THE NFC BEAST
He Got the Kelly Greens. Zeke's Still Fat. Offseason Hope in NY: A Classic. ThatKidJayden.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Franchise History
With only 1 Super Bowl victory, the Eagles have been one of the more dominant teams over the last handful of seasons. The Linc is up there for one of the hardest atmospheres to come into and Philly fans aren’t afraid to hold back. Head Coach Nick Sirianni enters year 4 after three consecutive playoff appearances, one of which resulted in an NFC championship (2022). Their only ring came in 2017 under Carson Wentz and HC Doug Pederson, but that run quickly ended after 3 more years of 9-7, 9-7, and 4-11 finishes. Retired jersey #5 Donovan McNabb led the Birds to the Super Bowl back in ‘04, but couldn’t get it done. Their first appearance in the game was way back in 1980.
Offseason Buzz
We will see the true impact of Jason Kelce this year as it is the first time he won’t wear the Kelly Greens since 2010, with a retired #62 jersey eventually going up in the rafters. DT Fletcher Cox also announced his retirement during the offseason, paving way for the young rookies of last season to make an impact this year. Former Dolphins DC Vic Fangio now steps in as the Eagles Defensive Coordinator after Sean Desai was ultimately fired in January.
Offensive Guard Landon Dickerson and Kicker Jake Elliott both signed four-year contract extensions. QB Kenny Pickett comes in from Pittsburgh, while WR Parris Campbell steps into a WR3 option for Hurts, behind DeVonta Smith, who signed to stay in Philly for the next 3 years. But, the offseason move that triggered earthquakes around the NFL was the release of Philly-native D’Andre Swift and the addition of former Giants franchise player, Saquon Barkley. Enough about that.
The Birds spent their first three draft picks on defensive skills players, taking Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell in the first, followed by Iowa CB Cooper DeJean and Houston Christian University’s LB Jalyx Hunt. Mitchell will make immediate impact to the secondary, as he’ll learn from Darius Slay Jr.
‘24 Predicted Record: 14-3
With Jalen Hurts entering year four in Philly and the offseason moves the front office pulled off, the Birds could finish as the #1 overall seed throughout the league come January.
The defense will need to step up, as they finished 26th last year in yards allowed per game (356.1), wedged in between the Cardinals and the Giants… But now it’s Fangio’s turn, who is coming off a season where he led the Fins to a top-10 defensive season. They have the pieces: Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter up front with rookie Mitchell, former Lions safety CJ Gardner-Johnson, and veteran Slay in the secondary.
Offensively, I’m not sure of many defenses on the Eagles schedule that will be able to match up with these weapons. They play three teams in the regular season that finished with a top-10 defense a year ago (Cowboys x2, Browns, Ravens). They give Saquon Barkley an offensive line to protect him, rather than forcing him to break at least one tackle before reaching the line of scrimmage. AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith welcome Parris Campbell from New York into their receiver room, and Dallas Goedert remains one of the most trustworthy TEs in the league.
Picture this: Saquon running behind Lane Johnson. It’s a dangerous sight for sure, and as a fan who needs to face this gauntlet of an offense TWICE a year, I’m already making plans to not be in front of the television when we kick off.
Ever since DeSean Jackson returned a punt to win the game in 2010, I’ve hated the Birds. But they’re going to be special.
DALLAS COWBOYS
Franchise History
aMeRiCaS tEaM hasn’t won a Super Bowl since ‘95!!!! Are you kidding me?! Time to grow up America, Dallas is in the rearview mirror and has been for awhile. Is Dak the next Troy Aikman or Roger Staubach? Because those are the only Cowboys QBs who have earned this historic franchise rings. Aikman won 3 in 4 years. Staubach won 2 and appeared in 5. Either way, after 3 straight seasons of 12-5 with playoff appearances, I’ve got Mike McCarthy and the Cowboys doing the exact same thing again this year!
Offseason Buzz
Pollard is gone, and Zeke is BACK! Rico Dowdle and Royce Freeman were also signed to completely flip the RB room at Jerry World (except for Deuce Vaughn of course). WR Michael Gallup, gone after six seasons.
First-round OT out of Oklahoma Tyler Guyton will jump into the blindside role on the forever-reliable Cowboys offensive line. Besides that, Jerry Jones had a pretty boring draft. Right Guard Zach Martin sticks around after restructuring his contract to help coach up the rook!
