Did the Giants close the talent gap? Ranking NFC East offenses position-by-position

The New York Giants are in the midst of their offseason program now that the draft has concluded. After a dismal 2023 campaign, New York looks to repair its roster and confidence as the page is officially turned to on-field practice in preparation for the 2024 season.

With that, I want to dissect the landscape of the NFC East and surmise how the Giants stack up against their opponents. We’re going to rank each position group in the division. The team that I believe is the strongest in any given position group will receive four points, the second-strongest three, the third two, and the fourth one.

This exercise is not scientific. It doesn’t necessarily account for the totality of success but rather just the talent on the roster, albeit contractual issues will be a factor. Last season, the Giants were the only team in the division that retained both coordinators, and that did not result in a replication of their success from the previous season.

This year, the Commanders hired Dallas’ defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn, to be their head coach while he brought in his own coordinators. The Eagles, Giants, and Dallas all have new defensive coordinators, and Philadelphia now has Kellen Moore—the former Dallas offensive coordinator before last season—as its offensive signal caller.

With that stated, let’s start with the quarterback position.

Quarterback

4 points: Eagles
3 points: Cowboys
2 points: Commanders
1 point: Giants

There’s a perfectly rational argument to swap Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts. It’s very close, and there’s a significant gap between the three-point team and the Commanders, who are rolling with rookie Jaden Daniels. Still, I decided on Hurts due to his rushing ability, his progression, his age, and his contract situation next season.

Hurts signed a massive five-year, $255 million contract that will only result in a $13.5 million cap hit in 2024 and a $21.7 million cap hit in 2025. The Eagles can get out of the contract after the 2027 season before his final year under contract. There is money on the books that will affect the Eagles post-Jalen Hurts contract, if there is no new deal struck.

Prescott, however, is set to make $55.5 million in 2024 and $40 million in 2025 after his deal is technically over with Dallas; he also has a no-tag clause in his current contract. On the field, Prescott is a better thrower of the football; he nearly threw for 5,000 yards last season with 39 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Hurts only threw for 24 touchdowns with 15 interceptions, but the tush push and his rushing ability resulted in 15 touchdowns on the ground and 607 yards rushing.

Hurts has also had more success and has won more in the post-season, with a better supporting cast around him. It’s close enough that I’m going with Hurts.

Washington drafted the face of its franchise and now has him on a rookie contract for possibly five years. Can Kliff Kingsbury get the most out of Jaden Daniels? I’m unsure, but Washington is in a considerably better spot than New York at quarterback, even though I would take Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito over Marcus Mariota and Jeff Driskel.

Daniel Jones is an adequate enough quarterback when he’s on a rookie contract. Jones has had a less than 2.5% Big Time Throw Rate (BTTR) in the last three seasons. He’s only thrown for more than 20 touchdowns once in his career (his rookie season). Tyrod Taylor led the NFL in BTTR last year with his 224 dropbacks. Taylor had an 8.9% BTTR, Matt Stafford of the Rams was second with 6.3%, and Josh Allen was third with a 6.2% rate.

Jones ranked 39th out of 41 qualifiers (20% of throws or more for a team). The terrible situation Jones had early in the season is an excuse with merit, but the same reluctance to pull the trigger was on display in 2022 – but to a worse extent. Jones had a 2.4% BTTR in 2023 and a 1.4% rate in 2022 when the Giants found success in Brian Daboll’s first year.

The Giants can get away from Jones’ contract after the 2024 season. They’ll suffer a $22.2 million dead cap hit. $11 million of Jones’ 2025 salary is fully guaranteed on the 5th day of the 2025 league year, and he also has a $23 million injury guarantee in his contract if he fails to pass a physical at the start of the 2025 league year. The Giants are by far and away in the worst quarterback situation in the division.

Running back

4 points: Eagles
3 points: Commanders
2 points: Cowboys
1 point: Giants

Saquon Barkley signed a three-year, $37.75 million contract with the Eagles in the offseason. I, for one, am not a huge fan of allocating significant money to a running back, but the Eagles are in a position to win, and Howie Roseman does wonders with constructing contracts. Philadelphia can get away from the Barkley contract after the 2025 season with just $8 million in dead cap. Barkley only has a $3.8 and $5.5 million cap hit over the next two seasons, respectively.

Roseman is a master of using void years to spread the money out over time, alleviating the burden on immediate roster construction. Barkley, Kenneth Gainwell, and Will Shipley are the top three, but Washington is not far behind.

Austin Ekeler spent much of the 2023 season injured, and he was one of the many off-season moves that look to reshape the Commanders’ brand. Even if Adam Peters failed to sign Ekeler, I would put the Commanders as second best because Brian Robinson Jr. is a very good NFL running back.

Ekeler and Robinson Jr. complement each other well. In limited work, Chris Rodriguez averaged 3.65 yards after contact, which ranked 11th in the NFL.

Both Dallas and the Giants are considerably behind Philadelphia and the Commanders at running back. Dallas rekindled their relationship with Ezekiel Elliott after his one year in New England but failed to pair Jerry Jones with the most impressive interview he’s ever conducted (Texas running back Jonathan Brooks). Dowdle offers more than Elliott at this point in their careers. Deuce Vaughn and Royce Freeman are depth pieces for Dallas.

