The dog days of summer can’t last forever and thank goodness for that because football is around the corner, and we are gearing up for the 2023 NFL season with our divisional previews. We will be going division by division, breaking down the biggest headlines, the new additions, and our predictions. Here’s our 2023 NFC East Preview.
Last Year
From one of the historically bad divisions just a few years ago, the NFC East completely turned it around a season ago with every single team finishing .500 or better. The division produced the NFC champions in the Philadelphia Eagles who blew a lead in the Super Bowl to lose. The Eagles look like the new dynasty in the NFC with Jalen Hurts signing a massive contract extension and their offense being set for years to come. Behind them, we saw the Cowboys pile up 12 wins with and without Dak Prescott and we learned that they may not need Ezekiel Elliott to be successful. The New York Giants took the largest leap out of any team, winning 9 games and booking their spot in the postseason. It earned Daniel Jones a contract extension and has put a new breath of life into their fan base. At the bottom were the Washington Commanders who went 8-8-1 and did it with a ragtag lineup at the QB position. Sam Howell emerged as the starter at the end and will carry it with him to 2023.
Favorite to Win in 2023
There will be no favorite clearer in the East than the Philadelphia Eagles who have reloaded and hit home runs in the draft with their Georgia roots as they look to make it back to the big stage and finish what they started a year ago. The offense will likely suffer as game footage and trends are now a year old and teams will be studying, but there seemed to be no answer for the Eagles as they racked up points like no other team could. The Cowboys will be behind them and battling closely with the Giants for the second-best odds, but Dallas still has a better defense. Some odd coaching changes and personnel moves seem to signal a make-or-break season for Mike McCarthy as the head coach in Dallas. Washington will still be at the bottom and with new ownership coming in and Howell still pegged as the starter, we must wonder if they’d like a losing season to tank for the number one pick Caleb Williams.
Offensive Player to Watch: Saquon Barkley
The big story is Barkley who has yet to sign his franchise tag sheet with the Giants and could be a holdout heading into training camp. The running back position has become an impossible one to get paid and Barkley could fall victim to that.
Defensive Player to Watch: Jalen Carter
Carter was supposed to be the first overall pick this season before off the field issues tanked his draft stock and he fell to Philly at 10. He has all the skill in the world to become a dominant NFL defenseman, but I am curious to see if he can keep his head on straight.
Prediction
The Eagles could run this division for years to come and that won’t be changing this year with most of their core making a comeback. Philly is in a great spot to improve. Record (12-5)