The NFL is back, and Sportsnet is breaking down everything you need to know about each of the 32 teams in the lead-up to kickoff on Thursday, Sept. 10.
Today, we look at the NFC East. (Teams are listed in the order in which we believe they’ll finish in the 2020 standings.)
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
2019 finish: 9-7, lost in wild-card round
The good news: Continuity at head coach – unlike every other team in the division. Not only has Doug Pederson been in charge since 2016, giving him a four-season head start on his NFC East counterparts, he enters 2020 with the same starting quarterback he’s had for (most of) that time in Carson Wentz. On defence, coordinator Jim Schwartz enters his fifth season in charge. In an off-season with less time to prepare for Week 1 than any of these coaches or players have ever experienced, that coaching consistency represents a clear advantage for the Eagles over their division rivals.
The bad news: Injuries continue to plague this team. Injuries ravaged the Eagles’ offensive skill positions in 2019 to the point where Wentz became the first-ever quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards without having a single wide receiver eclipse 500 yards on the season — two tight ends and a rookie running back comprised the team’s top-three receivers. That bad luck has struck again. Not only has Philadelphia already lost two starting offensive linemen in Pro Bowl guard Brandon Brooks and sophomore left tackle Andre Dillard, but first-round pick Jalen Reagor – selected to help avoid repeating last season’s lack of depth at wide receiver – is out with a dislocated shoulder for likely the first two weeks of the season.
2020 opt-outs: Marquise Goodwin, WR
Your new favourite player: Darius Slay. Outside of a multitude of injuries, the biggest problem that has dogged the Eagles since its Super Bowl LII win is wretched play from the secondary — specifically the cornerbacks. Slay was acquired in the off-season to change that. The 29-year-old had a tough final season in Detroit in 2019, but Eagles GM Howie Roseman is banking on the former All-Pro and perennial Pro Bowler bouncing back, to the tune of $50 million. In addition to his skillset, Slay also brings a swagger to the position the Eagles have sorely lacked over the last decade.
Player you’ll miss most: Malcolm Jenkins. With Slay and Nickell Robey-Coleman coming in, the Eagles’ secondary will have a much different look in 2020. Their arrivals mark the departure of many former Philly DBs — the biggest of which is Jenkins. The leader of the Eagles’ defence on and off the field since his arrival in 2014 and a crucial part of the 2017 Super Bowl-winning season, Jenkins’ presence will be impossible to replace.
Game you should be most excited about: at 49ers, Sunday, Oct. 4. The Eagles’ first of four prime-time games comes on the road against the defending NFC champions, and what may be Philadelphia’s first real test against a conference powerhouse.
Game you should be least excited about: at Cowboys, Sunday, Dec. 27. While these late-season, division-on-the-line clashes between Philadelphia and Dallas are loads of fun for the neutral observer, they are edge-of-your-couch, scream-at-your-TV games for Eagles and Cowboys fans. This Week 16 run-in will likely be no different.
2020 season prediction: 10-6, a consecutive division title followed by a home wild-card win and a road loss in the divisional round.
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DALLAS COWBOYS
2019 finish: 8-8, missed playoffs
The good news: The offence is absolutely stacked. Dak Prescott at quarterback after a stellar 2019 campaign; one of the league’s few elite running backs in Ezekiel Elliott; a top-tier wide receiver group made up of the now-filthy-rich Amari Cooper, the criminally underrated Michael Gallup and what could end up being the steal of the 2020 draft in CeeDee Lamb; and an elite offensive line, even without former centre Travis Frederick. You can bet new head coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore are going to have some fun with this group in 2020.
The bad news: Dak still isn’t locked up long-term. We could see some growing pains under McCarthy leading to a slow start out of the gates, but we’re much more befuddled by the fact Jerry and Stephen Jones haven’t been able to get the contract situation with their franchise quarterback resolved. Now Prescott is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end and the quarterback market just took another jump after Deshaun Watson got paid over the weekend.
2020 opt-outs: Jamize Olawale, FB; Stephen Guidry, WR; Maurice Canady, CB
Your new favourite player: CeeDee Lamb. Our bet is that we’ll look back at the 2020 draft in five years and wonder how the heck 16 teams passed on Lamb before the Cowboys — who didn’t even need a receiver — scooped up the Oklahoma star at 17th overall. Predictably, the guy’s been a stud in training camp and will undoubtedly make a big impact in his rookie season. Cowboys fans should be salivating at the potential of their team’s receiving corps.
Player you’ll miss most: Travis Frederick, who unexpectedly retired after the 2019 season at the age of 29. A five-time Pro Bowl centre and All-Pro in 2016, Frederick missed the entire 2018 campaign due to Guillain-Barre Syndrome, but was still able to return to his dominant form last year. The centre position is too often overlooked despite its importance, and Frederick’s impact on the offensive line will be sorely missed in Dallas.
