Now that the dust has settled and veterans are now starting to slowing trickle into camp, it’s time to once again review every team in the NFL to see who filled their holes in the draft and who will still need to be looking for replacements as we starting the upcoming season. In this article I’ll be going over the NFC East to see what the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Redskins still have to do to improve their teams. So without further ado, let’s get right into the Remaining NFC East Team Needs.
Dallas Cowboys – The Cowboys went into the draft not needing too much. I felt that getting a good run stuffing defensive tackle, a cornerback, and a safety was just about all they needed to secure themselves as not only a favorite to win the NFC East, but also to be a serious contender to represent the NFC in Superbowl 50. They may have tried to cancel out two birds with one stone with their 1st round pick of Byron Jones who was looked at as a CB and a Safety by many teams. They got good value with OLB Randy Gregory, but they still have a hole to fill:
Defensive Tackle – The Cowboys need a run stuffer. Eagles, Giants, and Redskins all have big back that want to run up the middle of the line. If the Cowboys can somehow stop the run game, this team could have a special year.
Cornerback/Safety – As I said before, Byron Jones fills one of their needs, but they still need to fill the other spot. It’s not a huge deal if Brandon Carr steps up to be the player he used to be with the Chiefs.
New York Giants – The Giants actually had a very good draft. I still don’t know why they let Antrel Rolle go, but that’s now water under the bridge. They have chosen to go with last year’s 5th round pick Nat Berhe as their starting Free Safety to go with their 2nd round pick Landon Collins who will start in the box at Strong Safety. They also filled a big need by getting a pass rusher in Owamagbe Odighizuwa with their 3rd round pick. I feel this team now only has one hole left:
Offensive Tackle – Giants thought they solidified their line with their 1st round pick Ereck Flowers, that was until their starting LT Will Beatty suffered a torn pectoral and will be our approximately 5 months.
Philadelphia Eagles – I may not agree with the players that the Eagles took in the draft, but at least they did fill a lot of their needs by position. The Eagles are hoping that WR Nelson Agholor and CB Eric Rowe will fill two of their biggest needs at both wide receiver and cornerback. Both players are on the fast track to start game one. However, there are still a couple of holes I feel they still have that they did not fill in the draft:
Safety – I don’t believe in Earl Wolff. He was a 5th round pick a couple years ago and was a healthy scratch a couple times last year so it’s not like they are extra high on him either.
Guard – I’m surprised they didn’t take a Guard later in the draft. They may decide to go with what they have, but they need an upgrade.
Defensive End – They took Brian Mihalik in the 7th round. We’ll see if he can provide any depth as Cedric Thornton who will be the 2nd DE behind Fletcher Cox.
Washington Redskins – The Reskins surprised people with their 1st two picks in the 2015 NFL draft by selecting the top tackle/guard Brandon Schreff from Iowa and defensive end/outside linebacker Preston Smith from Mississippi. The two players will fill a big need for them at OT and OLB. They then took value players that I don’t think really did anything for them. They still need to fill a few holes on their roster, including the following:
Quarterback – I guess they will go into the season with Robert Griffin III as their leader and signal caller. They decided to pass on the lottery of QBs that followed Winston/Mariota in the later rounds.
Safety – Duke Ihenacho is currently their starting Strong Safety. If you have never heard his name before, you aren’t alone. Dashon Goldson will man the Free Safety spot.
Inside Linebacker – Keenan Robinson and Will Compton will compete to fill the ILB spot behind Perry Riley. I don’t think either is an appealing choice so that spot will eventually need to be addressed.
I think the NFC East will return to its high level play that most football fans are used to. On most years the NFC East is considered one of the best divisions in the sport, but in recent years it has been on the down swoon as a whole. We still get our one good team as a year, but the way that people currently look at the NFC West is the way everyone looked at the NFC East for years. This year could be a return to greatness for the NFC East and for fans of the division, should be a fun ride.
