ONCE again we had a very strong outing, vs a playoff caliber team. Offensively, we showed the world, that we can hurt a team any way we choose. In our Week 11 meeting, RB Saquon Barkley posted 146 and two house calls. With that, I expect the Eagles to choose running over the Commander’s 25th ranked run defense.
A win raises us to 13 – 2, and sees us clinch the 2024 NFC East division crown.
A loss stalls us at 12 – 3, and just about ends any chance of us earning the One Seed in the playoffs.
****
The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; andTackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the Commanders
RB Saquon Barkley making a 23 yard house call.
1) Gas Their Defensive Line: The 2024 Commanders haven’t been very stout up front, against the run. They had trouble with us during our Week 11 match-up, as we ran 40 times for 228 yards, and three scores. Now it’s later in the year. Now it’s colder. Now is the time to get sadistic vs a smallish front four.
Their head coach favors a 4-3 defense, even though he doesn’t have the players or depth to run it correctly. We need to lean heavy on the run, early. Even if it seems to not be working! It’s not about how we start. It’s about how we finish. The idea is to erode their undersized line that was assembled more for pass rushing.
2) Don’t Miss Seven Points On Kicks: Last time, K Jake Elliott missed two field goals before we managed to get on the board, with a field goal. It would be foolish to think we’ll get that lucky twice in one season, vs the same team. Let’s get our shit together and not leave a trail of breadcrumbs, for a lesser opponent to find their way to a lead at any point. This isn’t one of the Four Things; but this week would REALLY be a great time, to finally see Elliott stroke one from 50 yards or better.
3) Take Away Quick Reads: Last week, commentator and Super Bowl LIIvictim, Tom Bradydescribed our underneath coverage against the Steelers as “muddy”. That is precisely the thing we want the opposing QB to think, as he watches our coverage start unfolding. The Commander’s QB is completing 70.5 percentage of his passes, despite a stint where he played through broken ribs. A lot of that is based on TE Zach Ertz, and RB Austin Ekeler,getting open quickly underneath and acting as security blankets.
Ekeler is on I.R. after a Week 12 concussion, and Ertz is questionable this week, despite suffering a concussion on Sunday. So there may be no security blankets. We need to force their QB to read and hold the ball longer, giving our players like OLB Nolan Smith, enough time to pile up sacks.
4) Jump A Couple First Half Passes: As I said before, their QB likes to get rid of the ball quickly. We however, want him to hold the ball longer. So how do we influence that? By jumping a couple of first half pass routes. Bat downs, interception attempts… Just need a big play or two, to help slay this rival.
S Reed Blankenship with a pivotal pick in one of last year’s games
If we get hands on the football early, later on (to avoid turnovers) their QB will hold it longer, while searching for more ideal openings. This increases our chances of getting sacks. (And hey, maybe one or two could be a sack/fumble! Dream big right, DE Josh Sweat?) So, yeah. Let’s jump some pass routes.
****
If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…
It’s a question of hunger. We played a playoff team last week, and this week we’re playing a team that is hanging on for it’s very playoff hopes. We’re playing for seeding. They’re playing for their season.
WHO. WANTS. IT. MORE.
That’s the question that has to be asked and answered on Sunday. Let me say this in advance. We should run the table here. BUT, if there is going to be a loss in any of these next three division games, let it be this one.
Think back to the Monday night game on 11/14/22. We lost 21 – 32 to an inferior Commanders team, and at first, we were a little pissed about it. But the we thought about it, talked about it, and as fans we came to call it “a good loss” because we felt it humbled us, and taught us valuable lessons. Turns out we were right, and we rode those lessons to a Super Bowl appearance.
I don’t think we need any lessons, but this is the only game in the next three, that has any form of possible lesson embedded in it. Specifically, I’m talking about hunger. This is a playoff game for the Commanders. So that in itself, makes it one for us.
WHO. WANTS. IT. MORE.
****
WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know FOOTBALL and that’s it. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.
CRUSHING Dallas to move into first place. Was there ever a more joyful sentence? On a short week, we get to face the team that was in first place, before we took the spot. Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio, gets to sink his teeth into a 7 – 3 Commanders offense, led by a rookie QB. Meanwhile, RB Saquon Barkley gets to square off against the 28th ranked rushing defense in the league.
Winning moves us to 8 – 2, and expands our division lead over Washington. It would also maintain our position as the number two team in the conference, currently behind Detroit (8 – 1).
If we were to lose, we’d be 7 – 3, and back in second place in the division.
****
The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots ofMan Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: The Commanders
1) Run ‘Em Down:This isn’t my typical “Run the ball” request. This is a game, where we should lean heavy on the run. Even if it’s not working early. The Commanders are awful against the run. On Sunday, they gave up 140 rushing yards, as the Steelers wore them down and wore them out, with their physical, downhill style.
The Commanders have not yet had time to physically recover, and with DT Jonathan Allen on Injured Reserve, they are no match for an Eagles line which will get back LTJordan Mailata. There should be a game that sees 30 non-QB rushing attempts, with Saquon seeing more than 22.
2) Torment Single-high Coverage:The Commanders awful run defense, will frequently borrow a Safety to help load the box against our run game. When that happens, there will only be one Safety back deep to help with coverage, and he can’t help double both WR A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. One of them will have a one-on-one match-up.
When that happens, even if it’s third and one, there needs to be an audible called, and whomever the Safety doesn’t help cover, gets the football. We need to keep the box open, so that Saquon has room to operate.
3) Hit Their Quarterback: Even if we don’t get sacks, just hit him as early, and as often as possible. He’s a slender rookie, playing through a rib injury. Since sustaining that rib injury, his accuracy has declined sharply. Prior to the injury, the team was averaging 29.6 points per game. In his three games since, they haven’t seen 29 points.
QB Carson Wentz no longer plays for Washington, but in the path of DT Jordan Davis, this is what QB Jayden Daniels needs to look like
Hitting him isn’t about scaring him. It’s about scaring his coaches. To prevent them from calling certain things. That organization has been looking for a franchise QB since 1993. Now that they may have him, they’ll want to guard against RG3-ing him. If we can get his coaches to be his first obstacle, the entire game is much easier.
4) Jump A Couple of Short Passes: With the underneath coverage that we’ve been playing recently, it’s time to take it to the next step. The Commanders like to throw to their RB’s. Awesome! Those are great routes to jump. Or jumping a crossing route! Both excellent examples of routes to jump.
****
If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…
Win or lose, it sets up an awesome Week 16 re-match. It could even get flexed to prime time, given the current status of both the 3 – 7 Cowboys, and the 4 – 6 Buccaneers. For now, they are scheduled for the 8:15 slot, while our game is at 1:00. Again, for now.
