The interior line options were quite simple too. Martin is either the best or second-best guard in football along with Quenton Nelson, so his spot was guaranteed. Brandon Brooks had the other guard area till he tore his Achilles, at which point Scherff became the obvious option to change him. Kelce utilized to need to take on Frederick for the pivot spot on these kinds of teams, but with Frederick retiring, theres no other center in the division thats in Kelces class..
Defensive Front.
EDGE: Demarcus Lawrence (DAL), Brandon Graham (PHI).
IDL: Fletcher Cox (PHI), Dexter Lawrence (NYG).
LB: Leighton Vander Esch (DAL), Ryan Kerrigan (WAS), Thomas Davis (WAS).
Lawrences sack overall dipped last year, but he was still a high-impact gamer on a defense desperately needing one. Graham, meanwhile, continues to be one of the more underrated edge guys in the league.
Cox has an excellent argument for being the very best non-Aaron Donald interior protective lineman in the video game. Hes an outright force permeating from the interior, and he regularly makes plays in the backfield. Lawrence is coming off a reliable rookie season where he mainly stood out as a run-stuffer however revealed more pass-rush juice than expected considering his pre-draft profile..
He remains Wentzs top target, and hes a damn excellent one. Smith has been one of the little handful of finest left takes on in football for almost a years, and the very same has been real of Johnson on the best side. Lawrences sack total dipped last year, however he was still a high-impact gamer on a defense frantically requiring one. I would state Bradberry is underrated, however he simply got paid with one of the biggest cornerback contracts in the league, so that may not be the case any longer. Hes been working as a shadow corner in the NFC South for the past couple years, one of the toughest tasks in the NFL.
Over the next two weeks, we will reveal our preseason All-Division teams. They were compiled mostly by a panel of one, though there was considerable input from the writing and editorial personnel at CBSSports.com after I took an initial perform at the rosters on my own..
Well start today with the NFC East, then move through the rest of the conference throughout the week. Next week, its on to the AFC..
Offending Skill Positions.
QB: Dak Prescott (DAL).
RB: Ezekiel Elliott (DAL), Saquon Barkley (NYG).
WR: Amari Cooper (DAL), Michael Gallup (DAL), Terry McLaurin (WAS).
TE: Zach Ertz (PHI), Evan Engram (NYG).
Could you make an argument that Carson Wentz is the much better total gamer than Prescott? Can you make a major argument that Wentz will be put in much better position to succeed in 2020, or that he is as most likely or more likely than Prescott to play all 16 games? Wentz might have the better offending line (though if Joe Looney or Connor McGovern solidifies the center area in Dallas, it becomes pretty close to even) however Prescott has substantially better weapons, particularly at wide receiver.
Elliott and Barkley are 2 of the most total backs in the league. They can each handle 300-plus touches fairly quickly, though they do so in far different styles. Elliott rarely ever produces unfavorable plays, which is probably his greatest strength. Barkley is more hit-and-miss on a carry-to-carry basis, but has one of the highest explosive-play rates in the league. Barkley is also a top-flight receiver out of the backfield, and Elliott is capable because location as well..
Vander Esch says hes over the neck problems that afflicted him last season, and if thats real, theres no factor to anticipate that he wont be an outright monster when again. Hes a fantastic coverage guy and with Dallas now employing Dontari Poe to eat up blockers along the protective line, LVE should have more freedom to flow to the ball. Well cop to cheating a bit by having Kerrigan at linebacker. Sue me. Hes great. It boiled down to Thomas Davis, Blake Martinez, David Mayo, and Jaylon Smith for the last linebacker area, and Davis coverage abilities won the day..
Protective Backfield.
CB: Darius Slay (PHI), James Bradberry (NYG), Nickell Robey-Coleman (PHI).
SAF: Landon Collins (WAS), Xavier Woods (DAL).
This is not a strong division if youre searching for protective back talent. It gets thin actually rapidly, and the top-end stars arent always as excellent as they are in some other divisions..
Still, Slay has actually been an actually great corner for quite a while now, and a modification of landscapes to a team that is A) actually excellent; and B) not coached by Matt Patricia (with whom he clearly did not get along) ought to do him well. I would say Bradberry is underrated, however he just made money with among the biggest cornerback agreements in the league, so that may not hold true any longer. Hes been working as a shadow corner in the NFC South for the past couple years, one of the most difficult jobs in the NFL. Robey-Coleman is simply a strong slot guy..
Collins is a model box security, a trashing ball coming downhill to make plays in the run video game and strong if not amazing in protection against backs and tight ends. Woods has yet to meet the playmaking pledge he revealed during his college profession, however hes been an average or better starter in Dallas for three years and must be freed up to make more plays within a defensive plan that isnt quite as vanilla as they one theyve been utilizing..
Dallas has the 2 finest receivers in the department, with Cooper and Gallup each coming off 1,100-plus-yard campaigns. They operate in different ways, with Cooper a route-running professional and Gallup a more of a physical force, however they have actually each shown exceptional chemistry with Prescott. With Kellen Moore returning as Mike McCarthys offending organizer, they ought to be asked to do similar things as they were a year earlier, and ought to see comparable success. McLaurin, meanwhile, gets the nod over New Yorks strong trio of wideouts due to the fact that hes the apparent No. 1 target and we do not understand which Giant will be Daniel Jones preferred guy. McLaurin is coming off an actually nice rookie season: only 15 rookie wideouts considering that the merger have actually matched or exceeded his 58-919-7 line..
Over the previous five years, he has gone for 75-853-2 (2015 ), 78-816-4 (2016 ), 74-824-8 (2017 ), 116-1163-8 (2018 ), and 88-916-6 (2019 ). He remains Wentzs leading target, and hes a damn excellent one.
Offensive Line.
OT: Tyron Smith (DAL), Lane Johnson (PHI).
OG: Zack Martin (DAL), Brandon Scherff (WAS).
OC: Jason Kelce (PHI).
The deals with were easy. Smith has been among the little handful of finest left deals with in football for nearly a years, and the exact same has been true of Johnson on the ideal side. You used to need to consider Jason Peters and/or Trent Williams for the take on slots, but Peters is now a guard and Williams is on the 49ers. That made things extremely basic..
