NFC East optimism index: Reasons to hope, worry about all four teams

NFC Preview: Eagles a minimum 10-win team?Dak Prescott reiterates Cowboys Super Bowl hunger Daniel Jones, Giants destined to repeat success from last season?

Ralph Vacchiano

NFC East Reporter

The NFC East was the best division in the NFL last season at a time when it was universally predicted to be the worst. It came out of nowhere to produce three playoff teams. And for a while, it looked like it might have four.

That was quite a turnaround for a division recently derided as the NFC Least for years. But was it just a one-hit wonder, or is this new powerhouse here to stay?

There is certainly reason to believe the division will be a power again, with at least two of the likely best teams in the NFC residing in the NFC East. But there are plenty of reasons to worry about the staying power of this division too. So, with less than two weeks until the regular season opener, here are the reasons to hope and worry about each of the division’s four teams:

Philadelphia Eagles (14-3 last season)

REASON TO HOPE: They brought back almost every important piece from last year’s NFC championship team and they actually might even be better on defense. The best pass rush and front seven in the NFL lost defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, but landed the best defensive player in the draft in DT Jalen Carter and edge-rush help in rookie Nolan Smith. Another 70-sack season seems ridiculous, but certainly isn’t out of reach. They also still have the NFL’s best offensive line, an MVP-caliber quarterback, two top receivers, and arguably the NFL’s second-best tight end. Oh, and they’re pretty motivated after losing the Super Bowl last year.

REASON TO WORRY: They are old in spots and it’s fair to wonder if there might be signs of decline in center Jason Kelce (35), right tackle Lane Johnson (33) and defensive linemen Brandon Graham (35) and Fletcher Cox (32). They lost C.J. Gardner Johnson and his six interceptions (in 12 games) and didn’t spend much to replace him, though they do have high hopes for third-round pick Sydney Brown. Maybe the biggest reason for concern, though, is at running back where they let Miles Sanders walk after he ran for 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. They replaced him by trading for D’Andre Swift and signing Rashaad Penny — two talented backs with injury issues that make their strategy a bit of a gamble.

NFC Preview: Eagles a minimum 10-win team?

Dallas Cowboys (12-5 last season)

REASON TO HOPE: The Cowboys’ offense ranked 11th last season even though their starting quarterback missed five games and the entire passing game was basically centered around receiver CeeDee Lamb. Now Lamb has some help because the Cowboys traded for speedy Brandin Cooks. That could open up a lot for one of the best receivers in the NFL. They should still have a strong running game with Tony Pollard seemingly healthy after breaking his leg and tearing ligaments in his ankle in the playoffs last year. They also plugged a big hole in their rushing defense by drafting big defensive tackle Mazi Smith in the first round, and strengthened their secondary with a trade for cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

REASON TO WORRY: Quarterback Dak Prescott had an alarming 15 interceptions in 12 starts last season and then threw two more in the Cowboys’ playoff loss in San Francisco. If he doesn’t fix that, this team isn’t going to go very far. And it won’t help that his receiving corps isn’t very deep behind Lamb and Cooks. There are questions at tight end too, where Jake Ferguson and rookie Luke Schoonmaker take over for the departed Dalton Schultz. And then there’s Pollard. The Cowboys were confident enough in him to let Ezekiel Elliott walk, but coming off a serious injury they’ll have to proceed with caution. No one can assume Pollard is what he was until he shows it on the field.

Dak Prescott reiterates Cowboys Super Bowl hunger

New York Giants (9-7-1 last season)

REASON TO HOPE: They made a point of adding offensive weapons in the offseason, with a particularly big trade for dynamic tight end Darren Waller. He could be the best and most important weapon they’ve had since Odell Beckham Jr. They also added receiver Parris Campbell and drafted speedy receiver Jalin Hyatt. All of that should help quarterback Daniel Jones fulfill his potential and spark an offense that only went as far as the legs of Jones and Saquon Barkley could carry them last season. They also improved their secondary with draft picks Deonte Banks (first round) and Tre Hawkins (sixth) and linebacker corps (by signing Bobby Okereke and trading for Isaiah Simmons). They won a lot of games because of Wink Martindale’s defense last season, and he’s got more to work with now.

REASON TO WORRY: They still don’t have a No. 1 receiver and it’s not clear how far the patchwork corps they’ve assembled can carry them. Maybe that won’t matter because of the presence of Waller, but he’s coming off two injury-plagued seasons and they can only hope he can rediscover his 2020 form at age 31. The Giants’ offensive line is still a question mark with right tackle Evan Neal coming off a rough rookie season and plenty of issues at the guard spots. And while Banks and Hawkins have had terrific summers, starting two rookies at cornerback — which they might do with vet Adoree Jackson moving to the slot — is definitely a risk. All that said, the biggest reason to worry is that the schedule is much tougher this season and this is a team that went 2-5-1 in the second half of the season, which suggested their 7-2 start might have been a bit of a mirage.

Daniel Jones, Giants destined to repeat success from last season?

Washington Commanders (8-8-1 last season)

REASON TO HOPE: They are overlooked because they finished in last place last year, but they were in the playoff race deep into December, even with some shoddy quarterback play. What kept them alive was a defense that ranked third overall and has one of the NFL’s best defensive lines — a line that now adds former Defensive Rookie of the Year (2020) Chase Young. If he’s anything like what he once was, this defense could be even better. They are also loaded with offensive weapons, including a strong stable of receivers (Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Curtis Samuel) and running backs (Brian Robinson, Antonio Gibson). Their young quarterback, Sam Howell, will certainly be set up for success with new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s guidance.

REASON TO WORRY: Howell is 22 and has had one NFL start, and for all the excitement about him he’s still a former fifth-round pick who will undoubtedly struggle at times during the season. In a division this (potentially) loaded, that will be a hard problem for the team to overcome. It won’t help that there are big questions about his offensive line, which didn’t look great this preseason and has several players with long injury histories. It also won’t help that he’s learning a new offense and even veteran quarterbacks often aren’t in peak form in their first year running a new scheme. The Commanders are also pretty thin overall, so they need good health. They also really need McLaurin (turf toe) to be ready for the opener and not limited throughout the early part of the season. There’s a lot of pressure on this team in the first year under new ownership. They’ve got good talent, but they really need absolutely everything to go right to have a shot.

Ralph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports, covering the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

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