During a week featuring a multitude of quarterbacks shaking the NFL landscape, the Washington Commanders took a swing in the quarterback market, acquiring Carson Wentz Wednesday afternoon. Wentz returns to a division that he spent his first five seasons in, now looking to lead a Washington team he would normally face twice a season.
The NFC East has consistently been one of the more unpredictable divisions in the NFL, as a team has not repeated as division champions since 2004. In this article, I will predict how the NFC East will shake up this upcoming season, featuring a new division winner once again.
New York Giants
Coming in at last (again), the New York Giants need to completely transform their roster if they want to make a legitimate run at the division. Their offense was anemic a season ago, headlined by an awful offensive line, an underperforming Saquon Barkley, and horrific quarterback play.
New head coach Brian Daboll has been assigned to turn around the quarterback play, specifically working to improve Daniel Jones. While I do believe Daboll is a good coach, I doubt that Daniel Jones will be able to improve their play enough to enter the playoff conversation.
Defensively, the Giants have been above average at times, however have been statistically affected by short field position on a regular basis. New York has little cap space to sign any high-caliber free agent, making it tough to upgrade their roster from a season ago.
Washington Commanders
Washington made waves this week in the NFL by trading for Indianapolis quarterback Carson Wentz for two third round picks. The Commanders now look to return back to the playoffs like they did in 2020, but I have my doubts.
While on paper, Washington has real talent on both sides of the football, they have not been able to put it together on the field. They lost four out of their last five to end the season a season ago, and went 2-7 vs playoff teams.
Carson Wentz is better than Taylor Heineicke, but is he really that much of an upgrade? Wentz struggled on a more talented roster a season ago, and has not played at an above-average level since 2017, which is five years ago at this point. I believe more of the same is inevitable for the Commanders in 2022, as the team continues to live in mediocrity.
Dallas Cowboys
The division winners from a season ago, Dallas could very well repeat as NFC east champions, but their team is already beginning to decline compared to a year ago. The release of Amari Cooper is a very big deal, as the receiver’s presence made the jobs of Dak Prescott and Ceedee Lamb much easier. With him gone the two will have to step up in a big way in order to replicate the Cowboys’ offensive numbers from 2021.
Defensively, retaining Dan Quinn should help the defensive unit to improve upon their 2021 season, where they transformed into a serviceable defense. Micah Parsons has proven to be one of the league’s brightest stars, but the team still needs help in the defensive interior, which the 49ers took advantage of in the wildcard round.
Overall, Dallas seems to be in a good position to make the playoffs once again, but I believe it will come the way of a wildcard seed.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles shocked the NFL world by sneaking into the playoffs in 2021, as many believed it would be a rebuilding year featuring a new coach and quarterback. Instead, Philadelphia finished the season at 9-8 with the league’s best rushing attack, eventually losing to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wildcard round.
The Eagles are in a prime position to make major upgrades to their roster this offseason, holding three first round picks and around 20 million dollars in salary cap space. I expect another wide receiver being added to the team’s arsenal, giving Hurts a true receiving group to work with next season.
The Eagles’ combination of young, improving talent and veterans with a championship pedigree gives them the ability to beat any team in this division. I expect the division winner of the NFC east to change in 2022, this time with the birds on top.
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