Way Too Early NFC East Positional Rankings – Offense

Okay, so we’re 106 days away from the NFL regular season kicking off. Yes, we are all wishing we could fast forward, at least to the pre-season. Don’t get me wrong, I love Bryce Harper, Steph Curry is going to take home another trophy, and Boston is probably lifting the Stanley Cup. But what we’re all here for is good, old-fashioned, American football.

So let’s take some time to see what teams have the best roster in the NFC East. Mind you, this is taking a look at 90-man rosters, so there is still plenty of time for a change and not every player will be listed. But to get an idea of what we’re looking at this season here is how the offenses break down across the division.

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NFC East Quarterbacks

1. Philadelphia Eagles – Carson Wentz, Nate Sudfeld, Clayton Thorson, Cody Kessler
2. Dallas Cowboys – Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush, Mike White
3. Washington Redskins – Case Keenum, Colt McCoy, Dwayne Haskins
4. New York Giants – Eli Manning, Daniel Jones, Alex Tanney, Kyle Lauletta

The first thing most people will notice is the Giants on the bottom of the list, and generally, I would agree that the Redskins QB situation is a train wreck. BUT there is potential. I think… Clearly, Dwayne Haskins is the quarterback of the future in the Redskins eyes, the real question, is the future is now? Will Case Keenum start for his third team in as many years? Will Colt McCoy finally get a chance to show Washington that he can play as well as they had once hoped? They have a lot to figure out, but it’s better than spending a number 6 pick on Daniel Jones. Yikes… 

The top two on this list meanwhile, are the Eagles and Cowboys. Yes, Prescott is getting some huge $30 million per year contract. Great, has anyone else seen the video of David Carr absolutely annihilating Dak in a throwing competition? If not, watch it here. Keep in mind, David Carr hasn’t completed a pass in the NFL since 2012 and hasn’t started a game since 2007… But, Dak is still a better option than the Giants and Redskins have.

That leaves Wentz and the Eagles.

While the Eagles Quarterback room is not as dominant as the last few years due to the departure of Super Bowl MVP Backup Nick Foles, it’s still stronger than the rest of the division. Wentz does need to stay healthy for a full year though, you can’t just be the wingman that takes the girl all the way home then lets your buddy go inside while you sit on the sidewalk.

I also have to make mention of the Redskins 4^th quarterback on their roster. Alex Smith may not continue his career in football due to the injuries sustained last year. Even if he does come back, he may not make things that much more clear with Dwayne Haskins and Case Keenum in the mix, at least for the time being. Hopefully, we get to see Alex Smith on a football field again someday.

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NFC East Running Backs

1. Giants – Saquon Barkley, Wayne Gallman, Elijhaa Penny,
2. Cowboys – Ezekiel Elliot, Tony Pollard, Mike Weber
3. Eagles – Jordan Howard, Miles Sanders, Corey Clement, Wendell Smallwood, Josh Adams, Boston Scott, Darnell Pumphrey
4. Redskins – Adrian Peterson, Derrius Guice, Chris Thompson, Samaje Perine

One injury could flip this ranking on its head. The Giants and Cowboys are not very deep at Running Back, though Saquon and Zeke are two of the top backs in the league if one goes down they’re in trouble. Some young backs show some upside going into the season but are far from proven. Wayne Gallman put up decent numbers his rookie season in 2017, with 476 yards on 111 carries but fell off last year only managing 176 yards on 51 carries. For the Cowboys, rookie Tony Pollard from Memphis shows real promise and physical ability but is unproven at this level.

The Eagles and Redskins both have a lot of options in this space, though neither team has a dominant back leading the way. Running Back by committee has been commonplace for many teams, and the Eagles have about as many choices to fill their roster as I have in the cereal aisle. Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders are clearly making the roster, with Corey Clement most likely joining them as well.

With such a strong group, Josh Adams would be a great complimentary back showing his ability on inside runs. While Smallwood, Scott, and Pumphrey all have their strengths Adams showed some glimpses of promise last year putting up 511 yards on 120 carries.