****
WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know FOOTBALL and that’s it. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.
Sack Leader: DE Bryce Huff (Sacks:1.0/ FF: 1/ Tackles: 1)
Special Teams Ace: K Jake Elliott10 points on 2/2 FG and 4/4 XP
****
I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these Four Things articles. It’s to point out what we need to address BEFORE the game. Then AFTER the game, there’s a no-bullshit assessment of whether or not the Eagles did any of what they needed to do, to ensure the win.
So how much of what I mentioned in Four Things: COWBOYS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
1) Take Away Anything Simple:QB Cooper Rush (13/23 – 56.5% – 45 – 0 – 0) and QB Trey Lance (4/6 – 66.6% – 21 – 0 – 1) never really had underneath or intermediate options, so instead they threw a few fruitless attempts downfield, but mostly kept dumping it off, on passes around the line of scrimmage. At that point the Eagles just made the tackles.
We entirely boxed up their passing game at 2.2 yards per pass attempt (17/29 – 58.6% – 66 – 0 – 1), and used the same coverage concept, to control their run game (24 – 97 – 4.0 – 0 – 1). We did the fuck out of this. It won’t work every week, but we need to keep this concept on speed dial.(DONE)
2) Play-action Should Be Deadly: Play-action was used effectively in this game, but not in the way that I mentioned here. Who cares? We won! On a very positive note, our TE’s and WR’s three and four were meaningfully involved.
TE Dallas Goedert scores!
Retuning from injury TE Dallas Goedert (3 – 2 – 25 – 12.5 – 1) struck paydirt, as did rookie WR4 Johnny Wilson (1 – 1 – 5 – 5.0 – 1). For the second week in a row WR3 Jahan Dotson (1 – 1 – 27 – 27.0 – 0) grabbed a pass over 25 yards. Even though this wasn’t done, there is a silver lining. (NOT DONE)
3) Blitz From the Defense’s Left:We didn’t do much blitzing in this one. Instead, our four man pass rush benefited, from the coverage concept we were running. We got three sacks and three fumble recoveries out of it. Can’t be mad at that! (NOT DONE)
4) Take the Points, Nick!: Head Coach Nick Sirianniwas great in this one! He took the points that were available. He didn’t gamble with either the situation or his player’s health. (DONE)
++++
This week’s Four Things score was2 of 4, but what a 2 of 4! It was- Nope! No time to dwell on it. Four days from now, we host the 7 – 3 Commanders, in a battle to keep first place in the NFC East.
****
LB Zack Baun forcing RB Ezekiel Elliott to cough up the ball near the goal line
Game Hero: LB Zack Baun – He was part of THREE, of our five turnover in this game, he forced two fumbles. One was recovered by S Reed Blankenship (4 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) and the other by DB Cooper DeJean(2 – 0.0 – 0 – 0). He also recovered a fumble forced by DE Bryce Huff.
Game goat: QB Jalen Hurts – He had two first half turnovers (1 interception, 1 fumble), keeping this game an actual game, for longer than it should have been. He also invited five first half sacks, with his tendency to hold the ball too long.
On The Whole: Lots of people will tell you that Dallas was without their starting QB for this game. That’s wrong. Cooper Rush is their starter now. He’s never played on any other team, so he knows Dallas’s system. He had a week’s worth of prep for this game. He had reps with the Ones. So we defeated their starter.
Saquon Barkley had 14 rushing attempts and he caught 1 pass, for a total of 15 touches. I said it would be nice if he had 16 touches or fewer; because we need to lighten his workload. That is, if we don’t want him to be gassed for the playoffs. Besides, it first gives him a break in anticipation of the game against the Commanders on Thursday.
So right now we’re on a five game win streak, we sit atop the division, and right now we seem to be getting better every, single week. I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling pretty good about the season right now.
LAST week’s victory over the Jaguars, saw contributions from all three phases (Offense, Defense, and Special Teams). Our guys are motivated. They’re bringing energy and enthusiasm to the field, and it’s yielding results. They’re demonstrating faith in Head Coach Nick Sirianni, and in field general, QBJalen Hurts.
This week’s opponent, the Cowboys, are well… somewhat less enthused. They started the season with head full of expectations, a chestful of hype, and a roster that was razor thin on depth. And now, a rash of injuries is exposing that.
A win over the Cowboys, would raise us to 7 – 2, and one of the four best records in the NFC. Coupled with a possible Washington loss to Pittsburgh, the Eagles would move into first place in the East.
A loss would freeze us at 6 – 3, but we’d still be in second place in the division, regardless of the outcome of any division game.
****
The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the Cowboys
LB Zack Baun gets interception vs the Jaguars
1) Take Away Anything Simple: Back-up QB Cooper Rush doesn’t have a cannon for an arm. It’s part of what kept him undrafted. Also, in seven seasons, on 35 rushing attempts he has 11 yards. That is not a typo. That’s an average of 0.3 yards per carry, over his career. So he’s not going to beat us with his legs. Cooper can’t rush.
Where he does make his money, is on quick reads, from short to intermediate range. Last week we clouded the short area, with Man Coverage or delayed Zone drops. Time for a second helping of that. We need to take away anything easy, and force him to read. Make him risk the ball on deep throws, or eat sacks.
2) Play-action Should Be Deadly:With RB Saquon Barkley just 75 yards away from hitting 1,000 rushing yards in half a season; expect the Cowboys to place stopping him, high on their to-do list. Since their defensive line can be pushed around, it won’t take much to get their LB’s to overcommit to fakes hand-offs, opening up chunk passing plays behind them.
Instead of running our top two guys through a shark tank, this would be a great place to see our TE’s and third and fourth receivers get heavily involved. Still, regardless of who does it, there should be plenty of easy yardage between the numbers, if we employ play-action properly.
3) Blitz From the Defense’s Left: This is can be used for Rush, but it’s being dropped in here, just in-case the Cowboys trot out QB Trey Lance. The coverage key should be enough to help out vs the run, but another wrinkle will be needed to deal with Lance, because he can be a dangerous runner.
LB Nolan Smith ending the march of Danny Dimes.
Rush likes to bootleg, and Lance just likes to run. Both are right-handed, so we should bring OLB Nolan Smith right up the path that they’re running themselves into. Neither is an effective passer going to his left. So their natural tendency to go right, will make them help us, to put them in harm’s way.
4) Take the Points, Nick!:We’re going against a one-dimensional offense, being led by a low ceiling QB. Said another way, Jalen Hurts has more TD passes (10) this season, than Rush has in his entire seven year career (9). So Rush likely won’t light up the scoreboard.
