NFC East Position Outlook: The Cornerbacks

While football pundits tend to refer to the middle linebacker as the “quarterback of the defense,” no defensive position group sees the quarterback-like criticism from fans like the cornerbacks do. As soon as an offense gets their passing game going, everyone wants to jump on the corners, wondering what could possibly be going wrong with the coverage. Sometimes, the criticism isn’t warranted and is delivered by not-so-knowledgeable fans. But other times, this heavy criticism points to just how important having formidable cornerbacks is. With that being said, let’s take a look at the cornerback groups of the NFC East.

Photo of author

Written by: Kevin Brady

Published on:

NFC East Position Outlook: The Linebacker Squads

It’s been a while since we last visited the NFC East battle for supremacy. With only a few groups remaining, let’s finally return to this journey to explore the linebackers of this division. Dallas Cowboys For my money, the Dallas Cowboys linebacker corp is the most interesting position group in the entire division. Purely “on paper” talent-wise, the Cowboys have the best linebackers. Between Sean Lee, Rolando McClain, and newly drafted Jaylon Smith, there is a ton of talent in this group.

Photo of author

Written by: Kevin Brady

Published on:

NFC East Position Rankings: Tight Ends

We are a little over halfway through the NFC East position group rankings, with our Dallas Cowboys in the “lead,” with three wins out of the first five groups. Now we move to tight ends, a group which the Dallas Cowboys have dominated in over the last decade, but are beginning to fall behind the pack. Dallas Cowboys Like I said, the Cowboys have had Jason Witten since 2003. So they are used to being on top of the tight end category in the NFC East. However, the tide is beginning to turn as Witten ages and the younger Cowboys tight ends have yet to step up.

Photo of author

Written by: Kevin Brady

Published on:

NFC East Position Rankings: Offensive Line

Last time, we finally dove into the analysis of the NFC East’s linemen. Though we started by taking a look at what many consider the more “athletic” bigs, let’s now rank the big uglies across this division. Dallas Cowboys After talking about the potentially disastrous defensive line last time, let’s move on to greener pastures in Dallas. I don’t know if any offensive line on the planet is discussed more than the Dallas Cowboys’ “Great Wall of Dallas.” Of course, Travis Frederick anchors the middle as the center, Zack Martin and La’el Collins start as the guards, and Doug Free and Tyron Smith serve as the starting tackles.

Photo of author

Written by: Kevin Brady

Published on:

NFC East Position Rankings: Defensive Line

So far in this series, we have focused solely on the offensive side of the ball, taking a look at the quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers of the NFC East. I am an offensive lineman, so I feel like I am doing myself and the readers a disservice by starting the series off with the three offensive “skill” position groups. Let’s finally take a look at the real athletes on the field, the big guys up-front, starting with the defensive line. Dallas Cowboys Maybe it was the Cowboys fan in me that held off the defensive side of the ball until the fourth post, because for the first time all series, the Cowboys might have the most question marks of the entire division. Dallas decided to let Greg Hardy walk this offseason, a decision which I and plenty of fans are behind.

Photo of author

Written by: Kevin Brady

Published on:

NFC East Position Rankings: The Running Backs

As we move along in this position group ranking series with the third installment, we stay on the offensive side of the ball. Having already touched on the quarterbacks and wide receivers, why not get to the last “small skill” position group, the running backs. Dallas Cowboys No NFC East team made the splash at running back this offseason like the Dallas Cowboys did in the 2016 draft. By drafting Ohio State stud back Ezekiel Elliott with the number four overall pick, the Cowboys further solidified what was already considered to be a formidable and feared running game. Before drafting Zeke, Dallas signed former Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris in free agency.

Photo of author

Written by: Kevin Brady

Published on:

NFC East Position Rankings: The Wide-Outs

After assessing the divisions’ signal callers in the last installment of the series, why not take a look at the main targets in the passing games of each offense. Today we will discuss possibly the best position group in the entire division, a group which features superstars such as Dez Bryant, Odell Beckham, and Desean Jackson, the wide receivers. Dallas Cowboys Outside of star player and weekly beast Dez Bryant, the Cowboys’ receivers have been much maligned throughout this offseason. Two seasons ago, players like Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley were considered to be the perfect compliments to Dez Bryant in the Cowboys dynamic offense. But after injuries to both Bryant and quarterback Tony Romo resulted in lackluster years from Dallas’ receivers, this group has a lot to prove in the eyes of many this season.

Photo of author

Written by: Kevin Brady

Published on:

NFC East Position Rankings: The Quarterbacks

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.

Photo of author

Written by: Kevin Brady

Published on:

NFC East Rookie Watch: New York Giants

The path to the Super Bowl starts by clinching the NFC East. That means beating the New York Giants, the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles. Fortunately, with the help of the draft, the Dallas Cowboys have improved as a team. Unfortunately, so has the rest of the NFC East. Today, we’ll look at three rookies drafted by the New York Giants that could be the biggest headaches for the Cowboys:

Photo of author

Written by: Dante Giannetta

Published on:

2016 Draft: NFC East 1st-Round Recap

The first 31 picks (sorry New England) have come and gone in the 2016 NFL Draft. The Cowboys and each of their NFC East opponents have added a player who they expect to be a key cog in their team for years to come. I’ve written a more extensive recap about the Cowboys’ night already. For this article, let’s do a brief rundown of what our division rivals were up to and how it will affect their matchups with Dallas. Eagles select Carson Wentz, QB There was no surprise in Philadelphia’s pick.

Photo of author

Written by: Jess Haynie

Published on: