The last time any team in the NFC East won at least 10 games was 2018. There’s certainly plenty of questions surrounding this foursome.
At the start of the 2019 NFL seasons, the head coaches in the NFC East were Philadelphia’s Doug Pederson, Dallas’ Jason Garrett, the New York Giants’ Pat Shurmur and Washington’s Jay Gruden.
As the 2021 season approaches, the defending division champions from D.C. are led by Ron Rivera. There’s the Giants’ Joe Judge, the Cowboys’ Mike McCarthy and the Eagles’ Nick Sirianni. That’s quite an overhaul among a foursome in which no club has won at least 10 games since the 2018 Cowboys.
Not surprisingly, there are plenty of under answered questions when it comes to this quartet.
Where do the four NFC East teams stand entering the 2021 season?
Washington has not had a winning season since 2016. Likewise the Giants, who haven’t finished above .500 that same year when they captured a wild card berth.
The Cowboys have put together two consecutive non-winning campaigns and the Eagles — after three straight playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title in 2017 — were the bottom feeders in the NFC East this past year with a 4-11-1 record.
So what can be expected this upcoming season? Has any of these four teams made enough progress this offseason to pose a threat in the playoffs? Could the NFC East actually send a pair of clubs to the postseason for the first time since 2018, when both Dallas and Philadelphia made the trip and each came away with wild card game victories?
It’s time to take a glance at each of these clubs and ask what is the biggest question regarding each team.
NOTE: Teams are listed in order of finish in 2020.
Washington Football Team: Can the offense rebound from an off-year regardless of who the quarterback is?
It took three different starting quarterbacks for the Washington Football Team to win its first NFC East title since 2012, albeit with a 7-9 record. It took a fourth for the team to clash with the eventual Super Bowl champion Buccaneers in the wild card round. Now head coach Ron Rivera is hoping that scenario is behind the club as it prepares for 2021.
Veteran Alex Smith and 2019 first-round pick Dwayne Haskins are both gone. The current quarterback corps is spearheaded by well-traveled veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick (late of the Miami Dolphins). It also includes Kyle Allen (a four-game starter a year ago), Taylor Heinicke (who opened vs. Tampa Bay in the playoffs) and former undrafted Steven Montez.
The last time the franchise saw their quarterback start all 16 games was Kirk Cousins, who turned the trick three straight years from 2015-17.
New York Giants: Will the club’s defense take another step forward this season?
Back in 2016, Big Blue featured one of the best defenses in the league thanks to a bevy of free-agent signings. From cornerback Janoris Jenkins to defensive tackle Damon Harrison to edge rusher Olivier Vernon. Is. But that unit proved to be a one-hit-wonder and since ’17, the Giants are a combined 18-46 and this side of the ball has had its issues.
But take a closer look at this past season and dramatic improvement was shown. Free-agent additions such as cornerbacks James Bradberry and versatile Logan Ryan joined safety Jabrill Peppers to form one of the league’s best defensive backfields. Leonard Williams enjoyed a career year up front.
Joe Judge’s club finished 12th in the league in total defense and New York went 6-5 after a 0-5 start. This is a unit that bears watching in a big way, although the free-agent departure of defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson certainly stings.
Dallas Cowboys: Are newcomers Micah Parsons and Keanu Neal immediate contributors at linebacker?
Dan Quinn got off to a 5-0 start as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons in 2015. But the club fell apart and dropped eight of its final 11 games that year. A season later, the team made the first of back-to-back playoff appearances, the first in 2016 resulting in a trip to Super Bowl LI.
But the final two-plus seasons with the franchise resulted in a combined 14-23 record and he and general manager Thomas Dimitroff were dismissed after a 0-5 start in 2020. Now he’s back in the league as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator. He helped recruit former Falcons’ first-round safety Keanu Neal to Dallas. The hard-hitting pro will make the conversion to weakside linebacker.
The team also added Penn State standout Micah Parsons with the 12th overall pick in April. The Cowboys used eight of their 11 selections on the defensive side of the ball. Can Neal at a new position and a rookie step in and make an impact from the get-go?
Philadelphia Eagles: Can a once-proud offensive line rebound from a forgettable season?
From Super Bowl LII champion to last place in the NFC East over the span of four seasons. The Eagles entered 2020 having reached the playoffs three consecutive years. But the Birds finished with only four wins and there was plenty of blame to go around.
Carson Wentz is now a member of the Indianapolis Colts after five seasons in Philadelphia. But regardless of who was playing quarterback a year ago, it was hard to function behind an offensive line that found itself behind the 8-ball before the season even began.
Left tackle Andre Dillard and right guard Brandon Brooks were lost for the year before the season began. Right tackle Lane Johnson (see NFL.com’s Kevin Patra) also missed the time. The Eagles allowed a horrendous 65 sacks in 2020. This unit must stay healthy this upcoming year.