Dallas’ roster is given the nod over the Philadelphia Eagles’ yet again.
As of right now, there won’t be a Hall of Fame Game and the NFL’s preseason may be in danger of being shortened, but the 2020 NFL season is still believed to be a sure thing. What else is certain is most believe the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys are the favorites to win the NFC East. Who the top team is right now changes depending on who you talk to.
Recently, “The Worldwide Leader In Sports” ranked the rosters of all 32 NFL teams using the Pro Football Focus’ statistical engine. Both the Eagles and Cowboys made the top ten, but Dallas finished three spots ahead of the “Birds” to land at number six.
Reading this one requires a subscription to ESPN Plus, but here’s what we can tell you (if you haven’t heard the news already). Ben Linsey, the writer of this one says Philly’s biggest strength is the guys they have in the trenches while their biggest hole is at linebacker and their biggest wildcard comes in the form of one Darius Slay.
Dallas’ biggest strength lies in the fact that their quarterback, Dak Prescott, has an amazing trio of wide receivers to throw to in Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and the newly drafted CeeDee Lamb. Their biggest weakness is at cornerback, especially now with the loss of Byron Jones while Leighton Vander Esch, who’s coming off of a neck injury, remains their wild card. Apparently, Dallas’ weaknesses won’t be as detrimental as Philly’s.
This isn’t news to Philadelphia Eagles fans, is it?
If you watch NFC East football, you don’t need an ESPN Plus subscription to know any of that. All offseason, we’ve been treated to stories of how Dallas’ offseason was miles ahead of the one the Eagles turned in. Everyone from NFL.com to the aforementioned ESPN has, at some point, chimed in with their opinion on who’s ahead of the game in what everyone believes is a two-team race for divisional superiority.
Philly addressed many of their needs during the most recent free-agency period by trading for and extending Darius Slay and signing the likes of Jatavis Brown, Javon Hargrave, and Nickell Robey-Coleman. Dallas signed Gerald McCoy, Dontari Poe, and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.
The draft is where Philly seemed to lose ground as the Cowboys snatched CeeDee Lamb to keep their rivals from getting him and added Trevon Diggs in the second round of the most recent selection meeting. Philly took Jalen Reagor in Round 1 (not a bad move), but the headscratcher came in Round 2.
A team that’s set a quarterback and at the backup quarterback position took a third-string signal-caller when guys who took care of more pressing needs were still on the board and available (A. J. Epenesa, J. K. Dobbins, Josh Uche, and Kristian Fulton). There’s no reason to cry over spilled milk and what’s done is done, but Philly made a huge error in judgment this past April.
Where they do have an advantage is in their leadership. Howie Roseman is a better general manager than Jerry Jones is. Any “Birds” fan will take Jeffrey Lurie as an owner over anyone. Philly is also the only team in their division that returned their head coach from last season. The pieces are in place for a second-straight division title and another trip to the playoffs. Only time will tell if that’s how things work out.