Game you should be most excited about: vs. Cardinals, Monday, Oct. 19. The Cowboys’ first prime-time game at home this season is a Monday Night Football showdown against Kyler Murray and the Cardinals, and has the potential for a wildly fun offensive matchup.
Game you should be least excited about: vs. Eagles, Sunday, Dec. 27. As noted above, this is a stomach-lurcher for both fan bases – especially when you consider Dallas’s epic no-show in the late-season rivalry game for all the division marbles last season.
2020 season prediction: 9-7, but they sneak into one of those three wild-card spots and win a game on the first weekend of the
playoffs.
NEW YORK GIANTS
2019 finish: 4-12, missed playoffs and saw a change at head coach for the second time in four seasons.
The good news: Daniel Jones showed signs as a rookie. When New York selected Jones at No. 6 overall at the 2019 draft, the collective guffaw from the football world was deafening. But the former Duke quarterback proved a lot of people wrong after he took over for Eli Manning in Week 3. Danny Dimes showed some spice on the field not many of us expected, and he threw for at least four touchdowns on three separate occasions. Sure, he’s got some issues to clean up – his 18 fumbles were most in the league – but there’s reason for Giants fans to be cautiously optimistic about the future.
The bad news: We’re a little skeptical about the surprise hire of Joe Judge as new head coach and some of his odd methods, but there’s no way to rule on that yet… the jury’s still out (sorry). So instead, we’re going to look at the defence as a point of concern. More specifically: who’s going to step up and make plays? The depth chart doesn’t offer any concrete answers outside of maybe linebacker Markus Golden, coming off a 10-sack campaign in his first season with New York. Will Leonard Williams or Jabrill Peppers finally live up to expectations? We’re not so sure — and if no one does step up, it could be a long season for this Giants defence.
2020 opt-outs: Sam Beal, CB; Da’Mari Scott WR; Nate Solder, LT
Your new favourite player: We were going to pick rookie safety Xavier McKinney in this spot, but the second-rounder was placed on injured reserve Sunday and isn’t expected to return until Week 12 – another injury blow for an exciting first-year safety. So instead we’ll go with No. 4 pick Andrew Thomas, who might be protecting Jones’s blindside sooner than expected because of Nate Solder’s decision to opt out. While this bizarre training camp offers little in the way of a look at his progress this off-season, Thomas certainly has the tools to be impactful at the position right away.
Player you’ll miss most: Eli Manning. Say what you will about Eli, but the two-time Super Bowl MVP was the face of the franchise for 15 years and his retirement meant the end of an era in New York and the NFL.
Game you should be most excited about: at Cowboys, Sunday, Oct. 11. Jason Garrett, now the offensive coordinator with the Giants, returns to Dallas for the first time since his prolonged departure from the Cowboys last winter.
Game you should be least excited about: at Ravens, Sunday, Dec. 27. A winter road game against the reigning MVP in what will likely be a high-stakes situation for Baltimore. This could be a tough outing for Daniel Jones & Co.
2020 season prediction: 5-11, miss playoffs but Judge shows he’s got NFL coaching chops.
WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM
2019 finish: 3-13, missed playoffs
The good news: Ron Rivera to the rescue. The two-time coach of the year might just be the perfect leader to pull the franchise through what has been a disastrous off-season and into a new era in Washington. Rivera’s on-the-field track record speaks for itself, but it’s his leadership as the team’s new head coach that will be crucial to healing the wounds that have been festering in this organization for far too long. Rivera’s character, strength, and dedication shone through after the 58-year-old announced he planned to coach through a recent cancer diagnosis.
The bad news: The franchise is in peril off the field. Accusations of sexual harassment throughout the franchise continue to surface, and as a result the ownership situation is very much in flux. With all of that weighing on the shoulders of a roster that already appears to lack the talent or experience to be serious competitors this season, 2020 could be another tough year in Washington on a number of levels.
2020 opt-outs: Josh Harvey-Clemons, LB; Caleb Brantley, DL
Your new favourite player: Chase Young. Thanks to the Cincinnati Bengals prioritizing the quarterback position with the No. 1 pick in the spring, Washington landed the draft’s consensus best player. Young is an excellent addition to what is already an impressive defensive line and boasts the physical ability and skills to be one of the best defensive players in the NFL.
Player you’ll miss most: Trent Williams. Even though he didn’t play last season and it was clear he never intended to suit up for the franchise again, trading Williams to San Francisco meant Washington lost its best player. Elite left tackles are rare, and it could be years until this franchise has the fortunes to field another one as talented as Williams.
Game you should be most excited about: vs. Panthers, Sunday, Dec. 27. Rivera coaches against his former team for the first time since being fired last December.
Game you should be least excited about: at 49ers, Sunday, Dec. 13. Washington wraps up a three-game road trip at the defending NFC champions in the most high-intensity time of the year for contending teams.
2020 season prediction: 4-12, misses playoffs and, like most of the rest of us, are glad to see 2020 in the rear view mirror.
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