In this series, the Last Word on Sports NFL department will be selecting the best players in each division by position. The defense and special teams of the NFC East will be the focus here. Without further ado, let’s delve into who made the cut on the NFC East All-Division Team.
Offenses: AFC East – AFC North – AFC South – AFC West – NFC South – NFC West– NFC East – NFL
Defenses: AFC East – AFC North – AFC South – AFC West – NFC South – NFC West – NFC East – NFL
2019 NFC East All-Division Team: The Defense
Scheme: 4-3
Defensive End: Demarcus Lawrence, Cowboys
Demarcus Lawrence came up big with another double-digit sack season, 10.5 sacks, and made it to another Pro Bowl this year. His talent at rushing the passer is undoubtedly the best in this division. Lawrence’s new contract certainly reflects that as it’s made him one of the highest-paid defensive ends in the league. Giving Lawrence a starting spot on the 2019 NFC East All-Division team is an easy pick.
Defensive End: Brandon Graham, Eagles
When you think of the upper echelon of edge rushers in the NFL, do you think of Everson Griffen (Vikings) or Calais Campbell (Jaguars)? If so, then Brandon Graham definitely deserves to be considered in this upper tier of edge rushers. His 61 hurries last year were more than both Campbell and Griffen had. In addition, his 76 pressures were more than Calais had too while falling only three pressures short from Griffen’s 79. Graham may not be as good of a run stopper as his two peers, but his ability to disrupt the passer and create havoc is undeniable.
He is the prime example of how mainstream stats like sacks, forced fumbles, and QB hits don’t paint the full picture of a player. If you watch game tape as professional scouts do, you’ll see one Brandon Graham flying around in the backfield constantly. This has its own impact. Much to the chagrin of many Eagles fans cringing every time Graham almost gets a sack or QB hit. Unfortunately, this was around 61 breathe-holding moments.
Defensive Tackle: Fletcher Cox, Eagles
Fletcher Cox had another brilliant season of destroying opposing offensive lines with 34 QB hits, 12 tackles for loss, and 10.5 sacks. This earned him first-team All-Pro honors in 2019. He managed to do this despite not having a competent DT next to him since Timmy Jernigan missed nearly all of the 2018 season due to injury. Despite facing constant double teams, Cox won a good amount of battles and absolutely ate whenever given a one on one opportunity. This is evident through his double-digit sacks at DT that tied Demarcus Lawrence’s 10.5 sacks at DE and his 34 QB hits is second best in the entire league. Who’s the one player ahead of Fletcher Cox in QB hits? Only the best DT in the league, Aaron Donald, at 41 QB hits during what was considered one of the best defensive seasons by a DT in the modern era.
Defensive Tackle: Malik Jackson, Eagles
Malik Jackson had a rough 2018 season, but still displayed a good ability to rush the passer-by getting 12 QB hits and seven tackles for loss. Both of which superseded Daron Payne’s eight QB hits and six tackles for loss. Malik Jackson may not be the best-run stuffer, but he’s still a great complementary DT that has good pass-rushing skills. Also, keep in mind that almost every Jaguar’s defender saw a significant decline statistically from 2017 to 2018, even Jalen Ramsey was no exception.
Honorable Mention: Daron Payne had a better season last year during his rookie campaign with the Redskins than Malik Jackson. However, since he plays NT in a 3-4 scheme, it was decided to choose the best player to fit the 4-3 scheme defense for this 2019 all-division team. Please keep in mind that Payne is a phenomenal talent and should continue to tear up the league. He is making a very strong case for being the 2nd best DT in this whole division behind only Fletcher Cox.
Outside Linebacker: Ryan Kerrigan, Redskins
Who is Ryan Kerrigan? Honestly, if you’re reading this article as a fan of an NFC East team then you most definitely know who this highly underrated nightmare is or if you’re a Redskins fan then you know him as the heart of your defense. Ryan Kerrigan often goes unnoticed by too many casual fans. Apart from the football cognoscenti, most people wouldn’t consider Ryan Kerrigan to be an elite linebacker. Perhaps you may believe that I’m overstating Ryan Kerrigan’s excellence. Well, what do Jadeveon Clowney, Demarcus Lawrence, Michael Bennett, Cameron Jordan, Bradley Chubb, and Khalil Mack (he only played 14 games) all have in common?
If you guessed that they ALL had fewer sacks than the 13 sacks Ryan Kerrigan had then you’d be right. This ironman who’s never missed a single game in his career has been to three straight Pro Bowls. How? Thanks to having at least 11 sacks in each of his last three seasons. If you’re a casual fan looking to impress your more hardcore football friends then try playing “guess which player this is” with Ryan Kerrigan being the answer based on the stats given here. Feel free to send me your responses to this take @Kulasegram on Twitter.
Middle Linebacker: Leighton Vander Esch, Cowboys
Anytime you’re considered to be a strong candidate for defensive rookie of the year, then you know you’re a young star on the rise. Leighton Vander Esch (LVE) has drawn comparisons to Luke Kuechly, one of the best linebackers in the game, and rightfully so. His 140 total tackles (3rd in the NFL), two interceptions, and seven pass deflections (2nd amongst linebackers) earned him a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie. LVE is arguably one of the best linebackers in the game today and as such demands a spot on this starting lineup.
