Adrian Fedkiw
Did the Philadelphia Eagles really just have the best off-season of the quartet of teams in the NFC East?
Pro Football Focus believes so. The online publication went division by division and ranked the teams that had the best one and the Eagles were atop the NFC East.
Are they right?
It depends on how you want to look at it because the Eagles won in the long haul if Carson Wentz pans out, but in terms of short-term prognosis, I believe the Dallas Cowboys’ acquisition of Ezekiel Elliott in the draft just made them the favorites in the NFC East. PFF delved into that too.
The NFC East is an interesting case, as it can be argued that in the short-term the Cowboys improved the most within the division with the tactical addition of Ezekiel Elliott. Elliott is an incredibly well-rounded running back who gained 1,000 yards after contact, caught 92.9 percent of his pass targets, and had a pass-blocking efficiency rating of 99.0 last season. Elliott will help the Cowboys maximize their time left with QB Tony Romo as the starter, and as a result the Cowboys should be the NFC East team with the largest increase in wins next season.
From a long-term standpoint the Eagles will have improved the most within the division if Carson Wentz emerges as the franchise quarterback they need in a year or two. In theory, Wentz would still be on the frontside of his career as the Eagles’ starting quarterback while the Cowboys and Giants will be in the unfortunate position of trying to find replacements for long-term starting quarterbacks who retired (Romo and Eli Manning, respectively).
PFF gave the Eagles a grade of A- for free agency and a B for their draft. Here’s an excerpt from their free agency evaluation of the Birds.
The Eagles’ off-season was all about cleansing the franchise of any lingering influence of Chip Kelly. Much of the work was focused on getting rid of any player Kelly was directly involved in bringing in. They found a willing trade partner in Miami to offload Byron Maxwell and Kiko Alonso, and the Titans were happy to take a slightly used, high-mileage workhorse back like DeMarco Murray.
In addition to the deep cleansing of the roster, the Eagles also made some shrewd acquisitions, with safety Rodney McLeod and guard Brandon Brooks, in particular, which addressed areas of need. McLeod has back-to-back seasons with solid PFF coverage grades, and makes the kind of monster hits that will endear him to Philadelphia fans in a heartbeat. Brooks has been a Pro-Bowl caliber guard for Houston, and even last season when in a down year, he was still a strong pass-blocking guard, something the Eagles struggled badly with a year ago.
I still can’t believe how Howie Roseman was able to pull off the “double trade” to go from No. 13 to No. 2 in the draft. It was something the Eagles were reportedly trying to do last year in their pursuit of Marcus Mariota. They picked 20th and were trying to work out a deal with the Cleveland Browns, who were at No. 13.
Roseman also locked up some of his young core, extending tackle Lane Johnson, tight end Zach Ertz, defensive end Vinny Curry and safety Malcolm Jenkins. The free agents brought in were also young, which is important because when Wentz is ready to start and Roseman gets his picks back in a few years, all these players he extended and signed will still be in their primes.
Dallas didn’t do much of anything in free agency, defensive tackle Cedric Thornton was the lone splash, but Elliott in my opinion was the best acquisition for 2016 of any in the division. Behind the best offensive line in football, Elliott will essentially take Murray’s role and pound the rock 350-400 times a year just as the Cowboys did in 2014 when they went 12-4 and won the division. So Elliott will tote the rock about 25 times a game, which will set up plenty of opportunities downfield for Dez Bryant in the play-action game. As long as Romo stays healthy, that Dallas offense is SCARY! The Cowboys made a good decision in retaining linebacker Rolando McClain too. And off went Greg Hardy.
The New York Giants spent the most money in free agency ($76.4 million guaranteed), gambling on cornerback Janoris Jenkins, defensive end Olivier Vernon, defensive tackle Damon Harrison and linebacker Keenan Robinson. Sure, the Giants have plenty of holes to fill on defense, but paying big money on players who aren’t elite wasn’t the route I would’ve gone. Picking Eli Apple at cornerback over Vernon Hargreaves III in the first round was also a head-scratcher.
The Washington Redskins let the most players leave in the division, including 2012 No. 2 overall pick Robert Griffin III. They were unable to come to terms on a long-term deal with Kirk Cousins, who was given the franchise tag. Washington, however, did shelve out a five-year, $75 million contract to 28-year-old cornerback Josh Norman. Norman burst onto the scene last year for Carolina, but $75 million to a 28-year-old who might be a beneficiary of Carolina’s defense? Sheesh! The Eagles learned their lesson last year.
Had the Eagles stayed at No. 8 in the draft, Elliott wouldn’t have landed there, they might’ve passed on Laremy Tunsil, and that could’ve resulted into Hargreaves. He would’ve been a nice piece to possibly pair with Eric Rowe to set up Philadelphia’s next cornerback tandem, like the days of Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor.
It was understandable that the Cowboys didn’t trade up, but Jason Garrett had first-hand look at Wentz, coaching him at the Senior Bowl. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Dallas went with Wentz had he have fallen to No. 4. He would’ve been perfect to stash behind Romo while he plays out his remaining years. Aaron Rodgers knows what this is all about.
With Elliott in tow I believe the Cowboys can be a 10-12 win team this season, but the defense is still lacking for them to make any serious run in the postseason. If he’s that once-in-a-generation-type back, however, Dallas might be able to control possession and put its defense in favorable positions.
The Eagles will be licking their wounds early on. Once Philadelphia gets its draft picks back, Fletcher Cox gets locked up, Jim Schwartz’s defense finds its groove, Sam Bradford is shipped away and Wentz is ready to go, then we’re talking! Roseman was still able to plug a lot of holes this offseason. That’s a team with serious potential!
Or destruction if Wentz is a bust.
Dallas is more of a sure thing, but with more risk comes more reward for Philadelphia. Which franchise is going to win?