With the NFL division breakdown series in full swing, the next division in focus is the NFC East. In this article, I will rank each defensive position.
In one of the worst divisions in the NFL last season, the Eagles advanced to the postseason with a record of 10-6, but they were promptly eliminated by the New Orleans Saints in the first round. The NFC East battled an inordinate amount of injuries last season, some more devastating than others. The injury of former Eagles quarterback Michael Vick allowed quarterback Nick Foles to takeover in Philadelphia, while the injuries of linebacker Sean Lee and quarterback Tony Romo destroyed the Cowboys chance to make the postseason. Both the Giants and the Redskins had slow starts that they never recovered from. After many key free agent acquisitions and draft picks, the NFC East is poised to return to a much greater level of competition.
Here’s a defensive position-by-position breakdown of the NFC East, with “the best” at each position followed by “the rest” in descending order.
NFC East Breakdown
Defensive Line
The Best: NYG The Rest: PHI, DAL, WAS
While the Giants defensive line certainly isn’t as fearsome as it has been in the past, it still remains the best defensive line in the NFC East. At defensive end, Jason Pierre-Paul looks to have a bounce-back season now that he is fully healthy, and he should be a dominant force once again. On the other side, Robert Ayers, Mathias Kiwanuka, or Damontre Moore will start. At defensive tackle, Cullen Jenkins and Johnathan Hankins will start, with rookie Jay Bromley and veteran Mike Patterson coming off the bench. Jason Pierre-Paul is really the only big name, but the rest of the unit is very solid and has plenty of depth.
Fletcher Cox leads the Eagles defensive line, with Bennie Logan and Cedric Thornton filling out the rest of the starting defensive linemen in the Eagles 3-4 defensive scheme. Like the Giants, the Eagles have some depth at the unit, with Vinny Curry, Taylor Hart, Beau Allen, and Brandon Bair coming off the bench. While the Eagles defensive line isn’t as talented as the Giants defensive line, their depth clearly pushes them ahead of Dallas and Washington. In Dallas, the loss of DeMarcus Ware will hurt their pass rush considerably. However, they did improve from last year’s defensive line disaster, adding Henry Melton and Jeremy Mincey in free agency and drafting Demarcus Lawrence, Ben Gardner, and Ken Bishop. Finally, the lack of depth at the defensive line positions in Washington is frightening. Jason Hatcher was a decent free agent acquisition, but he is already 32 and he might miss training camp because of an arthroscopic knee surgery on his left knee. Barry Cofield’s run stopping abilities are weak, but the Redskins have nobody else to play nose guard in their 3-4 defensive scheme.
Linebacker
The Best: PHI The Rest: WAS, NYG, DAL
The talent that the Eagles possess at outside linebacker propels them to the top of the NFC East rankings. Trent Cole and Connor Barwin are both solid outside linebackers, and even backup Brandon Graham would start on some teams. Mychal Kendricks and DeMeco Ryans are decent on the inside, but the talent on the outside is definitely their best defensive feature.
Brian Orakpo is unquestionably the best linebacker in the NFC East, but the Redskins depth at linebacker doesn’t match up with the Eagles. Perry Riley is underrated at middle linebacker, but losing legendary linebacker London Fletcher will hurt. In New York, the Giants re-signed Jon Beason, their star linebacker in the middle, but will have to play without him for a few games to start the season after another injury. They added Jameel McClain in free agency, who will definitely be an upgrade over Keith Rivers. Spencer Paysinger and Jacquian Williams will vie for the final starting linebacker position. The Giants are solid at linebacker, but they don’t have the noticeable talent that the Eagles and Redskins possess. Finally, the loss of Sean Lee is absolutely devastating to the Cowboys. Their best defensive player will not play this season, and their linebacker corps is in shambles because of it. Justin Durant and Bruce Carter must be at the top of their games in order to keep this group afloat.
Cornerback
The Best: NYG The Rest: DAL, PHI, WAS
The cornerback position is the strongest position by far for the Giants. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will start next to Prince Amukamara and Walter Thurmond will see plenty of action in the slot. The Giants will have a difficult time cutting enough cornerbacks, as the coaching staff is impressed with Trumaine McBride, Zack Bowman, and Charles James as well.
