The division that was pretty much the laughing stock of the NFL this past season.
The division that seemed like nobody wanted to win until the last two games of the season.
Since the season ended, the three NFC East teams that didn’t make the playoffs all have made coaching changes. Two of those included proven NFL coaches. At least one team has the chance to draft a highly-touted instant game-changer.
Eagles
The team that finally locked up the long-elusive division title saw a quick exit and who knows if this can be blamed on all their receivers being hurt, if Seattle was leaps and bounds the better team, or if Carson Wentz just isn’t as good as Nick Foles. The jury is still deadlocked on that question.
Cowboys
Although inevitable by all assumptions, the team finally pulled the plug on Jason Garrett as head coach, much later than many anticipated. Former Packers coach Mike McCarthy takes over the team in Dallas. Many questions need to be answered this offseason, especially those questions regarding the futures of Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper. While yes, McCarthy had success in Green Bay, he also had the luxury of back-to-back Hall of Fame quarterbacks with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. We’ll have to wait and see what he can do in Big D.
Giants
They went with Joe Judge at the helm after he spent eight seasons with the Patriots as special teams and wide receivers coach. His promotion to head coach was a head-scratching choice to some but they also added Jason Garrett as offensive coordinator recently. The Giants were another team that had their receiving core depleted by injuries. However, offensively, this team has a solid foundation to build off of. Quarterback Daniel Jones showed much upside in his rookie season. Running back Saquon Barkley finally looked like the back he was in his rookie season, despite it coming in the waning weeks of the season. Rookie receiver Darius Slayton had a surprising season by many estimations.
Redskins
They were quick to snatch former Panthers coach Ron Rivera from the coaching pool. Rivera may have inherited the team with the most upside in this division as rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins, while he had his ups and downs, showed he could be a solid quarterback going forward. Fellow rookie and standout receiver Terry McLaurin also had an impressive rookie season. But the biggest key to this team’s future was the hiring of Jack Del Rio as defensive coordinator. While by all assumptions Joe Burrow will be the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft, Ohio State linebacker Chase Young will drop right into Washington’s laps at No. 2. That would really bode well for this team and their defensive-minded head coach and proven coordinator. Young would make an immediate impact on that side of the ball. And, if they can land a key defensive free agent such Jadeveon Clowney or Ndamukong Suh, this team’s difference will drastically improve, at least on paper.
It’ll take a few long months for the remaining pieces to fall into place, but this division could return to respectability next season.
