Cowboys, Eagles, Giants & Commanders: NFC East preview for the 2023 NFL season

With the clock ticking down ahead of the new 2023 NFL season, it’s time to take a look at one of the most competitive divisions on the planet. The Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and Washington Commanders will all be looking to dethrone the Philadelphia Eagles, but will they be able to pull it off? We take a look...

Eagles, on the hunt for another NFC Championship

The Eagles had one of the best defences last year and incredibly they managed to improve on it for 2023 after a trip to the Super Bowl. Through the draft, led by GM Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirriana, they managed to sign Defensive Tackle Jalen Carter, as well as Linebacker Nolan Smith, in the first round; in the fourth, they took a rough diamond in the shape of Cornerback, Kelee Ringo. The rookies are set to replace Javon Hargrave, T.J. Edwards and James Bradberry.

As for the offence, the responsibility of taking the team to the playoffs will be on the shoulders of Quarterback, Jalen Hurts. He will be the man in charge of playing to Wide Receiver A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, the Tight End Dallas Goedert and the Running Backs, D’Andre Swift, Kenneth Gainwell and Rashad Penny. Added to that, this will be the first season with Brian Johnson (not the main singer of AC/DC), as offensive coordinator in NFL after spending the last few years as QB coach where he built up a a strong relationship with Hurts.

The calendar does not look kind for the Eagles. The team will have more games away from home and the campaign kicks off in the Gillette Stadium against the Patriots. The most difficult trips away will be to New York Jets (9/15), Kansas City Chiefs (11/20), Dallas Cowboys (12/10) and New York Giants (1/7/24).

Cowboys and the eternal dream of the Super Bowl

Quarterback Dak Prescott and Linebacker Micah Parsons are the offensive and defensive emblems of the Cowboys, who both, for a variety of reasons, think that ‘America’s Team’ are ready to compete for the Super Bowl in the 2023 season.

Dallas managed to mitigate the loss of Tight End Dalton Schultz by bringing in Luke Schoonmaker in the second round. With his Prescott will have an enormous target, at 6,6 and 250 pounds, he will aid with short yardage plays as well as in the End Zone. Last year, the Cowboys got within the red zone on 56 occasions and 40 of them ended up with a touchdown, making them the top performers in this statistic.

One important change to the offensive line of the Texan team is the position of Tyler Smith. The second year player served as a tackle in his rookie year and now he will replace Connor McGovern as Right Guard. Along with Tyron Smith, Tyler Biadasz, Zack Martin and Terence Steele, they will be tasked with working alongside Tony Pollard and protect Dak Prescott.

As for the defence, the most important addition is that of the first round, Mazi Smith. He will act as NT in the 4-3 formation set out by the Cowboys. Micah Parsons will continue to put pressure on the rival QBs while Trevon Diggs and Stephon Gilmore patrol the deep zone of the rival’s aerial attack. Also, Mexican Isaac Alarcón will try his luck as a line defender after spending three years on the other side of the trench.

New York is blue!

Brian Daboll wants his second year as head coach of the New York Giants to be better than the first. The ground attack was the standard bearer for the ‘G-Men’ in the last campaign and Saquon Barkley must have another spectacular year if he is to guarantee a long-term contract after the dispute that he had with the administration following his signing with an adjusted franchise tag.

The General Manager is sure that Daniel Jones is the franchise QB that they were looking for after losing Eli Manning and that is why they gave him a four-year contract worth $160 million. Now, the Duke graduate must make every cent worth it right from the first play of 2023.

In a division that has Quarter Backs Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott, the Giants have decided to take the risk with rookies Tre Hawkins III and Deonte Banks as starting corner backs. This is understandable when the pass-rush is composed of Kayvon Thibodeaux, Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence II.

The new regime in Washington starts with Howell

There is a new regime in Washington after the sale of the Commanders to Dan Snyder and Josh Harris and everything feels different, despite the essence of the side remaining the same following their 8-8-1 record last year.

After a year of experimentation with Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke, head coach Ron Rivera is ready to hand over the responsibility of the offence to second year QB, Sam Howell. The young player will have all the tools necessary available and the main one will be Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator. He was key to last five years of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. In the case that things go poorly, the safety net below is Jacoby Brissett.

One of the motives that brighten up the way things look for the Commanders is the new offensive line. Tackle Andrew Wylie and Guard Nick Gates were taken as free agents. Also, in the last Draft, they added to their ranks two rookies: Ricky Stromberg and Braeden Daniels.

The Commanders had the fourth best pass defence last year and they added Cornerback Emmanuel Forbes during the Draft. Chase Young is another player who could make moves for a new contract and he will want to shine in the upcoming campaign that promises to be a classic.