Ranking the NFC East's top five defensive ends: Two Eagles make the cut
EA Sports is currently enjoying its yearly controversial Madden ratings release. If we're being honest, there are seemingly times when it feels they mean to generate disdain among the Philadelphia Eagles contingent and every other NFL fan base for their developers and ratings adjustors.
Pre-release announcements provide a discussion piece for fans of football who are desperate for anything related to the pigskin during the dog days of the summer. While the masses engross themselves in the details of each category and their favorite players are measured, real football is steaming towards actuality with the New York Jets being among the first teams to report for training camp.
Eagles report for camp on July 25th. Veterans will report two days later. With days sepearting us from the first practice, trash talk will ramp up.
The NFC East is expected to, again, be one of the premier divisions in the NFL. Three of its four teams made the playoffs last season. Its teams differ in many ways. They are alike in others.
One of the similarities they share is their belief that investing in elite edge rushers is important. Defensive ends have long been the quarterback go-getters, so the focus will be on them only; not linebackers. But, there seems to be a divisional pecking order ahead of the 2023 NFL season.
Here's a ranking of the five best defensive ends in the division.
5. Leonard Williams- Giants
The New York Giants were a major surprise of the NFC last season, and Leonard Williams was the best lineman for the G-Men on a defense that led their turnaround. He ended the season with four sacks playing defensive end in a 3-4 system, which makes his path to success different than a 4-3 end who has more room on the edge.
It doesn't matter if you are Iron Man or Black Widow; if you're on the team, the task is the same. Make an impact and focus on winning at the point of attack. Williams did that often and enjoyed a great season despite missing five games.