That means every point we add, is extra weight on their already sputtering offense. This means points are at a premium, Nick. Points. So fourth and two, from the twenty-two, is not “Go for it”, Nick. Not this week. It’s a field goal. Say it with me, Nick: IT’S A FIELD GOAL.
That’s not to say that we shouldn’t be aggressive, but the Brotherly Shove hasn’t been nearly as effective with LT Lafoga Mialata on the shelf. I commend the job that LT Fred Johnson has done, but “Next Man Up!” doesn’t mean “next man equal”. Gamble accordingly.
****
If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…
RB Saquon Barkley houses another one.
You know what would be great this week? If Saquon gets 16 carries or less, and RB Kenneth Gainwellgets 10 and makes at least 40 yards off of them. Saquon is at 22 touches per game this year, putting him on pace for 374. Twice in his career he’s hit a ceiling of 352. Might be smart to ease up on his workload.
Going to Dallas and getting the win, while Saquon hits 1,000 rushing yards at the halfway mark…That would be like winning against the giants too. The only way it could be sweeter, is if Washington loses. Like it did on Tuesday. (Sorry, had to get a shot in there.)
****
WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know FOOTBALL and that’s it. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.
Sack Leader: MLB Nakobe Dean (Sacks:2.0/ FF: 0/ Tackles: 11)
Special Teams Ace: P Braden Mann drawing a roughing the kicker penalty
****
I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these Four Things articles. It’s to point out what we need to address BEFORE the game. Then AFTER the game, there’s a no-bullshit assessment of whether or not the Eagles did any of what they needed to do, to ensure the win.
So how much of what I mentioned in Four Things: GIANTS did the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
1) Use A Metric Fuck-ton of Play-action:Nope. Not really. Hurts dropped back to pass, all of 18 times. He was sacked 4 of those, and attempted just 14 passes. I was expecting the giants to make a point of taking away Saquon. Instead, he romped and frolicked in their wilderness.
If he wasn’t running away from giants defenders, he was running over them. Why fake giving him the ball, if actually giving him the ball, yields results like these? I was wrong about this one. And you have no idea how happy I am about that. (NOT DONE)
2) Chip Off the Block:Again, I expected a different kind of game, but Hurts dropped back all of 18 times, was sacked 4, and attempted just 14 passes, on the day. There just weren’t many opportunities to use play-action. Which is probably for the best, since LT Fred Johnson wasn’t getting any chip help on the outside. He also seemed to have his hands full when we did throw it. (NOT DONE)
MLB Nakobe Dean collecting one of his two sacks
3) Speed Up Their QB’s Clock: Brother, did we ever! On 29 dropbacks, QB Daniel Jones (14/21 – 66.6% – 99 – 0 – 0) was sacked 8 times, and was under duress when he was able to get passes off. He averaged 4.7 yards per pass, in this game. That’s less than half a first down per attempt! We finally got a look at what our Defense will look like, if we build a comfortable lead. (DONE)
4) Win On First Down: The giants saw 23 first downs in this game. They gained 4 yards or more, on 10 of those plays. The Eagles held them to 3 yards or fewer (including 3 sacks), a total of 13 times. So on 56% of the giants first downs, the Eagles imposed our will and won the down. (DONE)
++++
This weeks Four Thingsscore was2 of 4. I absolutely nailed the Defensive side, but totally whiffed on the kind of Offensive game, we were going to have to run. Well, next week we’re on the road again, to face a 3 – 4 Cincinnati team, that is trying to revive their season.
****
Game Hero: RB Saquon Barkley – He went out there and set a tone. Lowering his shoulder and smoking DB’s. Putting his foot in the ground and absolutely butchering the giants defenders with runs of 55, 41, and 38 yards. It was glorious.
Game goat: CB Quinyon Mitchell (3 – 0 – 0 – 0) – He dropped yet another would be interception. This was what, number 3 or 4? Someone get Lester Hayes on the phone, and see if he has any more Stickum.
WR A.J. Brown and QB Jalen Hurts celebrate a 41 yard touchdown catch and run, on a 4th and 3 play.
On The Whole: Fundamentals. We stood strong on them, and for the second week in a row, our Defense didn’t allow a touchdown, and we didn’t turn the ball over. The result of those fundamentals, was a dominating win. Granted, it was over a bottom-feeder team, but like last week, you have to win the games that you’re supposed to win. We have that base covered.
WINNING with solid fundamentals, is the best way to do it, because those things show up on film, and can be built upon. We did that last week vs the Browns. We didn’t turn the ball over. We kept running the ball, even when it wasn’t producing a lot of yards. We tackled, and our coverage challenged routes, giving our pass rush time to notch five sacks.
It was a game that we never trailed in, and never seemed to lose control of. Pay no attention to the final score. Our actual play in that game, was better than that score indicates.
Often I list fundamentals, as some of the Four Things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically gives you.)
A win gets us to 4 – 2, and likely another week as second in the division, since Washington gets yet another easy assignment, vs the Panthers this week. It would also give us our first win this season, against a division rival.
A loss would make us 3 – 3, but we’d go from second in the division, to third. That’s because not only would Dallas have a division win when we wouldn’t, but it would be against the team we just lost to.
So this isn’t a must win game or anything like that, but it would sure be nice to get it.
****
The point ofFour Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. So aside from running the ball, tackling over stripping, and playing lots of Man Press, here are the four things that we need to focus on this week versus: the giants.
If this picture doesn’t make you giggle now, you probably are a giants fan
1) Use A Metric Fuck-ton of Play-action:RB Saquon Barkleyis returning to the place he played for the first six years of his career. He carried that offense for six years, and they thanked him by rewarding the heaviest part of his burden, while making Saquon beg for scraps. So the Eagles gave him a huge deal, and now… now he’s with us.
Having Saquon go back to New York Shitty and bust their asses wide open, would embarrass everyone in that organization. From the owner, down to the guy who changes the player’s diapers. So expect their defense to aggressively react, every time it even looks like Saquon may touch the ball.
With them playing so aggressively towards him, if we can get them to bite on play-action, it should spring a few easy, big plays downfield. This game could be a huge day for our TE and Slot positions.
2) Chip Off the Block:With LT Lafoga Mailataout with an injured hamstring, OT Fred Johnson now gets the start. It would be foolish not to get TE Jack Stollout there, to help by chipping Johnson’s assignments. After giving a chip block, Stoll could hang out along the hashmark, to give QB Jalen Hurts an outlet receiver, if he has to run to his left.
