NFC East Power Rankings
1.) Philadelphia Eagles Last Season 10-6
The Eagles were the surprise team last year as Chip Kelly’s offense ripped through the NFL. One of the reasons you have to be excited about this team is the success of Nick Foles. Foles went on a tear after taking over for Michael Vick last year throwing 27 touchdowns to only two interceptions. On the down side he is losing his top target in Desean Jackson but will that slow down this Eagles offense?
Not much actually, even though the Eagles let Jackson go they’re getting star receiver Jeremy Maclin who was a good receiver for the Eagles before his injury. Him and Riley Cooper will have to hold down the outside at receiver. Fortunately the team has to of the shiftiest running backs in the league, LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles. Both players are proven playmakers and can easily turn a five yard catch into a 50 yard touchdown.
The defense is also new and improved with the additions of Nolan Carroll and Malcolm Jenkins. Adding these two players immediately strengthens the Phili secondary. With the Eagles only missing Jackson they should still be considered the best team in the division right now. They’ve gained more than they’ve lost this offseason and Chip Kelly has shown that his offense can be successful at the NFL level.
2. Washington Redskins Last Season 3-13
Washington had an absolutely terrible year last year finishing at the bottom of the NFL and last place in the NFC East. Quarterback Robert Griffin III struggled all season avoiding the rush and getting his confidence back after his serious knee injury last season. The teams offensive weapons were shut out and the defense struggled to do much of anything.
But in this offseason after the hiring of Jay Gruden the Redskins have quietly put together a solid team to compete for the NFC East. On defense the team addressed one of their more noticeable problems in the secondary signing veterans Ryan Clark and Tracy Porter. They also made a splash at linebacker bringing back Brian Orakpo and Perry Riley while also signing Darryl Sharpton the Texans tackles leader from last year, and Akeem Jordan a good young player from Kansas City. They were also able to cripple a division rival and strengthen their defensive line with the signing of Jason Hatcher form the Cowboys.
On offense they’ve done well to bring in guards Shawn Lauvao and Mike McGlynn to help protect Griffin. But the best move they made was to go out and bring in more weapons for the young passer. The team made one of the biggest signing of the year when they decided to bring in DeSean Jackson who has been a thorn in their side for the past couple years. With Jackson in Washington now they won’t have nearly as many nightmares the night before they face the Eagles.
3. New York Giants Last Season 7-9
The Giants are very close in the ranking with the Redskins. They are a team that is always doing at least ok and are more consistent to the roller coaster up and down Redskins. The Giants made some ok signings but they also lost a lot of players that did a lot for them in the past. One of the reasons I like the Redskins more than them right now is the fact that the Redskins were able to retain their key players.
The Giants will be going into this season without Linval Joseph, Justin Tuck, Brandon Myers, Hakeem Nicks and Ryan Mundy. All of these players played key roles for the team last year and it will be hard to replace all of them.
One position they did improve was the cornerback position by signing Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Walter Thurmond. These two played key roles on teams that went to the Super Bowl last year and they look to bring that experience to the Giants. The Giants now have three corners that have the talent to start for an NFL team which is great now that a lot of good teams have three capable receivers.
My favorite signing the Giants made is what will help them battle for position atop the NFC East is the signing of Rashad Jennings. Last year the team struggled in the running game and those struggles also affected Eli Manning and the passing game. Now with Jennings on the team the Giants will be able to balance the pass and run game like they did when the team was more successful.
4.) Dallas Cowboys Last Season 8-8
The Cowboys have been just an average team the past couple years and they didn’t do much to help their cause for the upcoming season. The team had another up and down season last year ending the year at an even 8-8. What’s more confusing about the Cowboys is that they have the talent to be a playoff team but they always are on the outside looking in.
What really hurt the Cowboys this offseason is the loss of long time starters like Demarcus Ware and Jason Hatcher. The team also said goodbye to center Phil Costa after Travis Frederick had a good rookie season last year.
But so far the issue is that the Cowboys haven’t done much to improve their roster to help compete for the division crown. The Cowboys made some good signings on the defensive line but it looks like they are going to rely on the draft to help add pieces and depth to the roster. I’m not saying the Cowboys will be bad necessarily but they haven’t made the moves to make me believe that they will be a competitor in the NFC East or the NFC in general.