Los Angeles Rams
Additions:
DT | A’Shawn Robinson
Edge | Leonard Floyd
OL | Austin Blythe
Losses:
CB | Nickell Robey-Coleman
DE | Dante Fowler Jr.
K | Greg Zuerlein
LB | Clay Matthews
LB | Corey Littleton
QB | Blake Bortles
S | Eric Weddle
Bottom Line:
It really seems as if the Rams will go the way of the Atlanta Falcons. Doug Pederson got his just desserts after losing out on Coach of the Year to the young, hip Sean McVay. On top of all the losses above, there are rumors LA could also lose Brandin Cooks and Todd Gurley. They mortgaged their future to go all in the last two years just to fall short and the time has come to pay the piper.
The Eagles have had the Rams number ever since Dougy P came to town. They are better coached and will have the better roster this season.
New Orleans Saints
Additions:
S | D.J. Swearinger
S | Malcolm Jenkins
WR | Emmanuel Sanders
Losses:
CB | Eli Apple
LB | A.J. Klein
QB | Teddy Bridgewater
S | Vonn Bell
WR | Ted Ginn Jr.
Bottom Line:
The Saints have, and will continue to be a difficult matchup for the Eagles. Without losing any major pieces, the Saints solidified their secondary and finally secured a number two option to pair with Michael Thomas. If not for their match up with both the Ravens and 49ers, the Saints would be the odds on favorite for the hardest opponent the Eagles face.
New York Giants
Additions:
CB | James Bradberry
DT | Austin Johnson
LB | Blake Martinez
LB | Kyler Fackrell
LS | Casey Kreiter
OT | Cameron Fleming
QB | Colt McCoy
RB | Dion Lewis
S | Nate Ebner
TE | Eric Tomlinson
TE | Levine Toilolo
Losses:
CB | Antonio Hamilton
LB | Alec Ogletree
LB | Deone Bucannon
LB | Marcus Golden
OT | Mike Remmers
QB | Eli Manning
S | Antoine Bethea
WR | Cody Latimer
Bottom Line:
Even with a combination of Eli Manning, rookie Daniel Jones, and an injured Saquon Barkley, the Giants were able to give the Eagles trouble in both showdowns last season. New York swapped out their linebackers and a tackle and added a nifty piece in Dion Lewis. Are they better this year? It’s difficult to say. Importantly, Saquon will be healthy and Daniel Jones will be in his second year. Simply based on those factors, the assumption is that they will improve.
What I’m most interested in is what new OC Jason Garrett will bring to the table. He’s authored some of the most potent Cowboys’ offenses in recent history, but there’s a reason he’s not in Dallas anymore. New York and Dallas have a lot of similar pieces, but the Giants lack a consistent number one receiver — a key component for any Jason Garrett offense.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Additions:
DB | Tyree Kinnel
DE | Dewayne Hendrix
DT | Chris Wormley
FB | Derek Watt
LB | Christian Kuntz
OL | Stefen Wisniewski
OT | Jarron Jones
TE | Eric Ebron
Losses:
CB | Artie Burns
DT | Javon Hargrave
LB | Anthony Chickillo
OL | B.J. Finney
S | Mark Barron
TE | Nick Vannett
Bottom Line:
From the outside looking in it seems as if the Steelers are steps away from a rebuild Still, they consistently do enough to stay afloat and almost did enough to sneak their way into the playoffs last year. This year is more of the same. Big Ben is one year older and they lost some key pieces of their defense. At the same time, they added Chris Wormley to try to make up for the loss of Javon Hargrave and gave Ben a new tool to work within the way of Eric Ebron.
On paper, this is a very winnable game for the Eagles, but one should never underestimate a Mike Tomlin team.
San Francisco 49ers
Additions:
DE | Kerry Hyder
LB | Joe Walker
WR | Travis Benjamin
Losses:
CB | Jason Verrett
DT | Deforest Buckner
TE | Garrett Celek
TE | Levine Toilolo
WR | Emmanuel Sanders
Bottom Line:
The Super Bowl runners up did get a little worse this off-season, but not by much. Travis Benjamin is not the same player Emmanuel Sanders is, but he definitely has enough juice to fill the role expected of him. The trade of Deforest Buckner was a bit surprising, but the 49ers are loaded on the defensive line and will be able to fill the gaps by committee.
For whatever reason, I’m not as scared of the 49ers as I am the Ravens or the Saints. Maybe it’s because the Eagles should match up well against a team that loves to run the football and rush the passer. Maybe it’s because the Eagles have had their way with Californian teams over the last few years. Nonetheless, they are the reigning NFC Champs for a reason and they’ll return to 2020 with a bulk of their roster still intact.
Seattle Seahawks
Additions:
CB | Quinton Dunbar
DE | Bruce Irvin
DE | Benson Mayowa
OL | B.J. Finney
OT | Cedric Ogbuehi
TE | Greg Olsen
WR | Phillip Dorsett
Losses:
DE | Ezekiel Ansah
DE| Quinton Jefferson
DE | Jadeveon Clowney
DT | Al Woods
LB | Mychal Kendricks
OG | Mike Iupati
OL | Germain Ifedi
OT | George Fant
QB | Geno Smith
RB | C.J. Prosise
RB | Marshawn Lynch
S | Tedric Thompson
TE | Ed Dickson
WR | Jaron Brown
WR | Josh Gordon
Bottom Line:
Seattle is a tricky one. They definitely lost some significant pieces, but Russell Wilson’s magic seems to be the everlasting counterbalance to lost talent. Even though Philly fans have mixed feelings about him, Mychal Kendricks will be sorely missed in Seattle. Can Bruce Irvin make up for the production lost by Ansah, Jefferson, and Clowney? No, no he cannot. Although, coming off a seven sack season, the signing of Benson Mayowa was an underrated pickup.
Regardless, the Seahawks seem to occupy a permanent position inside the Eagles’ brains. They have and may very well continue to be the monkey on the Birds’ back.
Washington Redskins
Additions:
CB | Kendall Fuller
CB | Ronald Darby
LB | Kevin Pierre-Louis
LB | Thomas Davis
OG | Jeremy Vujnovich
OG | Wes Schweitzer
QB | Kyle Allen
RB | J.D. McKissic
RB | Peyton Barber
S | Sean Davis
WR | Cody Latimer
TE | Richard Rodgers
Losses:
CB | Aaron Colvin
CB | Coty Sensabaugh
CB | Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
CB | Josh Norman
CB | Kayvon Webster
CB | Quinton Dunbar
OG | Ereck Flowers
OT | Donald Penn
QB | Case Keenum
QB | Colt McCoy
RB | Chris Thompson
S | Montae Nicholson
TE | Vernon Davis
TE | Jordan Reed
WR | Paul Richardson
Bottom Line:
Going forward, I am very scared of the Washington Redskins. They have been loading up on defensive talent; they finally have an above-average coaching staff and they finally have a plan at quarterback for foreseeable future. However, they’re going to need more time to fully right the ship.
They started the off-season by gutting their secondary. It wasn’t that bad last year, but clearly the new coaching staff wanted a clean slate. All of their free agency moves seem like stop-gaps. I think they will focus on their young core and plug veterans into the holes that can help develop the youth movement.
Their 2020 pass rush could feature: Montez Sweat, Matt Ioannidis, Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne and Chase Young. That is terrifying. They still have some kinks to work out in the secondary, but their opponents will undoubtedly be forced to throw the ball under duress.
The Eagles should still be able to beat the ‘Skins in both games, but Washington will not be a pushover for much longer. It all depends on how long it takes for Dwayne Haskins to develop his NFL playmaking.
Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sport
