Will the Cowboys win the NFC East?

By: Jake Rajala and Charlie Vakassian

The NFC East was a scrappy, unique, and competitive division in 2021. The Dallas Cowboys, who were led by Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons, claimed division gold and won the NFC East. Many fans are wondering if Jalen Hurts will take the league by storm, or if Washington will add a talented QB and return to the playoffs. So, which squad will win the polarizing division in 2022? Well, here are our picks to win the NFC East. 

Dallas Cowboys (Jake): 

The Dallas Cowboys have underperformed in the post-season with Dak Prescott, but I expect them to achieve regular-season dominance next season. Prescott threw a career-high 37 passing touchdowns last season and it seems the 28-year-old still has his best football ahead of him. 

Prescott will be complemented well in 2022 and beyond by LB Micah Parsons. The Cowboys LB won Defensive Rookie of The Year and ousted one of the best rookie performances from any position of all time. 

I expect the Cowboys to be more than okay without Michael Gallup, especially because their offense was firing on all cylinders without him for eight games last season. I assume they will keep Cooper in 2022 while letting Gallup test free agency. 

I wholeheartedly believe the well-balanced Cowboys are one of the clearest division favorites in the entire league. Since 2016, they’ve won their division three times. If Prescott stayed healthy in 2020, they would have likely won the East two seasons ago. 

The Eagles asserted their dominance on their NFC East rivals in 2021 and there doesn’t appear to be any signs that their division foes are close to edging them out. The Cowboys demolished the Commanders 56-14, the Eagles 51-26, and the Giants 21-6 in the back half of last season. 

The Giants appear to be rebuilding as Joe “run a lap” Judge was booted from the Giants head coaching gig. The Giants could also trade Saquon Barkley and it appears Evan Engram will depart from the Big Apple. The Philadelphia Eagles should take positive steps with Jalen Hurts, but I don’t see the Eagles possessing a scary ceiling in 2021 with their mediocre defense. Washington is a dark horse team to make some noise next season, especially if they add a modest QB in their offensive attack. I still don’t expect the Commanders to obtain a signal-caller like Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray, or Aaron Rodgers. If they add Marcus Mariota or Matt Corral, they could have a similar result as the 2021 Eagles (9-8). I don’t see them being an NFC heavyweight like the Cowboys if they have a great offseason.

Washington Commanders (Charles):

The NFC East was once one of the proudest divisions in football. The 1980s and ’90s were filled with intense competition and elite talents, with several Super Bowl appearances and wins among the 4 teams. 

Zoom ahead to the present, and things don’t look quite as rosy. Since 2017, there have been at least two teams each season finishing below .500, and in 2020 every single NFC East team finished with a losing record. 2021 was barely any better, with only Dallas doing enough to be competitive, and Philadelphia sneaking in by the skin of their teeth.

2022 projects to be a very different set of scenarios for the East. The Giants have a new GM and HC, and a fresh outlook. The Cowboys have some tough decisions to make, being over the cap and needing help on offense. Washington seeks an upgrade under center, and the Eagles need a bit of everything. 

While a case can be made for just about any team, given the history of randomness in the NFC East, I am selecting the Washington Commanders to take the division crown for the second time in two years. With a ridiculously talented front seven (Chase Young, Montez Sweat, Jonathan Allen, Da’Ron Payne, Jaimin Davis, Cole Holcomb) and an underrated secondary, led by William Jackson and Kam Curl, Washington takes the cake on defense. The offense was their big issue heading into 2021 and continued to be. Ryan Fitzpatrick suffered a hip injury that knocked him out in Week 1, and Taylor Heneike filled in admirably, but still struggled for the most part. The offensive line was a pleasant surprise and ranked 6th overall according to PFF. They will need to re-sign star guard Brandon Scherff, as tagging him for the third year in a row would result in an exorbitant one-year price tag. 

With the offseason fast approaching, Washington looks to upgrade their QB room. Head coach Ron Rivera has already commented on bringing in an established veteran, similar to the Rams getting Matthew Stafford. Keep an eye on Russel Wilson, as he would be the big name to go after. If the draft is the lane they take, then Matt Corral out of Ole Miss is the guy. A cannon of an arm with sneaky athleticism, I would have Corral as the second-best quarterback in the NFC East, ahead of Daniel Jones and Jalen Hurts. With elite options in RB Antonio Gibson and WR Terry McLaurin, along with dependable TE Logan Thomas, the Commanders have weapons to make even a slightly competent QB succeed. 

The Cowboys are on paper the best team in the NFC East, but they are $22M over the cap, and will likely have to make some cuts in order to just get under. Amari Cooper and DeMarcus Lawrence could be cap casualties. Not to mention offensive weapons Dalton Schultz and Michael Gallup are heading to free agency, leaving the assets at Dak Prescott’s disposal perilously thin. The offensive line has been suffering injury after injury, leaving the dependability of Tyron Smith and Zack Martin in question.

The Eagles don’t seem to know what direction they are heading in. Jalen Hurts shows flashes of skill and then makes ridiculously dumb decisions in the same game. They have no wide receivers outside of Devonta Smith. The defense lacks playmakers, with Darius Slay and Fletcher Cox already past the age of 30. 

The Giants are looking to be headed for a retool if not a rebuild. Players like James Bradberry and Saquon Barkley may be traded to free up the cap, worsening the roster in the short term. 

Washington has enough talent on offense, and an elite defense, to bounce back and take the NFC East in 2022. Mark my words.