Outside Linebacker: Olivier Vernon, Giants
Seven sacks plus 21 QB hits plus five tackles for loss equals one 2019 Pro Bowl nod as a backup outside linebacker. These numbers aren’t elite, but are certainly well above average and make Olivier Vernon a name that most players tend to remember. He may be the least impactful of these three linebackers. Yet, most rosters would pay a pretty penny for an NFC Pro Bowl player like Vernon.
Strong Safety: Landon Collins, Redskins
Despite missing four games, Landon Collins racked up 96 tackles. That’s an incredible eight tackles per game from the safety position. Collins doesn’t offer much help in pass protection. What he lacks there, he more than makes up for it by being a strong, instinctual type player. These instincts of his have given him a knack for finding the ball carrier prematurely. This penchant for being a thumper has earned him three straight trips to the Pro Bowl and 2016 defensive player of the year consideration.
Free Safety: Malcolm Jenkins. Eagles
What else do Malcolm Jenkins and Landon Collins have in common besides both playing strong safety in the NFC East? Well, they both were 2019 Pro Bowlers, but Landon Collins was listed as a starter, while Malcolm Jenkins was listed as his backup. However, this is where the similarities end. Malcolm Jenkins differentiates from Landon Collins because he isn’t your prototypical in the box safety.
He can drop back as a free safety or nickel corner. He can also step into the box and play as a physical linebacker with the cover skills of a safety. This level of versatility makes him indispensable to the 2019 NFC East All-Division roster. In addition, he played 1,038 snaps on defense and special teams combined. This meant that Jenkins played every defensive snap during the 2018 season and still managed to make the Pro Bowl.
Outside of the remarkable statistics, Jenkins greatest talent lies in his ability to lead. His time and experience in the NFL have allowed him to become a savvy leader on defense. Particularly in the secondary, as he is able to read offenses and adjust the defense accordingly. The best defenses have multiple leaders at each level of the defense. Malcolm Jenkins is more than capable of taking on that role in the secondary.
Right Cornerback: Ronald Darby, Eagles
Former All-Pro talent, Josh Norman, may not have made the Pro Bowl recently but his three interceptions, nine pass deflections, three forced fumbles, and 64 tackles are still solid numbers for a cornerback. However, ever since Norman decided to stop drawing penalties to pad his stats, he’s since stopped and been exposed as an average starting cover corner. Don’t think Darby deserves the nod over Norman?
Consider that Norman allowed eight TD’s and a higher passer rating than Jalen Mills let alone Darby. This is despite Darby being the 12th most targeted cornerback since entering the league (minimum 100 targets). During that same time span, Darby has 50 forced incompletions according to Pro Football Focus. This demonstration of skill despite being “picked on” has led Darby to have a reputation as a strong starting corner. Even if he isn’t elite enough to consistently make teams pay for throwing the ball his way with turnovers.
Left Cornerback: Byron Jones, Cowboys
Byron Jones had quite the breakout year after moving from safety to cornerback. He allowed a 53.6% catch rate and had 10 pass breakups according to Pro Football Focus. His grade was more than 10 points higher than the next highest-graded cornerback in the NFC East, Ronald Darby. This stellar performance earned him a trip to the 2019 Pro Bowl.
Special Teams
Kicker: Aldrick Rosas, Giants
Aldrick Rosas hit a remarkable 32/33 field goals and 31/32 extra-point attempts. His only miss came on a field goal attempt of 50+ yards. These incredible stats are what earned him 2019 first-team All-Pro honors and put him in the conversation of being one of the best kickers in the NFL along with the likes of Justin Tucker.
Punter: Tress Way, Redskins
Tress Way is the only NFL punter to not allow a single touchback, while also leading the NFL in punts that landed within the opponents 20 yards with a total of 41 during the 2018 season. To give this number some value, keep in mind that he only attempted 79 punts total last year… that’s an astonishing success rate of 51.9%. That means every other punt that he attempted landed in his opponent’s 20. A portion of this may be attributed to the defense giving Way favorable field position. That being said, keep in mind the previous statistic listed. He didn’t allow a single touchback while leading the league in pinning opponents deep in their own territory 51.9% of the time.
Punt Returner: DeSean Jackson, Eagles
DeSean Jackson still has plenty of juice left in him after displaying incredible speed last season. In Tampa and Washington, Jackson was barely called on to return punts so unfortunately there isn’t much recent data to pull from. However, during his time with the Philadelphia Eagles Jackson was much more explosive. When he was given 20 or more returns a season, Jackson averaged 1.3 TD’s and 11.9 yards per return. Jackson despite his age currently has the best accolades as a punt returner out of the NFC East.
Kick Returner: Corey Coleman, Giants
Corey Coleman is without a doubt the best kick returner in the NFC East as of right now. Coleman averaged 26 yards on each of his 23 returns in 2018. In fact, 18 out of 23 of his returns were for 20 or more yards. While 3 of the 23 returns were for huge gains of 40 or more yards. You can question his skill and health as a wide receiver. However, you can’t discount his speed in the open field.