For the Redskins, coming in at the bottom of this list is not an insult. Being at the bottom of this list is like being the worst Beatle. Yes, we know Ringo is the least favorite, but he’s still a Beatle.

The Redskins have Adrian Peterson, the aging workhorse who is still running over defenders with ease. And behind him, you have second-year man Derrius Guice. Now, Guice is returning from knee surgery last year in his rookie season but is looking stronger than ever in OTA’s. Chris Thompson will also be fighting for time in the backfield as well.

After not touching the ball his rookie season, he was only able to accumulate 1056 yards on 213 carries in the last 5 seasons. Where Thompson really shines is catching the ball. With 170 receptions on 226 targets for 1394 yards. His receiving ability should be able to get him some playing time this year if he can stay healthy.

NFC East Wide Receiver

1. Cowboys – Amari Cooper, Randall Cobb, Michael Gallup, Tavon Austin, Allen Hurns, Lance Lenior
2. Eagles – Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor, Desean Jackson, JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Mack Hollins, Shelton Gibson
3. Giants – Golden Tate, Sterling Shepard, Bennie Fowler, Corey Coleman, Cody Latimer, Russell Shepard
4. Redskins – Josh Doctson, Terry McLaurin, Paul Richardson, Kelvin Harmon, Jehu Chesson, Tre Quinn

The receiver corps for the NFC East is an interesting group. The only clear takeaway is the Redskins are well behind the rest of the group. Josh Doctson leads the team but has only just eclipsed 500 yards in each of the last two seasons. Paul Richardson had a strong year in 2017 but only played 7 games last year due to injury. This means they will hope another player like rookie Terry McLaurin can make a difference for them this season. 

The Eagles and Giants are much closer as Agholor has really shown that he can be the receiver everyone expected when they drafted him in the 1^st round in 2015. While Golden Tate left the Eagles this offseason for the Giants, he was less than productive last year. Yes, he did have the big touchdown catch in the playoffs against the Bears, but beyond that, he only had 30 receptions for 278 yards. The Eagles also brought back Desean Jackson to add some speed and stretch the field.

The hope here is that with Wentz being able to throw the ball long it will open up the middle of the field for Jeffery, Ertz, and Goedert. And in the red zone, the Eagles added Rookie JJ Arcega-Whiteside in the 2^nd round of the draft.

The Giants added Golden Tate after trading Odell Beckham. (Is Dave Gettleman secretly working for another NFC East team?) Without him, they have some young talent in Sterling Shepard, Corey Coleman, and Cody Latimer. One of these young players will need a breakout season with more than 300 yards to make a difference on this offense.

On the top of the list for Wide Receivers is the Cowboys. While Randall Cobb has not been as productive over his past few seasons he adds depth to an already deep receiver corps. He joins Amari Cooper, Tavon Austin and Allen Hurns who provide plenty of options for Dak Prescott for once. Maybe he can get the ball close enough to a receiver to make a catch. Finally, they have second-year man Michael Gallup who put up 507 yards on only 33 receptions last year, if he can make a leap in his sophomore season the Cowboys wide receivers have serious depth.

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NFC East Tight End

1. Eagles – Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, Richard Rogers, Josh Perkins
2. Redskins – Jordan Reed, Vernon Davis, Jeremy Sprinkle
3. Giants – Evan Engram, Rhett Ellison, Scott Simonson
4. Cowboys – Jason Witten, Blake Jarwin, Rico Gathers, Dalton Schultz

One word. GodErtz. Zach Ertz is pretty much unanimously a top-3 Tight End in the league, especially now that Rob Gronkowski has retired. When you mix in second-year Tight End Dallas ‘Philly’ Goedert you have two vertical threat players who create mismatches among defensive coverages. Listed at 6’5″ and both over 250 pounds, these humans should not run 4.6 to 4.7 second 40 yard dash times. This gives you the GodErtz formation, pairing both Tight Ends on the field and clearly giving the Eagles an edge in the division.

Just because the Eagles have the advantage doesn’t mean there aren’t other good Tight Ends in the division. Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis are a great combination for the Redskins, but there are issues. First and foremost, Jordan Reed is yet to play more than 14 games in a season, and averages less than 11 games played each year.