Offering Johnson chip help isn’t because he can’t play. He can play. It’s to prevent what happened to Winston Justice in 2007, when he allowed 6 sacks in a game. At no point did the Eagles coaching staff send him any help. Due to Mailata being out, the giants will no doubt attack our LT. We have to be ready to force them out of whatever game-plan they prepared.
3) Speed Up Their QB’s Clock: Every QB has an internal clock in his head, which tells him when the ball needs to be out of his hand. We want to speed up that clock in Daniel Jones’s head, to force the ball out of his hand too early, and possibly into ours.
This week (like us), the giants are without their starting LT. Instead of trying to beat their back-up LT with only brute force, we should also overwhelm him mentally. Consistently walk a second defender into the ‘B’ gap, and force their LT to make decisions without the advantage of experience.
4) Win On First Down: It’s going to be a long day, if we keep allowing the giants to see 3rd and 3 or shorter. So we cannot constantly allow easy yardage on 1st and 10. Despite losing the game, the giants found a kind of spark last week vs Cincy. We have to make them believe that that spark, was a once in a season occurrence.
****
If the Eagles do those Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…
With the giants keying on Saquon, I’m not expecting big things from the run game. That means offensively, this game is on Hurts. While he has his top two outside receivers, the chemistry with everyone else that he’ll be throwing to, is sort of a work in progress.
I’d feel better if RB Boston “The giant Killer” Scott, was still somewhere on the roster. I’m just kidding. I liked Scott, but it’s nice to see our RB’s run through arm tackles and move piles. It would be nice to see rookie RB Will Shipleyget his first NFL touches, and play well.
****
WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know FOOTBALL and that’s it. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.
Note: This article was supposed to come out weeks ago, but I simply forgot it. I had a loved one in the hospital, and the world simply had to stop until she was out. By then, this article was the furthest thing from my mind. I’ve tweaked NOTHING in the article aside from adding a second note at the very end, and I’m tickled by how on the money I am after two games.
Strongest Offense: PHILADELPHIA – The only weakness on this unit is TE depth. While RB could also use a stronger backup, the pieces are here for a by committee approach. As far as the starters, this team has the best Offensive line in the division, and the best 1-2 punch at WR possibly in the NFL.
Weakest Offense: NEW YORK – None of the skill players scares anyone, and the QB is practically a burning orphanage on Christmas Eve. They are however, developing an offensive line for next year’s QB.
Strongest Defense: PHILADELPHIA – Entering the season, there are questions about one of the Corners, but otherwise this unit has added enough raw athleticism at every level, to compete with even units built for pure speed. That’s not to say it’s perfect, but the issues that this unit has, are pretty common throughout the division. Philly just has more depth and ability to mix and match, which limits the opportunities for opponents to find mismatches to exploit.
Weakest Defense: WASHINGTON – This team should be strong right down the middle, but they lack weapons that can consistently make a difference. By season’s end however, they just MIGHT surrender fewer points than the giants. Washington has a clock eating offensive style that will limit opponents opportunities to score. New York’s offense is so bad though, they may allow more points because they give the opponent more opportunities with better field position. The reason the giants aren’t here, is because they have enough weapons to possibly become a decent unit. Washington stands no chance of that.
Strongest Special Teams: PHILADELPHIA – This was evaluated just using the LS, P, and K. Returners were not included, because no one has any idea, of how the new kickoff rules will impact the game. The NFL has even alluded to altering rules “in-season”, but Commissioner Roger Goodell nixed that notion about a week ago. As far as why Philly was picked, just look at the reports. Philly is strong in all three areas. The other three team cannot claim the same.
Weakest Special Teams: WASHINGTON – Both Washington and New York have a reliability issue with their kicking game. The difference is, that the giants punting game improved slightly last season, so they’re on an upward trend there.
Projected Winner: PHILADELPHIA – It’s not even close. If you disagree with my assessments, go through the reports and tell me what I screwed up.
Darkhorse Winner: DALLAS – Because of course they are. The NFC East is a division of haves and have nots. The Eagles and Cowboys dine on caviar. Meanwhile, the giants and Commanders watch and wait for each other to fall asleep, so that they can attempt to cannibalize their cellmate. (Note: Given how last week (Week 2) worked out between these two, this is now my FAVORITE line of the whole damned article.)
LOST in the Wild Card round, 12 – 5, first in the NFC East, 29.9 pspg / 18.5 papg
Despite a 3 – 2 start, the Cowboys just plugged away, and generally beat whomever was on the schedule. They worked their way into first place in the division, only to get shit-canned in their own home, by a young Green Bay team in the playoffs.
Head coach Mike McCarthy has just put together three 12 – 5 seasons in a row, with a playoff record of 1 – 3, over that same span. He’s replaced his ex-defensive coordinator with Mike Zimmer, but everything else, has been just making small adjustments. Chances are, without a deep playoff run, McCarthy is likely getting fired. Not in spite of his three year 36 – 15 record, but rather because of it. Owner Jerry Jones, isn’t patient enough to endure much more of “close, but no cigar!”
OFFENSE:
QB: Dak Prescott is the starter, but he has no idea whether or not the Cowboys want him back next year. So why did I lead with that, instead of whether he’s any good or not? One, because anyone reading this, already knows he can play. Two, because potentially having to shop himself as a free agent next year, will affect how he regards injuries this year.
You have to ask, how much will Prescott hold back, in an attempt to limit damage to an already 30 year old body? Since any holding back will affect any athlete’s play, it stands to reason that we may not see the best version of Prescott in 2024. Especially with his primary weapon missing all of camp and the preseason.
The backup, is Preseason Hall of Famer Cooper Rush. He’s 5 – 1 lifetime, in games that count. His only career loss came vs a Philadelphia Eagles team, that went to the Super Bowl that year. He’s extremely smart and very hard to fool. Unfortunately, his physical tools are underwhelming. Because of this, the Cowboys are looking past him for their next starter.
Third stringer Trey Lance, has all the physical tools of a star. However, he’d been a goofy disaster since the 49ers overdrafted him #3 overall in 2021. He started four games, went 2 – 2, and the 9ers felt they’d seen enough. Just FOUR starts, for a first round pick, and they threw the towel in on him!?
So when Dallas traded the 9ers just a fourth round pick for him, during the 2023 offseason, everyone assumed Dallas had fleeced them. Wrong. WRONG! When Dallas realized the scope of the project he was, they basically red-shirted him all last season. So far this preseason, vs vanilla defenses, Lance appeared to have regressed.
