Before 2020, the Eagles were always serious competition in the disastrous NFC East, making the postseason from 2017-2019 (3 times); that’s when things turned upside down. This previous season, Philly went 4-11-1, and were plagued by injuries (lots of them!) and inconsistent quarterback play, along with several key players underperforming.
Let’s stop living in the past; it’s a NEW SEASON. This upcoming year most likely won’t bring the Eagles the past success they’ve came across, but there’s still hope for us fans. Let’s look at the different teams in this division, predict their record, and see where the Eagles land!
Washington: The Washington Football Team had a pleasantly surprising 2020 season, making the playoffs with an underwhelming 7-9 record (43.8% win pct.). They ended up losing to the soon-to-be Super Bowl Champs — the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — in a thriller. This offseason — although they lost some notable names such as Ryan Kerrigan & Ronald Darby — they added even more talent, including veteran quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick and former Panthers wideout, Curtis Samuel, ultimately bolstering the offense. Washington massively improved their roster this offseason, and in my eyes, will end up with a winning record.
Ceiling: 11-6 | Floor: 9-8
New York: The New York Giants are coming off a rather disappointing season in which they missed the playoffs with a 6-10 record (37.5% win pct.) due to an Eagles loss to the WFT in Week 17. They had a pretty stellar offseason, though, retaining Leanord Williams and signing guys such as Kenny Golladay, John Ross & Kyle Rudolph, while drafting Kadarius Toney, providing Jones with more weapons. Regardless of the nice summer by the Giants’ front office, New York’s success relies on the man under center, Daniel Stephen Jones; how he performs this season is very unpredictable, as he’s flashed immense potential in the past, but has also seemed like a complete bust at times as well. Daniel Jones is why the Giants could place last in the NFC East or end up with a winning record.
Ceiling: 9-8 | Floor: 5-12
Dallas: The Dallas Cowboys’ 2020 campaign is the definition of disappointing. Up until Week 5, Dallas seemingly had one of the best offenses in the NFL, with Dak playing at a MVP level with multiple weapons to throw to…then came the injuries. On October 11th against the Giants, the Cowboys’ season was pretty much over, as Dak had broken his ankle on a scramble. The offensive line was in shambles through the season, Leighton Vander-Esch missed 5 games and Gerald McCoy missed the entire season; definition of an injury-riddled season. After that train wreck, Jerry made sure the offseason would be a positive one, bringing former Falcons HC, Dan Quinn, as DC aboard and drafting standout linebacker Micah Parsons at pick No. 12. 2021 feels like it could end up being a very good year for the Cowboys, but I’m stuck on how Dak could come back; it’d be difficult to recreate what he had going in the first 5 weeks of last season coming off such a serious injury. At best, they could win the division but could be a prime example of mediocrity at worst.
Ceiling: 10-7 | Floor: 8-8
Philadelphia: Finally our very own, Philadelphia Eagles. We all know what happened…the Carson Wentz dilemma, Hurts taking over, a plethora of injuries, Reagor being in/out of the lineup, Ertz playing horrible, Sanders dropping passes, etc…all of that leading to a 4-11-1 season that left us LAST in the NFC East. All fans doubted Howie after this, doubting that he could do anything more to clean his mess and build a competent roster once again; Howie rose up to the challenge. We don’t know if this is a competent team yet, but on paper, it looks like a damn good one. Roseman drafted DeVonta Smith, improving a poor WR room, added Anthony Harris & Steven Nelson, bolstering depth in a desperate secondary, signing Joe Flacco, a former Super Bowl MVP to mentor and backup Jalen Hurts while also getting rid of older players that wouldn’t benefit the team and would take away playing time from the young guys, among other little moves. Howie, throughout the offseason, worked to prepare this team to go through a small period of retooling while keeping what should be a fun roster to watch through the the 17-game season. He did the best he could, but that doesn’t mean it’ll translate instantly, especially not into this first season of the “retool.” The roster consists of several new players playing for an entirely rebranded coaching staff; it’ll take time to settle in. A lot of our potential success relies on Jalen Hurts and how he performs — he had his good and bad moments after taking Carson’s spot late last season. If Hurts can take that leap and cement his spot as the franchise quarterback then that’d make Howie’s work a lot easier these coming years. Focusing on this upcoming season, however, Philly could either surprise the league and end with a winning record or be the laughing stock of the NFL.
Ceiling: 9-8 | Floor: 5-12
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Philadelphia Sports Chronicle 