This week, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will be selecting starting lineups consisting of the best players from each division. In this article, the NFC East defense is the focus. Since three of the four teams in the division run a 4-3 defensive scheme, that is the scheme that will be used in this article.
2016 NFC East All-Division Team: The Defense and Special Teams
Defensive End: Olivier Vernon
The Giants signed Olivier Vernon to a massive contract to boost one of the worst pass rushes in the league. While Vernon only recorded 7.5 sacks last season, a closer look at his performance reveals a more optimistic story. He consistently pressured quarterbacks and often barely missed sacks, which is a promising sign for future success. Pro Football Focus rewarded him for these efforts, assigning him an overall grade of 92.5, which was the third-highest grade among edge defenders. While his best attribute is certainly his pass rushing ability, he is stout against the run as well.
Defensive Tackle: Fletcher Cox
As discussed a couple weeks ago, Fletcher Cox is the best defensive player in the division. He will be making the transition from a 3-4 defensive end to a 4-3 defensive tackle, but expect him to dominate regardless. Cox received an overall grade of 90.3 from Pro Football Focus, which was the tenth-highest grade among interior defenders last season. There will be no arguments about this selection.
Defensive Tackle: Johnathan Hankins
When healthy, Johnathan Hankins is one of the most underrated defensive tackles in the league. He had a tremendous season in 2014, dominating against the run and recording an impressive seven sacks. After Cox, Hankins is the best overall defensive tackle in the division because of his pass rushing contributions. Hankins’ 2015 season was cut short due to injury, but he is healthy now and should return to his impressive 2014 form now that he will have other talented players on the defensive line playing next to him. Arguments could be made for Damon Harrison or Chris Baker, but Hankins is the best overall.
Defensive End: Brandon Graham
Brandon Graham is quietly a very solid defender for the Eagles. While he only recorded 6.5 sacks and 39 tackles, his contributions were greater than the numbers suggest. Pro Football Focus assigned Graham an overall grade of 86.3 for his performance in 2015, which was the twelfth-highest grade among edge defenders. Graham will have an interesting battle with teammate Vinny Curry for the starting defensive end position, but Graham has the edge because he is a better overall player due to his significantly superior run defending ability. An argument could be made for Jason Pierre-Paul, but he needs to prove that he can still be an effective player after the fireworks incident.
Outside Linebacker: Sean Lee
Sean Lee thrives at the weak-side linebacker position in Dallas, and he would assume that role on this team because of his exceptional coverage abilities. While the Cowboys had a poor season in 2015, Lee did not. He bounced back after missing the entire 2014 season due to injury and earned Pro Bowl honors. Pro Football Focus awarded him with an overall grade of 92.3 for his efforts last season, which was the third-highest grade among linebackers. Mychal Kendricks is the only other weak-side linebacker worth mentioning, but Lee is the better player, especially after Kendricks’ shaky performance in 2015.
Middle Linebacker: Jordan Hicks
Jordan Hicks was only a third-round pick in 2015 because of his injury history, but he showed flashes of brilliance and assumed the starting middle linebacker role during his rookie season. If he can stay healthy (which is a big question because he suffered another injury that caused him to miss half of 2015), he will be a very important piece of the Eagles defense in 2016. Rolando McClain is the only other name worth mentioning, but Hicks is definitely more talented when he is on the field.
Outside Linebacker: Ryan Kerrigan
Ryan Kerrigan might be better suited as a defensive end in a 4-3 scheme, but a strong-side linebacker is typically a solid pass rusher, and that is Kerrigan’s biggest strength. Additionally, this team is better off with Kerrigan and Graham on the field instead of Kerrigan at defensive end and a less talented player (Devon Kennard, Nigel Bradham, or Anthony Hitchens) at strong-side linebacker. Kerrigan has recorded 23 sacks over the past two seasons and he is versatile enough to thrive as the strong-side outside linebacker in this scheme.
Cornerback: Josh Norman
Josh Norman was one of the best cornerbacks in the league last season, so the Redskins are hoping that he can continue to thrive in their defensive scheme. Pro Football Focus assigned Norman a grade of 87.8 for his coverage efforts, which was the fourth-highest grade among cornerbacks. Norman should be able to excel in Washington’s zone-heavy scheme, as his skills shine the brightest in zone coverage.
Free Safety: Malcolm Jenkins
Malcolm Jenkins is one of the best free safeties in the league, so he earned this spot easily. He received an overall grade of 89.8 from Pro Football Focus, thriving in both coverage and run defense. His overall grade was the second-highest grade among safeties last season. Byron Jones is a solid free safety, but he is not on Jenkins’ level.
Strong Safety: Rodney McLeod
Rodney McLeod is a very physical, hard-hitting safety, so he should complement Jenkins nicely. While he is better defending against the run than in coverage, it is not a problem because he definitely isn’t a liability in coverage and run defense is more important for a strong safety anyway. McLeod is coming off a very solid 2015 campaign and he was a hot commodity in free agency. He received an overall grade of 83.9 from Pro Football Focus for the season, which was the tenth-highest grade among safeties. Landon Collins should be much better in 2016 now that he can return to his natural strong safety position, but McLeod is more proven at this point.
Cornerback: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie quietly had a very respectable season on a bad defense, earning Pro Bowl honors for the second time in his career. His coverage performance earned him a grade of 82.7, which was the tenth-highest coverage grade among cornerbacks. He is 30 years old, so his athletic abilities are going to diminish soon, but he is the second-best cornerback in the division for now. Bashaud Breeland, Orlando Scandrick, and Janoris Jenkins are solid cornerbacks, but Rodgers-Cromartie had the best season in 2015.
Kicker: Dan Bailey
Dan Bailey and Josh Brown both managed to tie for the league lead in field goal percentage (93.8 percent), but I am giving Bailey the slight edge because he is younger and he has been labeled as one of the best kickers in the league for most of his career. Few kickers have been better than “Mr. Automatic.”
Punter: Chris Jones
Chris Jones finished third in the league with a net punting average of 42.5 yards. In addition, he displayed masterful accuracy by only allowing one touchback all season. Furthermore, a bit over 39 percent of his punts were placed inside the 20 yard line. Donnie Jones was a very good punter as well, finishing sixth in the league with a net punting average of 41.6 yards, but Jones’ accuracy gives him the edge.
Returner: Dwayne Harris
Dwayne Harris was one of the best returners in the league last season. He averaged 28.7 yards per kick return (third-best in the league) and 10.0 yards per punt return (sixth-best in the league). He returned one kick for a touchdown and one punt for a touchdown, and that combined total of two touchdowns off returns was tied for first in the league. Darren Sproles was a good returner as well, but since he only returned punts, Harris has the edge.
If you missed the NFC East All-Division offense, check it out.
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