Breaking Down the NFC East after Free Agency
Last year the NFC East was crowned as the worst division in NFL history, not just that year but the worst four teams in the same division in a single season in nearly 50 years. To be fair, the Dallas Cowboys struggled after Dak Prescott was injured, and the New York Giants have been in tear-down stages. The Washington Football Team won the NFC East while completely rebuilding and with a new head coach in Ron Rivera, although they had a fantastic defense. Washington would not have won any other divisions in the NFL with just seven wins. The Philadelphia Eagles on the other hand had a catastrophic meltdown that resulted in a traded quarterback and a fired head coach, tallying up only four wins after being the early season favorite to clinch the division.
The Dallas Cowboys
via LM Otero/AP
The Cowboys are looking to turn it all around this year. First, they have finally signed quarterback Dak Prescott to a long-term deal, something that previously loomed over the Cowboys organization, yet is now in the rearview mirror. Dak has proven he is an excellent quarterback, and with a healthy roster and a loaded offense, he is undoubtedly going to put up numbers this year. On the other side of it, the Cowboys owe Prescott 75 million dollars this year, which leaves them nearly no wiggle room to improve their historically terrible defense. Last year, the Cowboys were ranked in the bottom five in the league as an overall defense, and the second-worst running defense in all of the NFL. No matter how good their offense is, long as their defense remains similar to last year, they will struggle to win with consistency again in 2021.
Prediction: 10-7
Adjusted for the new 17 game schedule this upcoming season*
The Philadelphia Eagles
via Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
The Philadelphia Eagles are in the process of figuring out what they have become as they move on from the Doug Pederson era. With a new coaching staff led by Nick Sariani, and the departure of Caron Wentz. The Eagles are left to watch and see if Jalen Hurts may actually be the answer to their problems at the quarterback position. But with a depleted and injury-prone offense, it may be hard for any quarterback to succeed in that situation. It is hard to see how the Eagles have improved in any way from a dismal season. It is not too hard to imagine another hard year for the Birds coming with the start of a new rebuilding process immediately after.
Prediction: 5-12
Adjusted for the new 17 game schedule this upcoming season*
The New York Giants
USA TODAY Sports
The New York Giants might be ready for the jump to the next level as a football team this season. On the other hand, they could just continue to be the same mediocre team with an unproductive offense and a great defense. It really could go either way but with major free-agent moves such as the acquisitions of players like Kenny Golladay, Kyle Rudolph, Adoree Jackson and many more, along with retaining in-house free agent Leonard Williams, they have mightily improved on both sides of the ball. If Daniel Jones can’t win with a bolstered wide receiving and tight end corps, alongside a healthy Saquan Barkly, he simply can’t win in the NFL. The Giants will ultimately only be able to go as far as Danny Dimes can take them, the talent is there, they just need the right quarterback play.
Prediction:11-6
Adjusted for the new 17 game schedule this upcoming season*
The Washington Football Team
via Bleacher Report Grid Iron
The Washington Football Team had a tremendous season while in an obvious rebuilding mode, and out of it comes a very promising future. Under head coach Ron Rivera, the Football Teams defense has come to life, with players like Chase Young, Montez Sweat and Kendall Fuller, their defense is scary. They also were able to acquire free-agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, and there is no doubt that he still has a little Fitzmagic left in him.
Last season Fitzpatrick was the veteran mentor to rookie Tua Tagovailoa. With Tua set as Miamis quarterback of the future, Fitzpatrick saw sporadic playing time throughout the 2020 season. Fitzpatrick threw for just over 2,000 yards and 13 touchdowns in only five games as the starter throughout the season for the Miami Dolphins. Fitzpatrick was brought in several times throughout the season in release of Tagovailoa, helping Miami to several key wins.
One could say that Fitzpatrick had a very important part in Miami’s push towards the playoffs. A push that ultimately fell short in Week 17 of the season when it came down to five teams in the AFC. Fitzpatrick has had some amazing wins everywhere he’s been in the NFL, and the Football Team has some great young players on offense and a stellar defense to back him up. Washington might finally be the first team since 2004 to win back-to-back division titles in the NFC East.
Prediction: 11-6
Adjusted for the new 17 game schedule this upcoming season*
The New York Giants have the best chances to win the NFC East for the first time since 2011, and with the extra playoff spot and an added game to this upcoming season, it is not impossible for Washington and Dallas to both sneak into the playoffs as well. No team in the NFC East has won back-to-back division titles in nearly 20 years and I don’t think it is going to happen this year either. The Giants are going to break out of mediocrity and finally make it to the playoffs in 2021. With a healthy roster and slew of free-agent signings, the Giants are clearly the team to beat.