The Cowboys have plenty of talent at cornerback as well, with Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne starting and Orlando Scandrick playing in the slot. The cornerbacks have underachieved recently, but that is because of the lack of help from the rest of the defense. In Philadelphia, Brandon Boykin is one of the best slot cornerbacks in the NFL (fighting with Walter Thurmond for that honor), but Bradley Fletcher and Cary Williams are just average. Nolan Carroll was a solid addition to the unit for depth. Finally, the Redskins are relatively weak at the cornerback position. Deangelo Hall is still a solid player, but he will turn 31 in November. David Amerson was inconsistent last season, but he is still very young and could develop into a solid cornerback. Tracy Porter will likely start at the slot position, but he was not very impressive in Oakland last season.
Safety
The Best: NYG The Rest: PHI, DAL, WAS
While the loss of Will Hill will hurt the unit’s depth, the return of ball hawk safety Stevie Brown should balance the situation. Antrel Rolle is still playing at a very high level, and he was one of the best safeties in the NFL last season. Free agent acquisition Quintin Demps will also increase the depth that was lost after the Giants cut Will Hill.
The Eagles are very close to the Giants at safety after the Malcolm Jenkins signing. He will form a solid duo with Nate Allen and Earl Wolff will provide valuable depth. The Cowboys are not too shabby themselves at safety, with J.J. Wilcox and Barry Church starting. Jeff Heath will also provide solid depth. Finally, the Redskins are very old at safety, but they are still decent. Ryan Clark was a good acquisition and he will make an immediate impact.
Special Teams
The Best: DAL The Rest: NYG, PHI, WAS
The Cowboys are easily the best when it comes to special teams. Dan Bailey is one of the best kickers in the NFL, as he displays both accuracy and power. Chris Jones is also a very solid punter, and he has to deal with the difficult task of avoiding the mega-screen hanging in AT&T Stadium. Dwayne Harris is also a dangerous kick returner.
In New York, the Giants were desperate for a decent kicker, and the Josh Brown signing panned out well last season. While he does not have much power, his accuracy is still very good. Steve Weatherford is a very good punter, and Giants fans definitely appreciate him after witnessing Matt Dodge blow a playoff game against the Eagles a few years ago. The signing of Trindon Holliday will give the Giants a good kick returner for the first time in many years. In Philadelphia, the poor play of kicker Alex Henery could cost him his job if the Eagles can find some competition. At punter, Donnie Jones remains a very good option, despite his age. The Eagles don’t have any clear talent at kick returner now that DeSean Jackson went to the Redskins. Finally, the Redskins have problems at kicker and punter. Kai Forbath struggled last season at kicker, and the Redskins should look for an upgrade. At punter, Sav Rocca was cut because of his poor play and Robert Malone will likely takeover. The Redskins have a few formidable options at kick returner, but Andre Roberts will likely prevail.
Coaching
The Best: NYG The Rest: PHI, WAS, DAL
There is definitely no debate here, as two-time Super Bowl champion Tom Coughlin is easily the best coach in the NFC East. His experience and championships make him one of the best coaches in the NFL. He also led the Jacksonville Jaguars, an expansion team, to an AFC Championship Game early in his career.
Chip Kelly entered the NFL with a bang last year, and he is certainly a promising coach. He has a great offensive mind, and he turned around a miserable 4-12 team into a playoff team. The future is bright for Kelly. In Washington, Jay Gruden has a good opportunity to impact the Redskins like Chip Kelly impacted the Eagles last season. The Redskins were horrible last season, finishing 3-13. Robert Griffin III will be healthy this season and the Redskins have one of the best offenses in the NFL now. We’ll see if Gruden can take advantage of this opportunity. In Dallas, Jason Garrett is one of the worst coaches in the league. He hasn’t led the Cowboys past their mediocre level of play and he probably won’t this year either.
2014 Prediction
The Best: NYG The Rest: PHI, DAL, WAS
The NFC East is certainly open for any team to win. Nobody should be surprised, regardless of who wins the division. But I believe that this division will come down to the Eagles and the Giants. The winner of their Week 17 game will likely decide the division. The Cowboys’ loss of Sean Lee and the miserable Redskins defense will greatly diminish each team’s chances of winning the division. I could see the Giants and the Eagles each getting 10-11 wins, with both of them making the playoffs. The Cowboys will likely collect another 8-win season under Garrett. The Redskins will likely improve to about 7 wins. The quality of play throughout the division should be increased tremendously from last season.
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