Dallas Cowboys
To win division: 1.83
Regular season total: 9.5 wins
After 8 seasons, Jason Garrett era is officially over in Dallas. He is being replaced by a coach that Cowboys met many times in their NFC bots - Mike McCarthy. Superbowl winning coach with the Green Bay Packers will try to instill some of that winning mentality to the team that definitely has enough talent and is ready to take a step forward. Slowing them down at the moment are the negotiations with their franchise QB - Dak Prescott. Cowboys would like to sign him long-term, but don't want to overpay him. But in the end, they will have to be the one to budge I believe. They already cleared some of the cap space for this signing by letting some of their best players go. Byron Jones, Robert Quinn, and Randal Cobb all got signed elsewhere, while Travis Frederick decided to retire. They were obviously saving money for Cooper and Prescott's contract extensions and Dak's agents know it.
That is why they were pretty quiet in the free agency. They added a couple of serviceable players, but nothing flashy. Gerald McCoy and HaHa Clinton-Dix probably being the biggest names out of the bunch. And of course, Andy Dalton. Surprisingly, he decided to sign with Dallas, despite some starting jobs being available around the league. He offers them a very solid backup option if something goes wrong. It will be interesting to see what type of defensive scheme will Mike Nolan be running. Rod Marinelli and Kris Richard were doing a pretty good job previously, where the defense played with a lot of energy, good communication, and together as a unit. Hopefully, Nolan keeps it similar because I'm not sure there is enough talent on the back end for putting guys on an island, etc. Especially with Byron Jones gone now.
Philadelphia Eagles
To win division: 2.35
Regular season total: 9.5 wins
2019 was an interesting year for Philadelphia. After winning a Superbowl in 17' and getting to the divisional round in 18', they almost missed out on playoffs in 2019. They were 5-7, entering the last stretch of the regular season and then found some of that Nick Foles magic (this time without the man himself), winning out and placing first in the division. Still, their play throughout the season was inconsistent and unconvincing. That RPO stuff that won them a Superbowl in 2017 is not as efficient as it was back then, and the results of Philadelphia Eagles are proving that.
After years of watching Jim Schwartz putting his corners on an island and getting burned, GM Howie Roseman finally did something about it. No, he didn't fire Schwartz, but he did get him a corner that can handle those types of assignments. And not just some corner. Darius Slay was a 3-time Pro-Bowler for Detroit Lions and shadowed some of the best receivers in the league for the majority of his 6-year career. They did lost Malcolm Jenkins in that secondary. But I believe that a true No.1 corner that can cover 1 on 1 is more valuable in this type of scheme then a safety. Offensively, they kept a lot of pieces in place. They even brought back 38-year old Jason Peters. But, he is not a starting left tackle anymore. Andre Dillard took over there, while Jason Peters returned to help out at the guard, after a season-ending injury for Brandon Brooks. There was one interesting trend we could notice though. Eagles traded for Marquise Goodwin and drafted Jaelen Reagor in the first round of the draft. Two sub 4.30 guys + DeSean Jackson already on the roster. It is obvious that they wanted to add as much speed as possible on the field and be very explosive. This offense should be fun to watch this year.
New York Giants
To win division: 11.00
Regular season total: 6.5 wins
After another disappointing season, Giants decided to fire Pat Shurmur. New head coach is Joe Judge, former special teams coordinator of the New England Patriots. When a new regime is taking over the franchise, we often see a complete rebuild, especially after some disappointing results in the previous seasons. They want to start fresh with "their" players. But judging by the moves they made so far, I believe they are satisfied with some of the talent they have on this roster and will try to build around it in the next few years. They went out and spent big on two important defensive positions, CB and MLB. James Bradberry was one of the best corners available on the market. he has the technique and physical gifts to play press-man and that is something that coaches value. And they really need him, especially after DeAndre Baker's arrest in the offseason.
Offensively, they immediately drafted one of the best tackles available (Andrew Thomas), to create bookend protection for Daniel Jones. Now he should have more time inside the pocket, with players like Solder, Zeitler, Hernandez and Thomas blocking for him. And not only Daniel Jones, Saquan Barkley will also appreciate an improved OL play, after 0.4 yards per carry decrease last year, comparing to his rookie season.
Washington TBD
To win division: 17.00
Regular season total: 5 wins
Washington Football team. Yeah, you read it correctly. Washington Football team. After being forced to change their old name and logo that was considered racist, Washington's officials decided to go with the lamest team name in the history of sports. Fortunately, it's only for 2020, after which they will decide what the new name of the franchise will be. Once again, they proved to be one of the most dysfunctional organizations in the NFL. I'd probably understand if this demand would catch them off-guard. But this was an issue for years now and there was only a matter of time when they'll be forced to change the name. They should have plan B in place for a long time now, but they didn't.
Speaking of football now, I really can't hate the decision to appoint Ron Rivera as the head coach. They could go with a new trend and hire a young offensive mind to groom their 2nd year QB. But that is not what they need at the moment. What they need is an old school coach.A "general" with a lot of experience that will come in and change the culture. Someone that can put some order and discipline in place. And that is exactly what Ron Rivera will do. There's some talent to work with on this roster. I'm sure he'll like what he has at the defensive line. All of his best Panthers teams had a bunch of good defensive lineman that can rotate and wreck havoc up front, setting the tone for the entire defense. They've added a 2nd overall pick Chase Young to an already talented group upfront, making me believe that this unit is going to be very disruptive this year.