New York is just behind Dallas. I like Devin Singletary. He’s better than many believe, and he seized the day last season with Houston after leaving Buffalo. Still, there’s little depth behind Singletary. Fifth-round pick Eric Gray will have a strong opportunity, but we saw little from him last season. Gary Brightwell is a special teamer who should also receive an opportunity in this running back by committee, but he hasn’t shown much since he came into the league.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. is an interesting player with only one year of very successful experience playing running back. He was a receiver at Iowa and for one season at Purdue. He is the most exciting running back in the room behind Singletary, but his inexperience could prove to be a hurdle.

Wide receiver

4 points: Eagles
3 points: Giants
2 points: Cowboys
1 point: Commanders

Alright, I know what some of you are thinking. But before we get into the details, let’s take a quick peek at the highest upside 10 personnel package of each team:

• Eagles: AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Ainias Smith, Parris Campbell
• Giants: Malik Nabers, Wan’Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt, Darius Slayton
• Cowboys: CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, Jalen Tolbert, KaVoatae Turpin
• Commanders: Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Luke McCaffrey, Dyami Brown

The top two receivers in the division right now are AJ Brown and CeeDee Lamb, with DeVonta Smith likely taking the bronze. Two Eagles, as possibly two top-15 receivers in the league, earn Philadephia another four points. I’m also a big fan of Both McLaurin and Dotson, albeit the latter was underutilized and had a disappointing 2023 season.

However, the depth of Dallas and Washington is thin. Brandin Cooks is clearly Dallas’ number two receiver, and there isn’t a certain number three. Washington has a very solid duo, but there’s a lot to prove behind those two, and one of those two had a down second season.

I put the Giants at two not just because of depth but also because of Malik Nabers’ elite star power. Similar to Washington, the Giants’ receiving corps has not been maximized due to several variables independent of the receiving room. However, although not necessarily statistically actualized, I see much more upside with Hyatt and Robinson than I do with the depth of the other receiving rooms.

Even if Slayton’s contractual gripes result in a trade, Isaiah Hodgins is a perfectly capable big-bodied wide receiver to complement and fill out a 10 personnel package. The Giants’ offensive line and quarterback situations will hinder the talent of their receiving corps, but I’m comfortable ranking the talent of the entire Giants’ wide receiver room as number two in the division

Tight end

4 points: Eagles
3 points: Giants
2 points: Cowboys
1 point: Commanders

I don’t know what Darren Waller is doing. I don’t know if Waller knows what Waller is doing; for that, I’m excluding Waller from this exercise. I hate that the Eagles earn another four points in this incredibly meticulous and exhaustive analysis, but Dallas Goedert is the best tight end in the division sans Waller.

CJ Uzomah, Grant Calcaterra, and Albert Okwuegbunam Jr. are behind Goedert. I like the Giants depth at the position slightly more. Thankfully, GM Joe Schoen upgraded the depth. Daniel Bellinger and rookie Theo Johnson have solid upside as receivers and both should be above-average blockers. Chris Manhertz and former Eagle Jack Stoll are solid depth pieces who can both block.

The Cowboys are just behind the Giants. Although the trio of Jake Ferguson, Peyton Hendershot, and Luke Schoonmaker isn’t well known, it’s respectable. Ben Sinnott was a great selection by Washington, and John Bates is a tough blocker with limited upside as a receiver. Zach Ertz is long in the tooth but still understands how to find space in the short area of the field.

Offensive line

4 points: Eagles
3 points: Cowboys
2 points: Giants
1 point: Commanders

Each team has versatile players who can man several positions. I’m grouping the entire unit together for this exercise. Philadelphia lost Jason Kelce. Howie Roseman selected Cam Jurgens in the second round of the 2022 draft for that inevitability, but those shoes are massive to fill. Even with the loss of Kelce, Philadelphia has a far more reliable offensive line with the best tandem at tackle and two very capable guards.

Dallas made its second first-round investment in two seasons into their offensive line. Tyler Smith has proven capable at tackle or guard, Zack Martin is still playing well, and Terrance Steele has played better than any of the Giants’ right tackle options. Rookie Tyler Guyton could be a work in progress, and I’m unsure what to expect at center with Brock Hoffman, but the Cowboys’ offensive line situation is superior to the Giants and Commanders.

I was pleased with Schoen’s investments into the offensive line, and I do believe they will make a difference. The Jermaine Eluemunor signing is a contingency plan for Evan Neal, and could also act as a veteran presence at right guard next to Neal. Jon Runyan Jr. is an upgrade over Mark Glowinski, and Aaron Stinnie is better depth than the Giants have had in years.

The Giants need to get more from John Michael Schmitz Jr. Still, if they can have a healthy Andrew Thomas for most of the season, with the additions added in the offseason, the Giants should have an improved unit whether Neal develops or not.

Washington selected TCU’s Brandon Coleman in the third round, and he could possibly start at left tackle over Cornelius Lucas as early as this season. The Commanders brought in former Cowboys center Tyler Biadasz to strengthen their center position now that Nick Gates is no longer there. Ricky Stromberg is an adequate backup at center. Nick Allegretti, Andrew Wylie, and Sam Cosmi are functional starters, but not necessarily difference makers up front.

Final thoughts

The Eagles swept the offensive side of the football. If I did break down the offensive line by specific positions, Philadelphia wouldn’t have secured center with Jason Kelce no longer in the building. Lets’ do some math:

Eagles: 20 points
Cowboys: 12 points
Giants: 10 points
Commanders: 8 points

Philadelphia is eight points ahead of Dallas, who is two points ahead of the Giants, who are two points ahead of the Commanders. Please let us know your thoughts below. The defensive side of the football will be released shortly.