Let’s see how the Giants fare in our unscientific ranking

The New York Giants are less than two weeks away from their Week 1 home game against the Dallas Cowboys. New York exceeded expectations last season and posted a 9-7-1 record before earning their first playoff victory since Super Bowl XLVI.

Only one of those nine wins were against NFC East opponents. Just a few short years ago, the division was mocked as the NFC ‘Least’ because the 7-9 Commanders seized the 2020 first seed, which, in part, can be attributed to decisions made by former Eagles’ coach Doug Pederson in what is now known as the Nate Sudfeld Game.

If the Giants want to make it back to the playoffs, they must win more than just one divisional game, and they’ll receive an opportunity to tie last year’s divisional win total in Week 1.

After losing 38-7 against the Eagles in the Divisional Playoff Round, Giants’ general manager Joe Schoen stated there was a talent gap between the two franchises.

Since making those comments, Schoen has been asked a few times if that talent gap has been closed. His answer? “We’ll see.”

Let’s 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 doesn’t account for the totality of success but rather just the talent on the roster. However, the Giants are the only team in the division that retained both coordinators; this fact rightfully pleased many supporters of the New York Giants.

Let’s start with the quarterback position.

Quarterback

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

The steps Jalen Hurts took as a passer last season were impressive, with a big-time throw percentage of 4.1% and only 11 turnover-worthy plays. He may have won the MVP if it wasn’t for the Week 15 injury that sidelined him for a couple of weeks. Hurts was seventh in overall on-target percentage with an average of 8.0 yards per attempt, which ranked fifth in the league.

Yes, Hurts benefitted from an elite offensive line and two dynamic wide receivers that forced defenses into precarious situations; when defenses aligned in two-high looks, the Eagles would run the ball well, winning the mathematical advantage in the box with Hurts incredible athletic gifts, while also operating an efficient RPO attack. However, if the defense aligned in single-high looks, Hurts had his choice of one-on-one matchups for both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

Hurts’ environment is a massive advantage for the 25-year-old. Still, he was able to seize that advantage to the tune of 4,459 total yards and 35 total touchdowns with a low second-half throw rate since the Eagles dominated so many matchups last season.

He had 70 passes of 20 or more air yards last season, with 60 of those throws to wide receivers who had less than three yards of separation. He’s also coming off a Super Bowl appearance where he performed exceptionally well. As of right now, Hurts is the number one quarterback in the NFC East.

The margin between Dak Prescott and Daniel Jones is thin, but I have to go with Prescott at number two. The Dallas quarterback has struggled with injuries since he broke his leg against the Giants in Week 5 of the 2020 season. He’s missed a pair of games in each of the last two years and was hobbled through both those seasons.

Prescott averaged 7.3 yards per attempt with a 4.3% big-time throw rate. He had 18 turnover-worthy plays and had a career-high 15 interceptions last season. He was 13th in on-target percentage, and he only threw for 2,860 yards in 394 attempts. From a statistical standpoint, last season was rough for Prescott.

Still, when going through Dallas tape, Prescott’s ability to quickly process and deliver pin-point accuracy on throws 20+ yards downfield are still traits the 30-year-old possesses. He had 46 throws with 20 or more air yards, and 30 of them were considered big-time throws.

I have a lot of respect for the former Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, but the offense was complex. The necessity of that complexity can be questioned. Still, Prescott is undervalued as a starting quarterback, and his position as my number two quarterback in this division is tenuous with last year’s ascension of Daniel Jones.

I love what we saw from Jones last year, and the athletic element of his game cannot be understated. Similar to Hurts - with MUCH lesser talent - the coaching staff fully understands how to leverage Jones’ skills. Jones was the most bootlegged quarterback last season. Jones’ ability to throw on the run and extemporize plays vastly improved from the 2021 season.

However, there are still parts of Jones’ game that remain in question. Jones ranked 40th of 41 quarterbacks in big-time throw rate last season; Matt Ryan was the only quarterback behind Jones whose big-time throw rate was just 1.4%, with 19 turnover-worthy plays.

He only attempted 28 passes of 20+ yards last season. His average yards per attempt was 6.8, which ranked 26th in the NFL. However, Jones was very efficient and accurate with his passes; he ranked number one in on-target throw percentage and consistently made the defense pay within the scheme by making sound decisions from the line of scrimmage to about ten yards downfield.