Mike Zimmer, who was with the Cowboys from ‘94-’06, serving as DC for seven of those seasons, returns to Dallas as the Defensive Coordinator once again. LB Leighton Vander Esch was released back in March and former Chargers LB Eric Kendricks was quickly signed to replace him.
‘24 Predicted Record: 12-5
Don’t worry, Dallas. Micah Parsons is still with you. Parsons will be the best defensive player in the league, you can bet on that. The difference between the Cowboys finishing 12-5 with a Wild Card spot versus 8-9 is #11 on D. You keep him, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Trevon Diggs together, this team will continue to make playoff appearances. They simply played outside of their minds a season ago. I’m not sure they’ll put up the numbers they did in ‘23 this year, but they don’t need to. Teams will already be jumping offsides knowing Parsons is across from them.
Offensively, this could be a season-long test for QB Dak Prescott. After 8 years in Dallas, Dak has led the Cowboys to the playoffs 5 times, but they haven’t gotten past the Divisional round. We’ve seen Dak when he’s on, and he is dangerous to go up against in fantasy those weeks. But, he is human, and struggles to get it done when the lights are on in mid January. CeeDee Lamb is part of the reason why Dak puts up the numbers he does, but it’s a two-way street. Does Dak make CeeDee good? Or does CeeDee make Dak good? Either way, I think CeeDee will be, yet again, a top-3 receiver in the league this season. Brandin Cooks, Jalen Tolbert, and KaVontae Turpin will fill needed roles by keeping defenses honest when Dak can’t get #88 the ball each play. TE Jake Ferguson will also make tremendous strides as he enters year 3 in the pros. After a ‘23 campaign of 71 receptions for 761 yards and 5 scores, I bet he finishes this year with 90 receptions for 900 yards and 9 scores. Whole lotta 9s for the big fella!
NEW YORK GIANTS
Franchise History
The New York Football Giants enter their 100th season with just 4 Super Bowl rings. Those rings were won by just 2 quarterbacks, Phil Simms in the late ‘80s and Eli “Mr Personality” Manning in ‘07 and ‘11. These championships were also won by just 2 coaches, Bill Parcells and Tom Coughlin. Currently, the Giants are trying to figure out if QB Daniel Jones and Head Coach Brian DaBoll are the combo to hoist a Lombardi. DaBoll enters year 3 in New York after two straight third place NFC East finishes, one of which resulted in a playoff appearance (and win), but the other being a 6-11 finish a year ago. Either way, since the G-Men took down New England for the second time in four years back in 2011, they’ve gone 76-118-1 with just 2 playoff births and a 1-2 record to show for. It’s been a patient decade for New York faithful, and on year #100, we’re ready to rock.
Offseason Buzz
For all those Hard Knocks followers out there, it is obvious that General Manager Joe Schoen and DaBoll were very pleased with their ‘24 Draft class. Their 6th overall pick, LSU WR Malik Nabers, is already looking like a WR1 option for Jones. I said it before and I’ll say it again, LSU first-round wide receivers have done some impressive things in the league. They then swiped Minnesota Safety Tyler Nubin and Kentucky CB Dru Phillips to make immediate impacts in a secondary that just parted ways with Adoree Jackson and Xavier McKinney. Penn State TE Theo Johnson comes into a tight end room that just lost Darren Waller to retirement, so the opportunity is there for him as well! Purdue RB Tyrone Tracy Jr will fill in on snaps when newly acquired veteran Devin Singletary needs a rest. A late 5th round selection, Tracy could be the dark horse of the draft, as he has already jumped ahead of Eric Gray on the depth chart. Lastly, UCLA LB Darius Muasau will back up Micah McFadden, and learn a hell-of-a-lot from a stacked LB core.
It’s possible that the Offensive line struggles may be in the rearview mirror, as Raiders O-line coach Carmen Bricillo comes in. Shane Bowen was also hired on as Defensive Coordinator, coming from Tennessee and replacing the loved Wink Martindale.
After losing Saquon, Giants fans quickly put their heads in their laps. However, Schoen made some positive quick moves, grabbing Singletary and QB Drew Lock, while also making waves with DE Brian Burns from Carolina. It was a successful offseason for New York, so after a 6-11 season, there’s once again hope in the big apple.
