Previewing the NFC East Division for the 2017-2018 NFL Season
I just wanted to take a second to say thank you to anyone reading this, it means a lot that you took the time to actually see a post that featured the Cowboys, unfortunately this won't be hating on the Cowboys, so sorry about that. Before I start i want to say that I went through and picked every game in this upcoming NFL season at the same time, so I didn't pay attention to a teams individual record until after all the games were pick. With all that being said let's get to previewing the NFC East baby!
1st Place: Dallas Cowboys, 10-6
Hol up hol up, we dem boyz! Dallas is coming off of an amazing season in which 2 rookies played like MVP candidates. At the beginning of the 2016 season, things looked bleak as Tony Romo went down with yet another injury. Everyone thought the Cowboys would go out and get a veteran signal-caller but the Cowboys chose to go with 4th round rookie Dak Prescott. Prescott would do such a good job as the starter that even when Romo was healthy, Dak remained the starter. Elliot ran for the most yardage in the NFL last year as a rookie, behind the best offensive line in the the league. The Cowboys defense was also respectable even with a multitude of injuries across the board. Now heading into the 2017 season it'll be interesting to see what will happen in Dak and Zeke's second year in the league.
When you look at what happened in the off-season for Dallas the big move was Tony Romo retiring to pursue a broadcasting career. In addition to Tony Romo retiring, so did starting RT Doug Free which might be the biggest loss for the Boys this offseason. Four members of the Cowboys secondary, (Brandon Carr, Morris Claiborne, Barry Church, JJ Wilcox), and also starting guard Ronald Leary decided to move to greener pastures in free agency. The Cowboys combated the losses by signing Nolan Carroll and Robert Blanton, and drafting defensive guys like Taco Charlton, Chidobe Awuzie, Jourdan Lewis, and Xavier Woods. The defensive heavy draft told us something we already know, the Cowboys need some playmakers on the defensive side of the football, and they might be getting a very good one as 2nd round pick from the 2016 draft Jaylon Smith recovers from a knee injury he suffered prior to the 2016 draft that caused him to miss the entire 2016 NFL season. Smith is reportedly running around and doing drills at OTAs which is a good sign for his playing future. In addition to that the Boys have their best corner Orlando Scandrick coming back from a knee injury as well. The offense is going to look to build upon a very strong 2016, while the defense tries to become one of the top units in the NFC. The Cowboys could have made the Super Bowl last year, and i don't see any reason why they won't equal that same level of success in the 2017 season.
2nd Place: New York Giants, 10-6
The New York footballs Giants made the playoffs in their first season post Tom Coughlin era, and they'll look to make it further than the first round in the 2017 NFL season. The G-men weren't playing around this off-season as they went out and got one of the top receivers in the game to play opposite of Odell Beckham Jr in Brandon Marshall. In addition to adding the 6'4 receiver, the Giants also selected tight end Evan Engram in the first round to add another weapon for Eli Manning. During the 2016 off-season New York invested a lot of money in their defense and it paid off with having one of the best defensive units in the league last season. The major hole in the Giants team is the running back position. Last years starter Rashad Jennings left the team leaving Paul Perkins and Shane Vereen to carry the load. The team is reportedly in the running for Legarrette Blount which would give them a short yardage and goal-line back.
With a proven defense and a sweet looking aerial attack, the Giants look like a good bet to find their way back into the playoffs. As long as the line can keep Eli off of his back and the receivers can avoid yacht parties before the playoffs, the Giants should be able to duplicate, and even surpass the success of the 2016 season.
3rd Place: Washington Redskins, 7-9
Washington is a confusing team to me. On one hand they made the playoffs in 2015, on the other hand they're the Washington Redskins. They have a good young nucleus on offense consisting of Jordan Reed, Jamison Crowder, Robert Kelly, and Kirk Cousins. If Josh Doctson can stay healthy it will help out with the departure of Piere Garcon. After the back and forth of Kirk Cousins not resigning, and the trade rumors, Cousins is back for at least one more season and the Redskins should be thankful. In the draft Washington got what was the biggest steal in my opinion, in Jonathan Allen, who will help bolster that already solid front seven. Josh Norman looked like a very good corner last year, even with some shaky moments, and will look to build upon that.
The Desean Jackson departure could hurt the Redskins passing attack but if Terrell Pryor can follow up his breakout 2016 with the Browns then we could see a top 10 passing attack in the nation's capitol. This could be the last year we see Captain Kirk in a Redskins uniform, so they will need to make it count, unfortunately i think this is the 3rd best team in the division. But you can't say Cousins didn't leave us with some good memories
4th Place: Philadelphia Eagles, 7-9
Well the Browns probably wish they would have gotten Carson Wentz last year. The young gunslinger helped Philly get out to an incredible start last year before eventually fading down the stretch. To reward Wentz, the Eagles went out and got him some new toys in the passing game in the likes of Torrey Smith and Alshon Jeffery. The Eagles also tried to help out their young QB by adding offensive linemen Chance Warmack and Steven Wisniewski. Needing a corner the Eagles drafted what could have been the best one available in Sidney Jones, however the Washington University product will probably start the season on the PUP list recovering from a knee injury suffered at his proday. The Eagles upgraded their pass rush during the draft by trading for Timmy Jernigan and drafting Derek Barnett.
The below average secondary could keep the Eagles from making the playoffs, in addition to not having a true bell-cow running back, but if Ryan Matthews can stay healthy and the secondary can play a little better than last year, we could be seeing the Eagles fly come post-season.
And that's it for the NFC East, do you agree with my predictions? If not feel free to let me know why you're wrong, no I'm just kidding, you don't have to let me know why you're wrong.
Make sure to share this with everyone you know, even share it with people you don't know, if you liked it. Thanks for reading and make sure to come back tomorrow and see if I have the Browns making the playoffs for the first time since cellphones were invented, (Spoiler Alert, I don't), as I preview the AFC North!
