Each NFC East teams' Biggest Challenge ahead ...
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Dallas Cowboys: Replacing Dez Bryant and Jason Witten
It’s easy to say that Ezekiel Elliott is the main cog that runs Dallas’ offense now. But if that remains the case going forward, the Cowboys won’t emerge as an elite NFL team. For that to happen, Dak Prescott has to emerge as the leader, both in the huddle and with his play on the field.
Prescott faces a huge challenge this summer in that he doesn’t have a go-to receiver on the roster right now. There’s no No. 1 guy. Allen Hurns could potentially be that guy, but there’s nobody in Dallas who we can say with confidence can replace Dez Bryant in his prime, or Witten, for that matter. We have an idea about who could emerge in that role, but at this point, it’s all up in the air.
New York Giants: Building a brick wall on offense
On paper, the Giants made two moves this offseason to significantly upgrade their offensive line. Adding Nate Solder to play left tackle and then drafting Will Hernandez to man the left guard spot should lead to positive developments. And if right tackle Ereck Flowers finally lives up to his draft slot and plays like a first-round pick, the offense will be even more formidable.
If these guys can learn to play well together, then Eli Manning could rebound in a big way from a miserable 2017 season, and the run game can thrive with rookie Saquon Barkley leading the charge.
Philadelphia Eagles: Avoiding Super Bowl hangover
Not for the first time in history, the defending Super Bowl champs enter their next season with what appears to be the best overall roster in the NFL. The only positional group that appears to be potentially worse is linebacker. But overall, this team might have actually gotten better since beating New England last February.
With that in mind, the biggest challenge is simply going to be keeping that edge. The Super Bowl hangover is a real thing, and if the Eagles can avoid it they have a great shot at repeating.
Washington Redskins: Fixing squishy run defense
No team in the NFL was worse than Washington at shutting down the run game last year. The Redskins allowed 134.1 yards per game, and opposing offenses really were able to grind games out by just running it down Washington’s throat.
Getting Jonathan Allen back from injury should help. Washington also added his former Crimson Tide teammate, Da’Ron Payne, in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft and re-signed star inside linebacker Zach Brown, who was injured last year. If the defense can shut down the run, then everything else becomes easier.
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- Eric L - |