So while this team does have two good players at this position, neither is motivated to do anything besides audition for other teams right now. (+)
RB: Ezekiel Elliott returns to Dallas! Not the old version that could eat clock with a lead, batter a defense, and put away games. Instead, Dallas is getting the new version, that hasn’t seen a 100 yard game, broken a run of longer than 27 yards, or had an average of 4.0 per carry, since 2021. They’re getting the version that hasn’t averaged 7 yards per catch, since 2019.
Elliott is the best they have for now. Rico Dowdle is an undrafted, career backup who plays like it. In thirty-six games, not one is a start, and instead of promoting him, they brought in Elliott. At 5’6” 176 pounds, and being easy to arm tackle, Deuce Vaughn will never see many carries.
The Cowboys signed Dalvin Cook to their practice Squad, and it’s wise to assume he won’t stay there long. The Vikings cut him over money in 2023, and the move didn’t work out for them. He spent the 2023 regular season as a backup with the Jets. ( He signed with the Ravens for one playoff game). Though he looked like a bad fit in New York, he still showed home run capability in 2022, with a career long 81 yard run. Unless Cook can lift this group, it’s a bad one. (-)
TE: Jake Ferguson is more of a receiver than a blocker, but he’s not going to scare anybody who has to cover him. Luke Schoonmaker is more of a blocker than a receiver. Undrafted rookie Brevyn Spann-Ford, is big (6’6” 268) target. That said, he’s not much of blocker, and his feet turn over at an alarmingly slow rate. This guy is going to get cooked at this level. (-)
WR: Did the Cowboys just pay 30M$ per year for a slot receiver? Given that in 2023, 60% of Ceedee Lamb‘s targets and 66% of his receptions came from the slot, the numbers would strongly suggest that’s exactly what the Cowboys did. Look, there is no disputing that Lamb can get open, make catches, and score. The question is: Can he do it consistently against an opponent’s best cover guy; or does he need to be matched up vs a Nickel player?
Once upon a time Brandin Cooks was electric and explosive. He’s not those things anymore, but he still caught 8 scores last year. Jalen Tolbert is going to be the second outside receiver, so that Lamb can stay inside. At 153 pounds Kavonte Turpin is just considered a gadget player. Jalen Brooks is a 7th rounder from last season. Couple players, but no depth. (+)
OT: The loss of Tyron Smith was inevitable and necessary. The problem, is not having replaced him with a high caliber player. At LT, Chuma Edoga is starting the season on Injured Reserve, for the first four weeks. It’s also the sort of injury (toe) that tends to linger. So rookie 1st rounder Tyler Guyton, will protect any realistic hopes that this franchise has of the postseason.
At RT Terence Steele returns for his fifth year as the starter in this spot. Not much has been said about him recently, and the general thinking is, if not much is said about an offensive lineman, he must be doing his job. Seems weird to me, though. The NFL is always talking about future Hall Of Famer, RTLane Johnson; and how fast LT Jordan Mailata has come along. (-)
G Zack Martin making it look easy
OG: Speaking of lineman who always get a mention, future Hall Of Famer RG Zack Martin, comes back for his eleventh year as a starter for this team. Opposite him, at LG Tyler Smith returns fresh from his first All-Pro nod. Am I painting you a picture?
Behind them for depth, they have T.J. Bass who saw two starts last season. There’s also swingman Asim Richards, a 5th round pick last year, and native of Philadelphia. (+)
C: Rookie 3rd rounder, Cooper Beebe made the transition from Guard, and seems to have snatched the starting spot here. He’s a wide, squat, fan of running the ball. However, he has some physical shortcomings that could make him a liability as a pass protector, over the long haul.
Behind him is Brock Hoffman, an undrafted free agent from 2022, who expected to inherit the role after two starts last season, and the defection of Tyler Biadasz. The drafting of Beebe, should have been a clue. If the offensive system were different, I would grade this position different. But since the system keeps these players in their wheelhouse, it’s fine. (+)
In A Nutshell: Injuries are part of football, and depth is a serious issue for this unit. They’ll have to stay very lucky to stay competitive this season.
DEFENSE:
DE: DeMarcus Lawrence played every game for a second straight season producing 50 tackles and 4 sacks. That however, doesn’t offset the loss of pass rush, with Dorance Armstrong going to Washington. It’s doubtful that Dallas will trust Chauncey Golston or Tyrus Wheat, with the spot. Partly because of 2nd round rookie Marshawn Kneeland.
Then there’s this other thing. While he’s not listed at this position, all the chatter (and this includes the depth chart on the Cowboys own website), says that Micah Parsons will play opposite Lawrence. I’ve said for the past two years, that this day was coming. Mostly since Parsons offers little value in off-ball applications. In any case, Dallas has a few pieces to move around. (+)
DT Osa Odighizuwa
DT: Osa Odighizuwa is a high motor player, who should be moved to End. Instead, they play him inside, and the season wears him down. Last season he had no solo tackles for the final four weeks of the season, a similar disappearing act has been pulled in each of his three years.
Mazi Smith was brought in to help stop the run, but he dropped under 300 pounds to try and get sacks. The new defensive coordinator told him to knock that off, and go get fat again.
Speaking of fat, Dallas traded for oft-traveled Jordan Phillips, and signed oft-traveled Linval Joseph. They played together in Buffalo last season. This position is stocked with underachievers and guys who live out of their suitcases. Not a good sign for Dallas. (-)
OLB: Damone Clark looked like a reliable tackle machine last year, until about week 14. At that point teams realized that it was easier to make yards attacking him downfield in the passing game, than it was by trying to screen him. Of the 224 passing yards he gave up in 2023, 86 were in the last four games, with 8 catches on 9 targets.
DeMarvion Overshown missed all of last season, his rookie season, with a torn ACL. Rookie 3rd rounder Marist Liufau, seems to be in competition with Overshown, over that second starting spot. This is a great way to let iron sharpen iron. If at least one of these kids can play, Dallas may have struck oil here. Until then, everything here is a huge, glowing question mark. (-)
MLB: Free agent addition Erick Kendricks, has racked up over 1,000 tackles in his nine year career. He also has some playmaking ability.
Buddy Johnson screams red flags. He was a Steelers 4th round draft pick, who signed a four year contract in 2021. The following preseason the Steelers cut him, and didn’t even add him to their practice squad. Since then, he’s been on four different practice squads, played 86 Special Teams snaps, and recorded 8 tackles. Kendricks had better stay healthy. (-)
S: Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker return for a third year of working together. That should make adapting to their new defensive system easier. Markquese Bell entering his third year here, offers experienced depth and again, interpersonal familiarity. Juanyeh Thomas and Israel Mukuamu offer depth.