Even worse than that is the number of games he is limited in, starting only 9 games once in his career. Vernon Davis is now 35 years old and isn’t the player he once was in San Fransisco.

The Giants meanwhile have Evan Engram, a third-year man who had a bit of a sophomore slump. If he is able to get back to playing like his rookie season he will be a problem for opposing defenses. Engram drew a lot of comparisons to Jordan Reed coming out of Mississippi. And wrapping up the bottom of the group is the Cowboys. Jason Witten is back! I’m just glad I don’t have to listen to his terrible commentary anymore. On the field though, he’s 37 and it’s hard to believe he can continue his production at this age, especially after a year spent in the booth.

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Offensive Line

1. Cowboys – Tyron Smith, La’el Collins, Zack Martin, Connor Williams, Travis Frederick, Connor McGovern, Cameron Fleming, Joe Looney
2. Eagles – Jason Peters, Lane Johnson, Brandon Brooks, Jason Kelce, Andre Dillard, Isaac Seumalo, Stefen Wisniewski, Jordan Mailata
3. Giants – Nate Solder, Mike Remmers, Kevin Zeitler, Will Hernandez, Jon Halapio, Chad Wheeler
4. Redskins – Trent Williams, Morgan Moses, Ereck Flowers, Brandon Scherff, Chase Roullier, Geron Christian

So the Cowboys Offensive Line had an off year last year, so what? They are still one of the most complete, and youngest offensive lines in the entire NFL. They have perennial Pro-Bowl linemen Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, and Travis Fredrick. The big struggle last season was being without Center Travis Frederick due to a diagnosis of Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Having Frederick out all season meant rookie Guard Connor Williams did not have the help he needed to succeed all year. If the Cowboys have another major injury for a lineman this year the Eagles could quickly take the top spot here.

Yes, the Eagles have the best mummer around, Jason Kelce. Quarterback convert to All-Pro Right Tackle, and resident underdog, Lane Johnson. Future Hall of Fame Left Tackle Jason Peters is still around as well at 37 years old. It’s hard to believe Peters will be around forever though, so the Eagles spent their first round pick on Andre Dillard as the heir apparent. The major question for the Eagles is at Guard. Brandon Brooks went down with a torn Achilles late last year but has made great progress in his rehabilitation. Even if he is able to start week 1, Left Guard is a major weakness. Last year Isaac Seumalo and Stefen Wisniewski split time here. Will they cross train Halapouti Vaiti at Guard? Or the young Australian, Jordan Mailata?

The Giants O-line is not weak by any means, especially after adding Kevin Zeitler at Right Guard. Adding him to the mix with Nate Solder and Jon Halapio provides a solid base to protect Eli Manning and open up holes for Saquon. The Redskins on the other hand are not as solid. Last year the Skins had 14 different players get playing time on the O-line.

10 of those 14 started at least one game. There isn’t a lot of good to say about the Redskins Offensive Line room right now.

Summary

So first things first, the Redskins didn’t come first in a single category. The best they did was second at Tight End. I think it’s pretty clear that the Redskins offense is questionable at best. They could turn out to be better than most expect, but that is dependent on who their quarterback ends up being.

The Giants are also towards the bottom of the list a few times, the quarterback is again a major question with Eli nearing the end of his career. Dave Gettleman also seems hell-bent on destroying this team by wasting draft picks and getting rid of the only real target their aging QB really had.

The Cowboys. Their Offensive Line, when productive, is among the best in the league. With protection like that, an average quarterback (Dak Prescott) can look good, especially when you add a good running back behind him like Zeke.

And finally the Eagles. If Wentz stays healthy the offense runs well, with plenty of skill players to give the ball to either out of the backfield or out wide, you can’t count anyone on the field out. Guard will be a question that gets answered as we progress through training camp, and Jason Kelce will need to stay healthy as well after fighting injuries last year.

The best offense in the division is going to the Eagles, but only slightly. The Cowboys Tight Ends aren’t up to the caliber of the Eagles and Wentz has a clear edge over Dak. Otherwise, these offenses are incredibly close, and I can’t wait to see them on the field this season. Next up, how do the defenses compare?