A Rival's Path to the NFC East Title

It’s not quite as catchy as hope springs eternal in baseball but the NFL offseason is the time for optimism for everyone, even the NFC East where 9-7 was good enough to put a division crown on the Eagles in 2019 and send Doug Pederson and Co. to their third consecutive playoff berth.

The other three teams in what may have been the worst division in football combined for 15 total wins with only the Dallas Cowboys reaching .500 at 8-8. Yet, all three Philadelphia rivals can probably envision 2020 glory if things do break their way.

Just what has to happen?

Let’s take a look.

Washington Redksins (2019 record: 3-13)

Stability from Ron Rivera: There is little question that a two-time NFL Coach of the Year will offer an upgrade over the dead-man walking version of Jay Gruden followed by the interim placeholder that was Bill Callahan. The real trick for Rivera, however, will be figuring out a way to keep mercurial owner Daniel Snyder at arm’s reach.

Dwayne Haskins proves he’s the guy: The No. 15 overall pick in 2019 got his feet wet late in his rookie season, starting seven games. The reviews were mixed but he was really good in his final two games, compiling 121.3 and 143.2 passer ratings against the Eagles and the New York Giants, respectively. The former Ohio State star came in very raw but if he is able to turn the corner in Year 2 the Redskins could be far more competitive than most think.

Chase Young is as advertised: The template is San Francisco where Nick Bosa was the final piece to a 49ers’ defensive line puzzle which turned the unit into an unblockable one at times. Young, ironically the No. 2 overall pick out of Ohio State in 2020 just like Bosa was in 2019, could do that in Washington where he will join a host of other first-rounders on Jack Del Rio’s front, players like Ryan Kerrigan, Jonathan Allen, Da’Ron Paye, and Montez Sweat.

New York Giants (2019 record: 4-12)

Daniel Jones cures his fumbling problem: Jones showed more than enough arm talent as the No. 6 overall pick in 2019. What he didn’t show was the ability to take care of the football, putting it on the turf a mind-numbing 18 times overall. Ball security is obviously paramount at the QB position and Jones needs to figure out how to protect the football for the Giants to turn relevant.

A healthy Saquon Barkley: Barkley is the type of game-breaker that strikes fear in the heart of any defensive coordinator but he’s also coming off a season in which he was hampered by a significant high-ankle sprain. A healthy Barkley is perhaps the most well-rounded RB in the NFL not named Christian McCaffrey.

A middle of the road defense: It’s hard to imagine bottom 10 turning into top 10 but new head coach Joe Judge and his defensive coordinator Patrick Graham need to generate a sum greater than its parts. It will start up front with Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence. The LB situation has been bolstered by a pair of former Packers in Blake Martinez and Kyler Fackrell and the secondary needs James Bradberry to be a legit CB1.

Dallas Cowboys (2019 record: 8-8)

Andy Dalton is the Cowboys’ Nick Foles: Dallas feels it was a Dak Prescott shoulder injury away from the NFC East crown last season and forcing Prescott to play after two pain injections because Cooper Rush was the only other option will not be breached this time around with the 32-year-old Dalton arriving to give Dallas perhaps the best backup QB situation in the league.

CeeDee Lamb is the best WR prospect in the rookie class: Most thought that was the case before the draft but Alabama teammates Henry Ruggs and Jerry Jeudy came off the board first and Lamb landed in Dallas where he will join Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, and Michael Gallup as the core of Prescott’s imposing skill-position threats. If Lamb is what many scouts think, watch out.

Replace Byron Jones: The talented corner was the big-ticket item in free agency and left for Miami. The Cowboys have plenty of talent to try to make up for the loss and second-round pick Trevon Diggs, the bother of Buffalo star receiver Stefon Diggs, will need to hit the ground running as a lengthy option outside the numbers for new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan.

John McMullen covers the Eagles for SI.com and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every day on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes, Every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SBNation Radio, and every weekday on ESPN 97.3 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

Add us as a preferred source on Google