All of these guys knowing each other so well, should make assimilating the new system a snap. These players have already played together and played well. If there are problems in the secondary, you know the issue is the coaching, not the players, or misunderstandings. This is still the deepest group in the division. (+)
CB Trevon Diggs seems upset about something here
CB: Trevon Diggs returns after missing fifteen games in 2023, with an ACL tear. He’s a feast or famine type gambler, who probably gave up half as many big plays, as he made. The question is: What percentage of the gambler’s luck, was left on the operating table. With the departure of Stephon Gilmore, second year man, Caelen Carson is starting opposite Diggs. .
From the Nickel, DaRon Bland led the NFL with 9 picks and returned 5 of them for TD’s, last year. Unfortunately, he has a stress fracture in his foot that will require surgery, and keep him out at least six games. Stepping in for him, is Jourdan Lewis. He has a ton of experience, and even some fair measure of success. C.J. Goodwin and Andrew Booth play Special Teams. (+)
In A Nutshell: Up front they can still be pushed around. Their two best ballhawks having suffering lower body injuries, raises serious questions about this secondary.
SPECIAL TEAMS:
LS: Since college Trent Seig has never played any other position. He’s essentially eating a roster spot. (-)
P: Bryan Angerer went nuts last year, posting a 51.4 yard per punt average, as well as a 45.3 yard average net. Both of which were career-highs for him. At age 35. Seriously, do I need to be the one to drop the “S” word? Or to bring up the term “random test”? (+)
K: After a decade of searching, and performing an interesting comedy of errors for their division rivals, the Cowboys, finally seem to have found their guy. Brandon Aubrey is young, has a big leg, and currently owns an accuracy mark of 94.7% on his field goals. (+)
In A Nutshell: The biggest thing that this unit has needed for a long time, was stability. They have that now.
BOTTOM LINE:
After this season, this team is headed for a rebuild. With that hanging over their heads, it’s unreasonable to expect the players to not get distracted. Add to that, the alarming lack of depth in positions like QB, MLB, and OT, and do you know what you get? Deformed fingers from keeping them crossed all year long. There’s a lot of talent on this team, but the players have ridden that ride before. That may not be enough to keep the roster interested this year.
As for 2024: I’ll go out on a limb and say 10 – 7, a Wild Card loss, and McCarthy being fired less than two weeks later.
New York headed into the 2023 season, looking to build off of their 2022 playoff appearance. Instead, they got out to a 1 – 5 start, which included an opening day 0 – 40 thrashing, in their own home, by division rival Dallas. Then their starting QB got hurt for the first of two times in the same season. It was an avalanche ride into a seemingly bottomless chasm, only stopped when they crashed into the immovable end of their schedule.
While most teams set their sights on trying to win the division, or make a deeper playoff run; the 2024 giants have to ask if they are going to need a new QB next year. Or maybe a new head coach. They’re in a state of trying to repair their ship, and seem less focused on if it’s ready to sail into war with the division.
OFFENSE:
QB: Starter Daniel Jones is coming off of an ACL injury, which cost him the last eight games of 2023, after he’d already missed three. That said, with a 1 – 5 record, and 2 TD’s vs 6 picks, he was already having an abysmal season prior to injury. His 22 – 36 – 1 record over five seasons, should have benched him, but his ridiculous 40M$ per year price tag, forces NY to keep starting him.
Tommy DeVito had six straight starts last year, with a three game win streak in the middle of those. The offense seemed to find something with him, and averaged 18.8 points in games he started, vs 13.9 points in games that he didn’t. (Remember, Jones makes 40M$ per year.) Free agent Drew Lock was brought in, but he’s never been anything special as a pro. (-)
RB: Saquo- Sorry. Force of habit. Devin Singletary heads up the giants backfield and that comes with a ton of concerns. Historically, the giants lean heavy on this position. As a result they tend towards bigger, workhorse body types. Singletary is 5’7” 203 pounds. Not exactly built to carry an offense, which is why Singletary never has. You expect your lead back to have at least 100 carries over his backup. Singletary has never done that.
There are two other players at this position. The first is Eric Gray. He’s a 5th round pick from 2023 who’s production makes it wonder that he made the 2024 roster. Then there’s Tyrone Tracy, a 5th round pick from this year. That’s it. That’s everything on the active roster. On their practice squad they have Dante “Lil Turbo” Miller, but he last played competitive football in 2022. (-)
TE: This team expected to have Darren Wallerreturn, but he kicked his football habit and retired. What they do have, is Daniel Bellinger, and Chris Manhertz. Neither is much of a receiver. Manhertz has bounced around the NFL for nine years, and has all of 271 receiving yards, in his career, and has never caught more than 6 passes in a season. In 2021 he was targeted a career-high, 9 times. Not in a game. For the season. Nine times, in a season.
Theo Johnson is a rookie selected in the 4th round this year. Over three years in college, he posted 43 – 597 – 13.8 – 5. The giants have to be hoping that they found a diamond in a box of Cracker Jack. If not, it would mean the post-Draft retirement of Waller, has ripped a huge hole in the side of this franchise. (-)
WR: Malik Nabers was the sixth overall pick in this year’s Draft, and he’s expected to be the spark that brings this offense back to life. I have my doubts. He used to live off of the ‘Shake’ route; but it’s highly doubtful that NFL secondaries are going to be as easy to solve as that. He played slot in college. Wonder where he’ll play in the NFL.
Deep threat Darius Slayton is coming off of a career year in yardage. Strange how he seemed come alive last year, after his starting QB was injured. Wan’Dale Robinson’s yards per catch went from 9.9 in 2022, to 8.8 in 2023, with only 1 TD in each year. He needs a career year.
Last year,the up and downs in Jaylin Hyatt’s rookie season, suggested that the coaches didn’t know what their plan was for him. They need to figure that out in 2024. Gunner Olszewski is mostly a return man, who’s done most of his damage on punt returns. Aside from Slayton, no one at this position has been a threat to NFL defenses yet. (-)
OT: LT Andrew Thomas missed seven games last year with a hamstring issue. He finished strong, by starting the last nine games, while playing every offensive snap in eight of those. He also didn’t draw a single penalty during that span.
RT this year will be manned by former Raider, Jermaine Eluemunor. What he is, is a well traveled pro, who understands that his job is to win at the point of attack. What he is not, is flashy, nimble, or dominant. He’s instant mashed potatoes and Heinz Homestyle gravy. You won’t starve, but you won’t rave about the meal either.