I was impressed with Jones last season, and he and Prescott are close, but I have to see more of an ability to threaten defenses vertically from a now $40-million-a-year quarterback. Jones didn’t have the best-supporting cast to exploit defenses in that manner last season, but that has since been rectified.

I think Sam Howell could be a good quarterback for Washington, but we just haven’t seen enough yet; for that, the Commanders come in last.

Running back

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

Saquon Barkley secured the Giants as the No. 1 team at running back in the division. He’s the best talent of the bunch, although Tony Pollard could push Barkley for that honor. Still, Barkley and Matt Breida are a good one-two punch with differing skill sets and NFL track records of success. Eric Gray has upside but must improve his pass protection, and Gary Brightwell did well in limited work last season.

On paper, the Eagles are easily second. D’Andre Swift, Rashaad Penny, Kenneth Gainwell, and Boston Scott are an excellent quartet. If Penny stays healthy, he may have more upside than any other back on this team, which is saying a lot since Swift’s explosive nature can flip games. Penny had an insane 4.23 and 4.52 yards after contact number in the last two seasons, respectively. This will be a running back by committee. With the Eagles scheme and Hurts at quarterback, it’ll be an effective one.

The combination of Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson ranks third in this division. I love that duo, but it lacks the star power of Saquon Barkley and isn’t as deep as the Eagles, so they slide in comfortably at third.

Then there’s Dallas. I love Tony Pollard, and it pains me to rank the Cowboys last. Pollard averaged 5.3 yards per attempt and had 31 runs of ten yards or more on just 193 carries. He ranked third in the NFL in breakaway percentage behind James Cook and Kenneth Walker III.

Pollard is a stud. My only concern is depth and his workload. He isn’t a small scatback; Pollard is 6-0, 210 pounds. Still, it’s unclear how much more work he’ll experience this season. Rookie Deuce Vaughn, who is only 5-foot-5, is behind Pollard, along with 2020 UDFA Rico Dowdle, who only has seven career carries. If either of those two players proves worthy of a role, Dallas won’t be fourth, but that has yet to happen.

Wide receiver

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

The combination of AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith is easily number one in the division. Those are two of the top 12 (arguably) receivers in the NFL. Olamide Zaccheaus is a solid third option who can be efficient with the two targets a game he’ll likely see behind the dynamic duo.

CeeDee Lamb is one of the best pure talents at wide receiver, and the addition of Brandin Cooks is going to be annoying for the rest of the NFC East. Cooks is only 29 years old, and he can threaten defenses at all three levels of the field. Michael Gallup is another year removed from knee surgery and should operate as the ‘X’ receiver for Mike McCarthy.

I was so tempted to put the Giants over Dallas, not due to homerism (I don’t think), but because the Cowboys have receivers on their roster I wouldn’t trust, whereas I trust all of the active receivers on the Giants roster. Still, CeeDee Lamb’s star power gave Dallas the nod.

The Giants’ receiver room is full of competent versatile pass catchers who have upside. Jalin Hyatt, Parris Campbell, and Darius Slayton add an explosive element. Isaiah Hodgins was a steal for the Giants last season and may lead the unit in snaps. Sterling Shepard and Wan’Dale Robinson are healthy. There’s no clear-cut number-one receiver, but there are plenty of trustworthy options for Daniel Jones.

Both Terry McLaurin and second-year wide receiver Jahan Dotson are underrated football players, and here I am, ranking them last in the division. McLaurin is starting the season injured, which knocked Washington down below Dallas, but he should be back at some point early in the season (I’m speculating). Curtis Samuel is a versatile weapon similar to Parris Campbell. I like their receiving corps and even depth-deep threats like Dyami Brown, but the Giants have more options than Washington.

Tight end

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

The Giants have a clear edge at tight end with the addition of Darren Waller. Daniel Bellinger is an excellent two-way option who can block, and Lawrence Cager also offers athletic upside as the third tight end. New York’s 13-personnel play-action passing attack should be interesting.

