For decades, the NFC East was the most competitive and most feared division in all of football.
In fact, an NFC East team participated in six of the nine Super Bowls played between the 1987 and 1995 seasons.
However if you were to refer to the NFC East as the most competitive and most feared division in all of football today, you’d be only half right.
Lacking a repeat champion since 2004, the division has become a source of parity while still maintaining the highly regarded and nationally viewed rivalry games which have become a staple of the NFL.
After a horrid season a year ago where it looked as if a 7-9 team could steal the division at many points during the year, the NFC East looks to be improved and ready to begin to return to its old school form.
Who will come out on top of this game of NFC East thrones this year? In order to make our best guess, we will break down each position group on each team in the East, and decide which team has the advantage at said group.
Let’s get started with what many consider the most important position on the field, the quarterbacks.
Dallas Cowboys
Quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys is just about the most talked about position in all of sports. And this offseason has been no different.
After the abysmal 2015 campaign which highlighted the Cowboys lack of a competent backup quarterback, the Cowboys decided to draft Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Dak Prescott in the fourth round of the 2016 draft.
Kellen Moore, who saw time at the end of 2015, is expected to be the backup quarterback, and Jameill Showers, who is impressing many within the organization, will more than likely be the odd man out.
Then of course there is the leader of the Dallas Cowboys, the man who’s absence last season was felt like no others in history, Tony Romo. When healthy, we all know who Tony Romo is and what he can do. He is a special kind of player who embodies everything the Jason Garrett-led-Cowboys are meant to represent.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles quarterback drama has been impossible to avoid if you consider yourself a football fan this offseason.
Sam Bradford, the only notable survivor from the “erase everything Chip Kelly did” movement, signed a short contract extension this offseason. Bradford has been average at best during his career, but was expected to be the starter for next season after re-signing with the Eagles.
But then, the Eagles traded up to select North Dakota State Bison’s quarterback Carson Wentz with the number two overall pick in this years draft.
It was all good just a week ago, wasn’t it Bradford.
Now Bradford has been causing drama within the organization and reportedly seeking a trade which he most likely won’t get.
The third quarterback on the roster is long time backup quarterback Chase Daniel, who comes over from Kansas City with new head coach Doug Pederson.
New York Giants
The Giants quarterback situation is about as simple as it can get.
Eli Manning has been healthy for basically his entire career, and has been a good-to-great quarterback for the Giants, even if we don’t like to admit it. While he is aging, he certainly has a firm grip on the job for the forseeable future.
Ryan Nassib is the backup quarterback for the team, but has seen only small amounts of game time during his short career. BJ Daniels is the third quarterback listed on the roster.
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins quarterback position has featured a revolving door of sorts over the past few seasons with Robert Griffin, Colt McCoy, and Kirk Cousins all starting multiple games.
However, the position seems to be solidified for at least this year, as Kirk Cousins returns after impressing many during his 2015 campaign. (I wasn’t all that impressed and will argue that he didn’t play as good as most seem to think he did, but that’s for another day.)
The Redskins also have my favorite backup quarterback in the entire division, Colt McCoy. I openly rooted for the Cowboys to make a run for McCoy this offseason, as he fits the backup role very nicely.
After ditching Robert Griffin this offseason, Nate Sudfeld remains as the third quarterback on the roster.
So, who’s the best?
Keep in mind I am going to rank these position groups objectively, keeping any of my Cowboys’ bias out of the picture.
With that being said, I do believe the Cowboys have the best quarterback situation, on paper, in 2016.
It boils down to this; Tony Romo is the best quarterback in this division, so when he is healthy, the Cowboys have the best quarterback in the division.
It’s just that simple.
The Eagles are not even in the discussion here, as I believe Bradford is an average player and while I like Carson Wentz, he is only a rookie. Rookie starting quarterbacks tend to struggle.
The Giants have just about the same backup plan as the Cowboys do if their quarterback goes down, and I evaluate Romo as a better player than Eli Manning.
This puts Dallas ahead of both the Eagles and Giants in my opinion.
While I would agree that the Redskins have more “depth” at the position, the vast talent differences between Tony Romo and Kirk Cousins eliminate the depth argument in my mind.
This leaves the Cowboys atop the quarterback position group ranking for the NFC East.
Feel free to debate me in the comment section, and be sure to check out each position group ranking as they continue to be posted.