Evan Neal started seven games last year, committing 4 accepted penalties for 24 yards. Whenever his name comes up, it’s never associated with anything good, but the giants keep him on the roster. Joshua Ezeudu is a swingman here. (+)
OG: This is where New York seemed to be focused in the offseason. They added three free agents at this position, despite the fact that only two will start. The biggest get, was Jon Runyan Jr., formerly of Green Bay. Coming in as 6th round pick, Runyan played his way into being a starter for the last three years, and now into a three year, 30M$ deal with the giants. (Not bad kid. Not bad.)
Also added, were Aaron Stinnie from Tampa, and Greg Van Roten from Las Vegas. Van Roten would allow the giants to team him with Eleumunor, and reconstitute the right side that helped the Raiders only allow 40 sacks last year, vs the 85 that the giants allowed. Stinnie is a six year veteran, but he has less than a season’s worth of starts in his career. (+)
C: John Michael Schmitz started thirteen games, after being selected in the 2nd round of the 2023 Draft. Got hurt a couple of times last year, and missed four games, but that’s football. He moves well getting out on second level defenders. What is concerning, is that he’s sort of controllable for linemen at the point of attack. He has no backup on the active roster. (-)
In A Nutshell: A shitty QB; skill players who are mid-tier or lower; and an offensive line that would be better if the system were built around a powerback. Which they don’t have on their roster.
DEFENSE:
DE: Officially the giants roster doesn’t list any players at this position. Everyone is designated as a Defensive Lineman. Their depth chart on the other hand, lists two players, Brian Burns and Boogie Basham. They are however, listed as OLB’s on the giants roster, so they will be covered in that section, here. (NA)
DT: Officially the giants roster doesn’t list any players at this position. Everyone is designated as a Defensive Lineman. Alright, fine. So let’s list their defensive linemen.
DT Dexter Lawerence from a little while back
Dexter Lawrence is a menace on the inside. He’s a massive dude, who requires the attention of more than one gentleman caller at a time. Rakeem Nunez-Roches joined the giants last season, but seems to be in line for an expanded role in 2024. With a name pronounced ‘roaches’, this dude has to be tough. As depth, D.J. Davidson and Elijah Chatman have been issued helmets with the team logo on them. Lawrence had better stay healthy. (-)
OLB: At the top of the food chain, is Kayvon Thibodeaux. He racked up 11.5 sacks last year, but only 3 of them came in the second half of the season. It has yet to be determined if he’s a difference maker, or an overdrafted situational player who gets too many snaps.
Brian Burns spent the previous five seasons racking up 46 sacks, on a Carolina team that never reached .500. So he took a five year 141M$ deal, to get sacks in the Big Apple. Boogie Basham’s career went in the other direction. With no starts and 4.5 career sacks, he’s expected to backup Burns. Backups Azeez Ojulari, Tomon Fox, and Benton Whitley combine to form Reflector. (That’s a G1 Transformers nod.) They’re basically bodies for depth at all the LB spots. (+)
ILB: Bobby Okereke played every defensive snap last season, racking up 149 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 picks, and 4 FF. He was a beast. Micah McFadden is less of a playmaker, and more of scrape and sift through traffic, type of player. He fits his role. Carter Coughlin is depth. (+)
S: Jason Pinnock was awarded the starting role in 2023, and put up 85 tackles, 6TFL, 2 sacks, 2 picks, and 2FF. Safe to say he earned his 2024 starting role. Dane Belton however, is huge question mark. He has 7 career starts, with 7 career takeaways, but just 686 career snaps played. So there’s still a learning curve, with 2nd round rookie, Tyler Nubin, breathing down the back of Belton’s neck.
Isaiah Simmons endured the worst year of his career while switching position from ILB to S, last year. Whether or not the move will pay off in 2024, is still a question. Gerrvarius Owens and Raheem Layne, make up the remainder of this position. (+)
CB Deonte Banks arriving way too early
CB: Deonte Banks started fifteen games as a rookie, last year. So it should come as no surprise that he’s getting the nod again in 2024. Cordale Flott is going from part-time starter, to full-time guy on the outside. It seems that 3rd round rookie Andru Phillips will get the Nickel job.
Behind that group of very young guys, are a couple more young guys in Nick McCloud and Tre Hawkins. This much youth could grow together into a rock solid corp. They could also come apart, when their lack of experience makes it hard to solve problems in real time, at game speed. Especially since they were not well coached last year. (-)
In A Nutshell: If the LB’s aren’t amazing this year, this defense is doomed.
SPECIAL TEAMS:
LS: Casey Kreiter has been here four years without becoming “famous” for anything. (+)
P: Jamie Gillan while his average punt dropped from 46.8 in 2022, to 46.0 in 2023, his net rose from 39.7 in 2022, to 42.2 in 2023. Subtle improvements here, can mean more often winning the hidden yardage battle, which helps lead to wins. (+)
K: Graham Gano is coming off his worst season as a pro, with a 64.7% accuracy mark on his field goals. If he doesn’t get his act together, he probably won’t finish the season as a giant. (-)
In A Nutshell: If they can fix the field goal issue, this should be a solid, but not flashy unit. (+)
BOTTOM LINE:
Maaaaaan, Daniel Jones be trippin’!
Unless Daniel Jones suddenly proves a LOT of people wrong, the offense is going to suck. I’d guess their ceiling to be around 19 points per game this year. If that’s the case, their defense will need to be stellar, which is unlikely, because 3 – 4 bases tend to wear down over the year.
As for 2024: Let’s call it 7 – 9. This is by no means a winning team, but they play a few teams with issues of their own. In a battle between dysfunctional losers (like Week One vs the Vikings), I’ll take the NFC East team, every time.
Washington went into the 2023 season having found a Quarterback to build their foundation on. They brought in Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy, from Kansas City, to revitalize their offense. After a 4 – 5 start, the team imploded, and never won a game for the remaining 8 weeks.
Head coach Ron Rivera and his staff were fired, and replaced by Dan Quinn and his. The Commanders then drafted a new QB to build their foundation on. There’s even talk of a(nother) possible name change.
OFFENSE:
QB: Jayden Daniels was drafted number two overall this year. So far he’s gotten all the important reps in OTA’s and such. Last year’s 17 game starter, Sam Howell, isn’t even on the roster. The back-ups are Marcus Mariota and Jeff Driskel. Both are just warm bodies and neither will even be offered a chance to unseat Daniels. So rest assured that this is his team.
