The Philadelphia Eagles are aiming for another Super Bowl championship.
Just don’t call it a repeat, even if that word will be thrown around plenty in the NFC East, a division that hasn’t had consecutive titles from the same team since the Eagles won their fourth in a row in 2004.
The Eagles have struck “repeat” from their vernacular this season as Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts, 2,000-yard rusher Saquon Barkley and A.J. Brown go for another “two-peat” — division and NFL championships.
“Everything else is in the past,” coach Nick Sirianni said. “I think that when teams are trying so hard to repeat or trying so hard to recapture, there’s two mistakes that they make. They either are looking at their past accomplishments or they’re looking too far into the future of how do you do that again? And it’s really about the daily grind that you go through day in and day out. There’s a mental toughness to being able to do that and go through that every single day.»
The Eagles return most of their key starters on both sides of the ball, many in their primes and signed to long-term deals. They could be championship contenders for years to come.
Barkley had a career year in his debut with the Eagles. He ran for 2,504 yards in the regular season and playoffs, breaking Terrell Davis’ record for most yards rushing combined in one season.
Barkley had 2,005 yards in the regular season before sitting out the final game with a chance to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season mark. The Eagles rewarded him with a two-year contract extension with $36 million guaranteed.
Barkley expects bigger and better in Year 2.
“It definitely helps having another year in this organization and in this building,” he said. “I’m familiar with everybody. Stuff that I got into my routine later on in the season, it’s already part of my routine now. It’s just helpful, from the training staff to nutrition to strength coaches. It all just gets better naturally when you’re here longer.”
Commanders put drama to rest
The only topic that really mattered throughout training camp after Washington surprised everyone by reaching the NFC championship game last season was wide receiver Terry McLaurin’s desire for a new contract. The issue was finally resolved after the preseason.
He went from a brief holdout to a hold-in while on the physically unable to perform list because of an injured ankle, to off the PUP list but still not practicing.
McLaurin and AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels formed a terrific combination and were expected to go nowhere but up.
Dan Quinn stayed on message on McLaurin — “It’s part of the business of the NFL, and I don’t judge it or get too worked up about it,” the coach said — and players also steered clear of drama.
But there’s no question it was a thing, maybe the first real blip under the current triumvirate of owner Josh Harris, general manager Adam Peters and Quinn.
Daniels is an ascendant star, widely considered among the league’s elite quarterbacks already. Peters went out and added some big-name veterans, including left tackle Laremy Tunsil, edge rusher Von Miller and playmaker Deebo Samuel.
“Just watching them play on Sundays for some time, and now watching them up close and personal — like, you can see why Von is going to be a Hall of Famer,” Daniels said. “You can see why L.T. is one of the top left tackles in the league. You can see why Deebo was All-Pro.”
There are questions on defense, particularly in the secondary, so if the Commanders end up needing to score a lot, a happy McLaurin will help. The two-time Pro Bowler agreed to a $96 million, three-year extension.
Giants’ QB changes
After tying for the NFL’s worst record at 3-14 last season, the Giants moved on from quarterback Daniel Jones, signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston and traded back into the first round to draft Jaxson Dart.
Wilson goes in as the starter with Dart being groomed for the future, though that could be sooner than later, given the Mississippi product’s strong impression in training camp and preseason games.
“He’s done a tremendous job,” Wilson said. “He works at it every day, and he asks the right questions. That’s what I enjoy about him.”
The success of the offense revolves around Wilson, now 36, and young receiver Malik Nabers, who had 109 catches for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie.
Defensively, the Giants hope they made a strong pass rush even better by drafting Penn State linebacker Abdul Carter third overall. Carter joining nose tackle Dexter Lawrence and edge rushers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux should help a beleaguered secondary, which has new faces in cornerback Paulson Adebo and safety Jevon Holland.
“We’re bringing in two vets that know how to play the game,” cornerback Dru Phillips said. “We may put a (different) scheme in and they’re brand new here, but they came in like they knew it. They’ve played this type of stuff before at a high level, so you can experiment with a lot of new stuff and you can have a lot of versatility.”
Plenty of Cowboys questions
The Dallas Cowboys haven’t finished last in the division in 10 years. If they don’t resolve the contract issue with star edge rusher Micah Parsons, that’s where they’re headed.
Even with Dak Prescott healthy again at quarterback, the Cowboys would present first-year coach Brian Schottenheimer a monumental task if they can’t get Parsons on the field. He reported for camp but didn’t practice at all while publicly requesting a trade.
The moping got progressively worse, capped by Parsons lying on a training table on the sideline during the preseason finale. The 2021 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year is set to make $24 million in the final year of the five-year deal he got as a first-round pick. He wants long-term security.
With or without Parsons, the Cowboys have little chance unless Prescott shows his MVP runner-up form of 2023, when he led the NFL with 36 touchdown passes before a hamstring tear ended last season after eight games. His 10th season features a new playmaker outside to go with CeeDee Lamb in George Pickens, who was traded by Pittsburgh.
“Just with the experience of this game, having the teammates and the players that I have around me, getting into a new year with a new coach and a new energy with such a youthful team, I see somebody who feels young again,” the 32-year-old Prescott said.
Dallas has questions at running back and on the offensive line, and a thin secondary until 2021 All-Pro Trevon Diggs returns from a second major knee injury, which could happen early.
Predicted order of finish
Eagles, Commanders, Giants, Cowboys.
