NFC East preview: Cowboys, Giants, Eagles and the Washington Football Team
NFC EAST
DALLAS COWBOYS
Coach: Mike McCarthy (second season in Dallas, 6-10 regular season).
Last season: 6-10 (second in the division).
Key additions: LB Micah Parson, CB Kelvin Joseph, LB Keanu Neal, DE Tarell Basham, DE Carlios Watkins.
Key subtractions: LB Sean Lee, QB Andy Dalton, DE Tyrone Crawford, C Joe Looney, DE Aldon Smith, S Xavier Woods, long snapper J.P. Ladouceur.
Looking ahead: Dak’s back. There, we said it. Dallas’ offense could be Staubach-era scary with the return of a healthy (they hope), well-paid (definitely) QB Dak Prescott after a broken ankle shattered Prescott’s 2020 as he was on his way to shattering NFL single-season passing records. Prescott’s return means the playoffs unless all the drafting and signing didn’t improve the NFL’s No. 28 scoring defense and No. 31 rush defense.
NEW YORK GIANTS
Coach: Joe Judge (second season with the Giants, 6-10 regular season).
Last season: 6-10 (third in the division).
Key additions: DE Ifeadi Odenigbo, DT Danny Shelton, G Zach Fulton, WR Kenny Golladay, WR/RB Kadarius Toney, TE Kyle Rudolph, RB Devontae Booker, ILB Reggie Ragland, OLB Azeez Ojulari.
Key subtractions: DT Dalvin Tomlinson, OT Cameron Fleming, G Kevin Zeitler.
Looking ahead: The Giants spent in free agency like there’s no tomorrow, which there won’t be if this doesn’t work or if QB Daniel Jones stops mass producing turnovers. Jones’ life gets easier once RB Saquon Barkley and his repaired torn ACL are seen on Sundays somewhere besides yogurt commercials. A defense that kept the Giants in most games last season despite the No. 31 offense deserves a healthy Barkley and an improved Jones.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Coach: Nick Sirianni (first season with the Eagles).
Last season: 4-11-1 (fourth in the division).
Key additions: WR DeVonta Smith, QB Joe Flacco, LB Eric Wilson, S Anthony Harris.
Key subtractions: QB Carson Wentz, S Jalen Mills, OT Jason Peters, LB Duke Riley, CB Nickell Robey-Coleman, DE Vinny Curry, LB Nathan Gerry..
Looking ahead: Four seasons ago, the Eagles soared to their first championship in 57 years. Now, Coach Doug Pederson and starting QB Carson Wentz are as gone as Super Bowl MVP backup QB Nike Foles has been since 2019. The guys assigned to keep Wentz and Hurts clean kept getting the hurts, which is why the team took an NFL-high 65 sacks and Hurts ran for 354 yards. The Eagles acknowledge they’re in transition. But so is the rest of the division.
WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM
Coach: Ron Rivera (second season in Washington, 7-9 regular season).
Last season: 7-9 (first in the division), lost to Tampa Bay in the NFC Wild Card Round.
Key additions: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, OG Ereck Flowers, OT Samuel Cosmi, LB Jamin Davis, CB William Jakcson III, WR Curtis Samuel.
Key subtractions: QB Dwayne Haskins; QB Alex Smith, CB Ronald Darby, LB Kevin Pierre-Louis, TE Jeremy Sprinkle.
Looking ahead: Washington finally learned when to quit. Quit fighting the name change. Quit hanging on to a QB just because they picked him in the first round. As has been said of Ryan Fitzpatrick everywhere, he’s exciting. He will give both teams chances to make big plays. Speaking of big plays, will defensive end Chase Young will make as many as his tremendous rookie season. or will his presence open the door for others?
This story was originally published September 6, 2021 at 8:00 AM.