This is a rookie’s team. A rookie born in warm California, who’s college career was in warm Louisiana. A rookie who will now be playing in the coastal northeast. He may one day be good enough to win the East, but it won’t be this season. (-)
RB: The starter is Brian Robinson. More of a north-south runner, in two seasons he’s never reached 800 yards rushing, or had a run of 30 yards. Austin Ekler (Chargers) adds more effectiveness as a pass catcher, and an air of explosiveness. It’s not a bad one-two punch. Jeremy Nichols (49ers) is probably just on the roster to push Ekler. The position isn’t flashy, but when you turn the key, it’ll run. (+)
TE: The Commanders didn’t draft Ben Sinnott #53 overall, to sit him. He is however, a rookie with a rookie running the offense. So his learning curve will have dips in it. Luckily, they have Zach Ertz. While he’s physically running on fumes at this point in his career, he’s enough of a pro to help a pup along. John Bates is on the roster, but he’s limited athletically. Aside from maybe the rookie, this position won’t scare anyone. (-)
WR Terry McLaurin
WR: Terry McLaurin is the anchor of this position. However, with just one 100 yard game last year, just 4 scores in 17 starts, and a third straight season with under 80 catches, he’s no longer “Scary Terry”. After that, there’s a serious fall-off. Olamide Zaccheaus was brought in, but he’s better with the ball already in his hands, than he is at actually catching it.
Dynami Brown, and Jamison Crowder are still on the roster, despite Crowder not being a serious option since the Pandemic. Third round rookie Luke McCaffrey (yes, his brother), is getting reps in the slot. It’s so bad that they recently brought back Byron Pringle, whom they’d previously let walk. (-)
OT: Presumptive LT Cornelius Lucas is in his tenth year on his fifth team, and he had 4 starts for this team last season. He’s also the most experienced player Washington has at the position. Andrew Wylie is likely the Swingman again. Behind that, it’s bad.
They’re currently trying to get Brandon Coleman, a 3rd round rookie out of TCU to push Wylie at RT. Trenton Scott is in his seventh season with all of 22 career starts, 9 of which were in his second year. Braden Daniels was picked in the 4th round, but looks to be a bit of a project. (-)
OG: Sam Cosmi is likely still the RG, but he’s a better pass protector than run blocker. At LG, last year Chris Paul was so good, that Washington ran out and signed free agents Nick Allegretti and Micheal Dieter. So that spot is a three man race for now. (-)
C: One of Washington’s biggest addition this offseason was Tyler Biadasz. He isn’t awesome, but he’s also no slouch. Rookie Ricky Stromberg is on Injured Reserve, and is done for the year. Interestingly enough, they took Stromberg in the 3rd round. Which is high for a player at this position. (+)
In A Nutshell: Rookie passer, lackluster receivers, and no protection. (-)
DEFENSE:
DE: The Commanders again raided the Cowboys cupboard, taking Dorance Armstrong (7.5 sacks), to bolster their pass rush. He played in every game, but only had the one start. Armstrong (in Dallas), was stuck behind two All-Pros, but here he could emerge as a star. Opposite Armstrong (so far), is Clelin Ferrell. Ferrell is a first round bust, who despite starting all 17 games on a stacked 49ers defense, managed just 3.5 sacks as Nick Bosa’s bookend. Depth comes in the form of seventh round rookie Javonte Jean-Baptiste. (-)
DT: Likely the best duo in the division, are Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne. Stats hardly tell their story, but they did just net 9.5 sacks between them. To call them headaches or disruptive, is to earn a PhD in Understatement. They’re an outright problem for offenses, as they each require a double team. In short, they wreck blocking schemes, which slows down offenses.
John Ridgeway, and Phidarian Mathis serve as back-ups. The depth here ain’t great, but the top of the order is about as good as it gets on the planet. (+)
OLB: The Commanders yet again ransacked the Cowboys roster, taking Dante Fowler (4 sacks in 2023). Fowler’s been a situational player since early 2021. He’s listed as a starter today, but he’ll probably split time with Jamin Davis. Davis was moved outside in 2023, in an attempt to get more pass rush from him.
LB’s Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu
Free agent addition, Frankie Luvu brings passion and energy, but physically, he’s nothing special. Which is likely why he spent his first four years as a Special Teamer. What Washington is banking on, is for his intangibles to help change their culture. Mykal Walker adds a body, but not much else. Everything here is a gamble. (-)
ILB: Tackle machine Bobby Wagner will now get to roam freely behind a loaded d-line. Despite being 34, if he puts up 200 tackles or 100 solo this year, it wouldn’t be a shock. If anything happens to Wagner, then Jamin Davis will likely slide back into this spot. (+)
S: Jeremy Chinn is a S/LB tweener who has been less productive every year. Instead of being a powerful Safety or a fast Linebacker, he’s become a slow Safety or a weak Linebacker. He is very much a reclamation project. Percy Butler made 13 starts last season for this team, but was largely ineffective.
Quan Martin was splashy in limited action last year, so he’ll likely get an early look. Darrick Forrest and Jeremy Reaves have yet to show any special qualities, but they’ve been here for some years, and will likely be the first layer of depth, ahead of the aforementioned Butler. (-)
CB: This position has added a first round pick (Emmanuel Forbes), and a second rounder (Mike Sainristil), since last year. Sainristil is projected as a starter for this season, while it seems that Forbes will sit. Ballhawk Benjamin St. Juste (1 pick in three years) returns, and free agent Michael Davis defects from the Rams on a one year deal.
No one in this secondary set the world on fire last year, but it was initially chalked up to the growing pains of a young unit. Instead of giving them room to show what they learned, this position was reshuffled, with stop-gap players atop the depth chart. With this being a deliberate move, it’s hard to give it nod of approval. (-)
In A Nutshell: The middle of this defense should be impenetrable. Everything on the perimeter however, is there for the taking. (-)
SPECIAL TEAMS:
LS: Tyler Ott has played some (blocking) TE in college, as an added value to the unit. (+)
P Tress Way
P: Tress Way returns for his 11th year in D.C. He brings with him his career 46 yard per punt and 41 yard net average. Numbers he maintained almost exactly in 2023. (+)
K: Cade York is the new king of this hill. Drafted by Cleveland in 2022, the Browns traded for a second Kicker in the offseason, and cut York in 2023 preseason. He then bounced around a couple of practice squads, but no active rosters. Now he has this job. (-)
In A Nutshell: They didn’t fix what wasn’t broken. Then they didn’t fix was broken. (+)
BOTTOM LINE:
This has the feel of a team that’s already tanking the 2024 season. They have four picks in the top three rounds of the 2025 Draft, with no scary contracts to weigh yet. So it seems like Operation Stockpile, is already in motion. So yeah, even before it starts, Washington looks to have written off the season. But keep your eye on what they do in March.
As for 2024: Let’s call it 6 – 11, and the head coach suddenly realizing that too much losing, kills a winning culture in it’s cradle.
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