Examining the NFC East: Quarterbacks
Our daily series examining the NFC East from a positional perspective with the help of league personnel sources moves to the most important position in the game, the quarterback.
And there’s is an interesting dichotomy going on in the division between the haves, the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, and the have-nots, the New York Giants and Washington Redskins, with natural rivalries starting from ground zero.
Carson Wentz and Dak Prescott both arrived in the 2016 NFL Draft while Daniel Jones and Dwayne Haskins are from the Class of 2019.
Ironically, Prescott is the only one in the group who wasn’t a high-level, first-round pick and he’s arguably been the best over Wentz with a nod to a cliche Chip Kelly likes to use - the best ability is availability.
In fact, in many ways, the overblown Wentz vs. Prescott debate is defined by cliches.
Since Prescott was forced into action as a rookie, he’s started 64 consecutive games, 67 if you count the postseason while Wentz, the more gifted player from a traits standpoint, has struggled with injuries, most notably the torn ACL and LCL that derailed his brilliant 2017 season and then the stress fracture in his back that shortened 2018 campaign.
Even that sentiment can be fickle, however, when you add in the context of situations. Prescott shouldn’t have played in what was essentially a de facto NFC East title game late last season with an AC Joint shoulder injury but the alternative was Cooper Rush so Prescott fought through the pain needing injections pre-game and at halftime.
From one perspective, it was admirable but the reality was that Prescott was a shell of himself, and Wentz was the far healthier and better option on one of the most important “Any Given Sundays” there has been in the rivalry.
Fast forward a couple of weeks, however, and it was Wentz heading to the sideline again in the playoffs due to a borderline Jadeveon Clowney hit and an ensuing concussion.
Which brings to mind another NFL cliche: "It’s not who you play, it’s when you play them.”
At the end of the day, both the Eagles and Cowboys feel very comfortable with their signal-callers when they are right.
As you might imagine as a former No. 2 overall pick Wentz is the more gifted traditional QB with better accuracy and anticipatory throwing skills. Prescott is a more modern player who is often better off-schedule or when extending the play and throwing to open receivers rather than spots.
Which brings us to another cliche that is one of Howie Roseman’s favorites: “What flavor do you like?”
4. - Washinton Redskins - The ‘Skins took Dwayne Haskins at No. 15 overall in 2019 and he ended up starting seven games and really showed his skill-set late in the season in games against the Eagles and Giants. He remains a very raw player, however, and his development will be key under new offensive coordinator Scott Turner, the son of Norv Turner.
“You’re talking about diagnosing and reading defenses," a former AFC personnel executive said when discussing Haskins. “He’s got more than enough from a physical standpoint and you saw some of the flashes late. Typically I don’t like younger quarterbacks changing offenses from Year 1 to 2 but this time, I think it helps because Ron (Rivera, and his staff) will settle things down.”
Rivera brought in a safety with whom he's familiar in Kyle Allen, who started 12 games for the Carolina Panthers last season when forced into action and actually won five of them.
Alex Smith is also still in the organization while trying to recover from his devastating leg injury, but that will likely be a career-ender.
3. - New York Giants - Many criticized Dave Gettleman for taking Daniel Jones at No. 6 overall in last year’s draft but the thought around the NFL is that if you like a QB, don’t wait and the Giants’ GM showed the courage of his convictions.
The early signs were good from an arm-talent perspective as Jones showed without a doubt that he can make any throw you ask in 12 starts as a rookie. The issue comes with ball security and a mind-numbing 18 fumbles.
“You can’t play in this league if you don’t take care of the football,” a former NFC scout said. “To me that's the first thing I think about. I don’t want to hear about anything else until that's fixed.”
The backup situation is just OK as New York pilfered division rivals to bring in Colt McCoy and Cooper Rush, the latter of which was with new OC Jason Garrett in Dallas but not deemed competent enough to play when needed.
2. - Philadelphia Eagles - Before the yelling begins, the Cowboys are deemed as better than Philadelphia at the position as a whole because of now veteran backup Andy Dalton vs. the Nate Sudfeld/Jalen Hurts combo in Philadelphia.
Wentz is a better QB than Prescott but the margin is smaller than many think and the former has his own fumbling problems.
“They both have top-five O-lines,” a former AFC Scout said. “Prescott has much better skill-position talent and that’s what Howie (Roseman) tried to address. My belief is Carson would do more with the same talent but that’s not a criticism of Dak. That’s also a really good QB."
Doug Pederson is on record as saying Sudfeld will likely be the backup early in the 2020 season but a lot of that depends on how much of the offense Hurts can pick up in the COVID-19 virtual offseason. The Eagles took Hurts at 53 for a reason and his toolbox could push him ahead of Sudfeld quickly if the Eagles need the backup.
1. - Dallas Cowboys - The big story in Dallas involves Prescott and his contract but either way he will be playing this season, either under the franchise tag or with a new long-term deal in which he will likely usurp Jared Goff for the most guaranteed money ever given to an NFL player. That’s all about timing and circumstance and Goff ($110 million) lapped Wentz ($107.9M) when it was his turn.
The bigger issue, as the Eagles are also learning, is that roster construction needs to change when that kind of money kicks in at QB and the window of having a skill-position group of Ezekiel Elliott, along with a WR corps like Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and CeeDebb Lamb must be exploited.
The backup situation is exponentially better and arguably the best in all of football with Rush being replaced by Andy Dalton, who has started 133 games and won over 70 for one of the worst organizations in football when it comes to a dedication toward winning.
“Bottom line is you don’t want the backup playing, so in a perfect world I’d take Carson,” the ex-AFC personnel executive said. “If I need someone to win me a few games I’m way more comfortable with Dalton.”
The final cliche in all of this wins out: "Football is the ultimate team game."
John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Monday and Friday on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes, and every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SBNation Radio. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
