WR3: Jalen Reagor *
TE1: Zach Ertz
TE2: Dallas Goedert
LT: Andre Dillard
LG: Isaac Seumalo
C: Jason Kelce
RG: Brandon Brooks
RT: Lane Johnson
Defense
DE: Derek Barnett
DT: Javon Hargrave
DT: Fletcher Cox
DE: Brandon Graham
OLB: Nathan Gary
MLB: TJ Edwards
OLB: Duke Riley
CB: Avonte Maddox
FS: Rodney McLeod
SS: Jalen Mills
CB: Darius Slay
NB: Nickell Robey-Coleman
Special Teams
K: Jake Elliott
P: Cameron Johnston
By the skin of their teeth, the Eagles mercifully won the NFC East despite suffering a boatload of injuries at the skill positions. Miles Sanders should be elevated to the starting running back position with Boston Scott being used in passing downs. Eagles Twitter went aflame when they picked Jalen Reagor in the first round, and before the pitchforks and torches come out, let’s see if using him in the slot can be helpful in the offense. The secondary definitely improved after trading for the disgruntled Darius Slay from Detriot. His two battles with Amari Cooper will be pure theatre. If everyone stays healthy (which is a big if with this team), then the Eagles will certainly have as good of a chance as the Cowboys of winning the division.
Washington Redskins
Offense
QB: Dwayne Haskins
RB1: Adrian Peterson
RB2: Derrius Guice
WR1: Terry McLaurin
WR2: Kelvin Harmon
WR3: Trey Quinn
TE1: Jeremy Sprinkle
TE2: Richard Rodgers
LT: Cornelius Lucas
LG: Wes Schweitzer
C: Chase Roullier
RG: Brandon Scherff
RT: Morgan Moses
Defense
DE: Montez Sweat
DT: Da’Ron Payne
DT: Jonathan Allen
DE: Ryan Kerrigan
OLB: Chase Young *
MLB: Thomas Davis
OLB: Cole Holcomb
CB: Fabian Moreau
FS: Sean Davis
SS: Landon Collins
CB: Kendall Fuller
NB: Jimmy Moreland
Special Teams
K: Dustin Hopkins
P: Tress Way
The Redskins were an extremely run-heavy offense in 2019, and there were quite a few reasons why. Bill Callahan was the interim coach for 11 games, Dwayne Haskins was a raw rookie who was learning the position, and the receiving core wasn’t very good outside of Terry McLaurin. I love what the Redskins did to their defense, but their offense still leaves a lot to be desired. They weren’t able to take Amari Cooper away from the Cowboys, so they kept the receiving core the way it looked a year ago. Kelvin Harmon and Trey Quinn aren’t moving the needle for me, and if Dwayne Haskins doesn’t grow in his second year, this could be part of the reason why. Now the defense is something to reckon with. They took the best player in the draft in Chase Young, signed veteran Thomas Davis to play middle linebacker, and signed veterans Sean Davis and Kendall Fuller to boost the secondary. I wouldn’t be surprised if every Redskins games has a 17-14 final score.
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