Dallas Goedert has star power at tight end for the Eagles and receives a hefty chunk of the receiving pie from Hurts in a very concentrated passing attack. Jack Stoll and Grant Calcaterra are young players who were adequate in 12 personnel last season, but the Eagles just added Albert Okwuegbunam, formerly of the Broncos. Okwuegbunam is an elite athlete who was the odd man out for Sean Payton. He could be a threat up the seam in the Eagles 12 personnel play action passing attack if he can stay healthy.

Dallas is thin at tight end, and I debated the Cowboys and Washington for this last spot. I decided on the Cowboys for third because I really liked Jake Ferguson when he came into the NFL out of Wisconsin. He will assume the role vacated by Dalton Schultz and should see plenty of targets. If Luke Schoonmaker can get healthy, that’ll be a plus for the athletic upside of Dallas’ tight end room. Peyton Hendershot had a solid season as an undrafted rookie last year as well.

Washington is last again. I swear, I don’t hate the Commanders, not any more than I despise the other two teams. Still, veteran Logan Thomas has struggled with injuries and seems a bit long in the tooth. Cole Turner is unproven with limited blocking upside, albeit I liked him as a receiving threat at Nevada. John Bates was one of my low-key draft crushes due to his elite blocking ability at Boise State. We just haven’t necessarily seen that translated yet, but he could be a name to watch.

Offensive tackles

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

The Eagles arguably have the best pair of tackles in the NFL with Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata. It’s debatable, but Andrew Thomas may be the best overall tackle in the division. Evan Neal still has much to prove, but I’m confident in the Giants starting tackle situation. The swing tackle spot is, however, troublesome.

Tyler Smith, Dallas’ first-round pick in 2022, played very well at tackle last season. He’ll likely slide into the left guard spot with Tyron Smith back from injury. The 32-year-old Tyron Smith must stay healthy, which he’s struggled to do. Terrance Steele is a solid overall starter for Dallas at right tackle. The upside of the Giants exceeds what Dallas currently has at tackle, especially if Tyler Smith is playing guard.

Again, Washington comes in last. Eric Bienemy brought Andrew Wylie to Washington from Kansas City; that’s a smart move, for Wylie is a capable veteran. Charles Leno Jr. is tasked to play left tackle, with Cornelius Lucas as the swing tackle. The former is aging and surrendered 37 pressures with eight sacks last year, and the latter had 34 pressures, and four sacks surrendered in fewer snaps than Leno Jr.

Guards

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

The Cowboys have a combination of a second-year player who was very impressive, Tyler Smith, and a future Hall of Famer in Zach Martin. They’re easily number one in the division. There’s a tier gap between Dallas and Philadelphia, who lost Isaac Seumalo in free agency. Landon Dickerson has proven to be a competent NFL starter; he will man left guard. On the right side, the Eagles will either start Cam Jurgens or Tyler Steen. Jurgens has the inside track, albeit he seemed more like the plug-and-play center option once Jason Kelce retires. The right guard spot could be an issue for Philadelphia, but both options were good college football players.

I debated between the Giants and Commanders for the last spot and settled for the Commanders again. Saahdiq Charles was inconsistent at right guard last year, and now the 24-year-old is expected to play left guard. Sam Cosmi was drafted to be a tackle and was respectable in his snaps at right guard, most of which came against the Giants. New York’s trio of Ben Bredeson, Joshua Ezeudu, and Mark Glowinski is a deeper and more proven group.

Center

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

Jason Kelce is a future Hall of Famer still playing at a high level in his age 35 season. John Michael Schmitz is more than a decade younger than Kelce, and hasn’t taken an NFL regular season snap yet, but he is my number two option in the division. He’s adaptable, smart, and has no glaring weaknesses in his game.

Former Giant Nick Gates is the third option in the division, and he’s closely followed by former Wisconsin Badger Tyler Biadasz. These two were close, but a healthy Gates not only brings the proper temperament to the gridiron but is an effective player in both the run and pass phases of the offense.

Final thoughts

Let’s check out the offensive tally!

Eagles: 25 points
Giants: 20 points
Cowboys: 16 points
Commanders: 9 points

The Giants ranked second in the division behind the Eagles in this exercise. We will be releasing the defensive version soon, which will prompt us to calculate both the offense and defense. Please, let us know what you think in the comments.