DRAFT Day is April 25th. Well actually it’s three days 25th, 26th and 27th, but you get the idea. Over the coming days, I’m going to do a position by position breakdown, of each team in the division. Just to compare known players apples to apples, and get everyone on the same page, before we start adding rookies, which can include anything from 1st round busts, to 6th round sure-fire Hall Of Famers.
Today we breakdown (cities are in alphabetical order): The Engines
DALLAS: The Cowboys lost LT Tyron Smith and C Tyler Biadasz in Free Agency. Brock Hoffman is now the starting C. Ideas for protecting their QB’s blindside, include either moving All-Pro LG Tyler Smith to LT, or drafting one and hoping the rookie is a star. At RT Terrence Steele is essentially a turnstile. Depth at this position is Matt Waletko (2 years, 4 games, no starts.)
On the inside they still have RG Zack Martin, one of the best in the game. However, moving LG Tyler Smith to LT, would leave a two player hole, right next to Martin. So the Cowboys recently overpaid to retain FA journeyman G Chuma Edoga, who already knows the offense. Anyway you cut it, 40% of this line is about to be just a couple of guys.
NEW YORK: The giants loaded up on linemen in FA. They lost one, but signed five. Of what they already had, C John Michael Schmitz and G Ben Bredeson, as well as T Andrew Thomas are likely to be starters in 2024. Beyond that, this room is loaded with journeymen and draft busts. Of the five guys they signed, not one of them has been to the Pro Bowl. Even as an alternate.
The biggest o-line addition was probably oft-traveled RT/RG Jermaine Eluemunor, who gets to play near his native Scranton; followed by G Jon Runyan Jr. Both started elsewhere last year. Which brings up the question of where LT Evan Neal fits in. He was a 2022 #7 overall pick, but so far he’s been an injury prone disaster. Does adding Eleumunor close the book on Neal?
Everyone else ranges from shrug-worthy vet, to just some guy in a jersey.
PHILADELPHIA: Future Hall of Fame C Jason Kelce retired this offseason. Normally that would seem like a huge blow, but honestly, Kelce’s wisdom and energy may be missed more than his on-field play. Kelce helped the Eagles scout his replacement, C Cam Jurgens. Jurgens spent 2023 at RG in Kelce’s hip, learning when, how, and why certain things need to happen.
As for the rest of the line, LT Jordan Mailata and RT Lane Johnson might be the top pair of bookends in the entire league. On the inside, LG Landon Dickerson is the true engine of the Brotherly Shove play. With Jurgens sliding over, RG is now a question mark. The top candidate for the job is Tyler Steen, but he’s been underwhelming in the run game, so far.
Coming over from the Falcons is C Matt Hennessy, so he could man the pivot, and allow Jurgens to stay at RG. The loss of T/G Jack Driscoll, opens the door for T/G Brett Toth, who spent last year with Carolina, but has 17 starts under his belt as an Eagle. The rest of the depth is unremarkable and may have an uphill climb just making the roster.
WASHINGTON: One way to improve your strength in a division, is to steal talent from rivals. The Commanders did exactly that when they added C Tyler Biadasz. He’s not great, but he’s better than what they had. It’s to be assumed that Sam Cosmi is starting at RG, and LG will probably be Nick Allegretti. He was a career back-up in Kansas City, but Washington gave him 16M over 3 years (5M+ per year), so they probably don’t expect him to ride pine.
On the ends, RT Andrew Wylie is another KC defector, who quietly started 15 games for Washington last year. The LT spot however, was a nightmare last year. The Commanders outright released Charles Leno, and dragged their feet re-signing Cornelius Lucas to a 1 year deal. Without a legit blindside protector, their QB will be in for a rough year in this division.
They have a number of bodies as depth, but no one who won’t be a liability if they have to start a game. To be honest, even their starting line-up is shrug-worthy on paper. Unless the coaching staff can find enough magic to make this group more than the sum of its parts, this might be one of worst lines in football.
SO WHO’S THE BEST?
Even though Washington should be better than last year, they will likely still be awful. Dallas has clearly taken a couple of steps backward. That part can’t even be disputed. Both have question marks at LT, which is the last place on the o-line that a team needs questions. New York is unremarkable, but they do have parts they can move around, and possibly turn out a decent unit.
Philadelphia had a great line last year, and are bringing back 60 percent of it in place, and that could be as high as 80 percent if they so choose. They have a question that needs an answer at RG; but they even have depth whose starting experience is with their team, in the system they currently run.
There is no question that Philadelphia has the most complete, and deepest offensive line in the NFC East, at this point. And it’s not even close. You’d have to be an idiot, with your certificate hanging in a frame on your wall, to even argue.
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