Grades for all 4 teams in the NFC East this offseason
It’s one of the league’s more bizarre active streaks. No team has repeated as NFC East champions since Andy Reid’s Philadelphia Eagles turned the trick four consecutive years from 2001-04. That final season resulted in a Super Bowl XXXIX appearance against the Patriots in Jacksonville.
Since then, all four teams have taken their turn at winning a division title, some more than others. Take a look at the last four seasons in regards to this quartet.
In 2020, Washington captured the top spot with a 7-9 finish. A year later, the Dallas Cowboys led the league in scoring and won the NFC East with the 12-5 record. In 2022, three teas from this division all reached the playoffs. Philadelphia boasted the best record in the NFL tied with the Chiefs (they would go on to meet in Super Bowl LVII). Meanwhile, both the Cowboys and the New York Giants not only grabbed wild card berths, and each won playoff games.
As for 2023, the Eagles got off to a 10-1 start, and then melted faster than an ice cream cone in August. The Cowboys would win the NFC East with a 12-5 mark, but were taken apart at home by the Packers in the wild card round. Both the Giants and Commanders, the latter closing the season with eight consecutive losses.
With the NFL draft on the horizon, here’s a look at how each of these four teams are doing in preparation for the 2024 season. There’s a grade attached to each. In this instance, none of these clubs earned an A.
What grades have the NFC East teams earned in 2024?
Dallas Cowboys
It’s been quite the offseason for the reigning NFC East champions. The veteran additions have been minimal, to say the least. The departures have been many, including some prominent players who were a part of the league’s fifth-ranked offense this past season.
Veteran left tackle Tyron Smith is now a member of the New York Jets. Versatile running back Tony Pollard signed with the Tennessee Titans. Starting center Tyler Biadasz is one of numerous former Cowboys that joined Dan Quinn in Washington.
Speaking of former defensive coordinators, there is one making his return to the franchise in veteran coach Mike Zimmer. He takes over a unit that was hit hard by defections up front. Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch was cut loose and eventually announced his retirement.
As far as additions, one-time Vikings’ linebacker Eric Kendricks is one board after spending 2023 with the Los Angeles Chargers. The departure of Pollard leaves a big void in the running back corps. With Smith and Biadasz elsewhere, the Cowboys will have to address the trenches on both sides of the football over the next few months. The question is whether the team can strike gold in April’s draft, or grab an available veteran (tackle David Bakhtiari?) down the road?
Grade: C-
New York Giants
From the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2016 and first postseason win since Super Bowl XLVI, to a disastrous 6-11 finish that featured collapses on both sides of the ball.
Brian Daboll’s first season with the New York Giants saw him win NFL Coach of the Year honors in 2022. Who would have imagined just how bad things would fall apart only one year later? Only the Patriots and Panthers scored fewer points, and only three teams in the league averaged fewer total yards per game. The Giants were near the bottom when it came to the defensive numbers, despite the fact that Daboll’s club tied for the league lead with 31 takeaways.
Versatile running back Saquon Barkley is now a member of the Eagles, so Devin Singletary (Texans) looks like the main man in the backfield for now. Tyrod Taylor signed with the Jets, so Drew Lock is now in the quarterback room. There could be three new starters on the offensive line in tackle Jermaine Eluemunor (Raiders) and guards Jon Runyan (Packers) and Aaron Stinnie (Buccaneers). The Giants surrendered a mind-boggling 85 sacks this past season.
Speaking of getting to the quarterback, second-year pro Kayvon Thibodeaux comes off an 11.5 sack season, and will now how someone to take some pressure off him in Brian Burns, who GM Joe Schoen swung a deal for. This grade may have been a bit lower if not for that trade.
Grade: C+
Philadelphia Eagles
What a start to the offseason. Not long after the 2022 NFC champions had been rudely dethroned by the Buccaneers in Tampa, 32-9, the Philadelphia Eagles had to come to grips with the retirements of two of the franchise’s best players. Six-time All-Pro center Jason Kelce and six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Fletcher Cox each called it a career. All this and head coach Nick Sirianni would once again have new coordinators in Kellen Moore (offense) and Vic Fangio (defense).
Howie Roseman is regarded as one of the better general managers in the league. With the free-agent departure of team rushing leader D’Andre Swift (Bears) came the arrival of Saquon Barkley. Talented inside linebacker Devin White seemingly fell out of favor with the Buccaneers and is now a member of the Birds.
The Philadelphia defense simply fell apart down the stretch, but there were signs early that this was a much different unit than the one that gave up the fewest passing yards per game in 2022. The return of safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, who spent ’23 with the Lions, is a huge move. The signing of Bruce Huff (Jets) enabled Roseman to deal star pass-rusher Haason Reddick to the Jets. There’s still a lot of talent on this roster.
Grade: B
Washington Commanders
If you’re looking for what happened to the last season’s Dallas Cowboys’ roster, look no further than the nation’s capital. The Washington Commanders dropped their final eight games in 2023. They also dropped their head coach from the previous four seasons as Ron Rivera was given his walking papers. Enter Dan Quinn, the one-time head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and more recently, Mike McCarthy’s defensive coordinator in Dallas.
The Commanders’ new general manager is former 49ers’ executive Adam Peters, and no team in the league to date has added more players via free agency. That includes four former Dallas Cowboys in defensive ends Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler Jr., cornerback Noah Igbinoghene and center Tyler Biadasz. However, the biggest headliners in terms of acquisitions are ageless linebacker Bobby Wagner (Seahawks) and productive running back Austin Ekeler (Chargers).
Washington’s defense was historically bad this past season, which is one reason Quinn is on board. The team allowed a whopping 518 points, the third-highest single-season total in NFL annals (albeit in 17 games). The aforementioned defenders are joined by a pair of former Panthers in linebacker Frankie Luvu and safety Jeremy Chinn.
Peters dealt Sam Howell to Seattle, so it figures that the team will use the second overall pick (as it stands now) on a quarterback. It has been a promising couple of months for a team that was winless (0-6) vs. their NFC East rivals this past season.