‘24 Predicted Record: 9-8
Wink was loved, but the Giants did finish 26th in overall defense last year, so it’s exciting to welcome in a new guy in charge. Bowen loses the star power in DE Leonard Williams and DBs Jackson and McKinney, but he still has plenty of young talent to work with. LB Kayvon Thibodeaux and CB Deonte Banks come to mind right away, while the front line will include Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence. Bobby Okereke and McFadden make up the rest of the LBs with plenty of tackles under their belts. It’s the secondary that will need the most work for this unit, which is why these young gun rookies will need to step UP!
Offensively, Daniel Jones takes starting QB snaps, but Drew Lock will be on his tail the entire season. A short leash will definitely keep Jones in check with such a competent backup on the sideline. Nabers will be helped by Wan’Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, Jalin Hyatt, and many many more options. The possibilities are endless! Daniel Bellinger looks to be the first option at TE, but rookie Johnson could find himself in the mix more come the colder months.
The key to a winning season for the Giants is health. If Andrew Thomas and this O-line can remain on the field, this team can compete with the rest of the league. But if Jones doesn’t have two seconds to get the ball out, there’s going to be some issues. It’s safe to say that the offseason hope is back in full force!
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
Franchise History
Washington has won 3 Super Bowls??? Did anyone know that??? I sure as hell was unaware. Either way, they haven’t since ‘91 and haven’t even made it past the Divisional round since then. Five playoff appearances in the 21st century, with a 1-5 record. However, a 7-9 record back in 2020 (the Washington Football Team days) propelled this team to an NFC BEAST division title (truly pathetic) under Ron Rivera, who was fired after the ‘23 season. Fun fact: Rivera is the only coach in history to lead a team with a losing record to the playoffs more than once (‘14 with Carolina and ‘20 with Washington). The country’s capital hasn’t experienced a winning record since 2016 (the Kirk Cousins effect). They finished 4-13 a season ago but acquired what could be their next franchise quarterback.
Offseason Buzz
Dan Quinn is IN. Former Cowboys DC heads to D.C. (hah) with a chance to turn this program around. First order of business: get your hands on Heisman trophy winner thatkidjayden. LSU QB Jayden Daniels was selected second overall and the expectations are HUGE. RB veteran Austin Ekeler also makes the move east and will be behind Daniels in the backfield, a could-be dangerous duo.
Two other draft picks that will make immediate impact are TCU OT Brandon Coleman, who will protect Daniels’ blindside, and Rice WR and family-name Luke McCaffrey. Michigan CB Mike Sainristil will also be a key part to this Washington secondary, and if you watched the College Football Playoff, you know that this kid’s got heart.
After a four year HC career in Arizona, Kliff Kingsbury took a year long break from the NFL to join Lincoln Riley and the USC squad. But, he’s back, and now the Offensive Coordinator for Washington. He was a big advocate to sign TE Zach Ertz to a one-year deal and part ways with Logan Thomas, as rookie Ben Sinnott will now backup Ertz. After a lifetime in Seattle, LB Bobby Wagner also makes the cross-country trip to join the Commanders, along with backup QB Marcus Mariota. Crowd favorite Sam Hartman also joins the QB room, but it will be a tall task for him to get on the field.
‘24 Predicted Record: 3-14
With all the positives that were made in the offseason, a 3-14 record may be a little harsh for this group. My theory is that the Eagles will soar, the Cowboys will be a solid second-place and Wild Card team, and the Giants will surprise some people. That leaves little room for a successful fourth team. However, Jayden Daniels’ game could translate to the pros and with Ekeler behind him, this offense could actually be an offense this year. Terry McLaurin continues to impress fans with his ability to be a WR1 option at age 28. Jahan Dotson, McCaffrey, and Ertz will also be reliable options.
Defensively, DE Jonathan Allen and Wagner will have a lot of weight on their shoulders for a team that finished dead last in yards allowed per game (388.9) a season ago. This is where Washington will struggle to hang Ws. They may be able to compete with teams for three quarters by relying on Jayden and Ekeler and Terry. But when it comes to closing out ballgames, this defense has some serious work to do.
ALL-NFC EAST
MVP: Micah Parson, DE, Dallas
O-POY: CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas
D-POY: Bobby Wagner, LB, Washington
O-ROY: Malik Nabers, WR, New York
D-ROY: Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Philadelphia
