How the Washington Football Team ranks in NFC East confidence picks
By Tim Payne
NFC East Defensive Reality Check Rankings
Washington is the clear-cut best defense the division. They were a top-five defense last season even with a new system and a patchwork linebacking core and secondary. And even with a massive increase in the quality of the quarterbacks they will face this season, it’s reasonable to expect that given another year under Rivera and Jack Del Rio and the additions of William Jackson III, Benjamin St-Juste, and Jamin Davis, Washington remains a top tier defense again this season.
On the other hand, Dallas was historically bad defensively last season, and while they’ve overhauled much of their defensive roster and brought in Dan Quinn as their defensive coordinator, the gap between their defensive talent and that of the rest of the division is pretty significant. Micah Parsons and Keanu Neal are two significant additions, but won’t be enough to pull this defense out of the NFC East gutter.
Philadelphia and New York are eerily similar defensively. Both have vaunted and productive defensive lines, both have reliable linebacker play, and both have quality ball-hawking players in their secondary. Ultimately, the reality is that New York’s struggles to generate pressure off the edge will cost them at points this season, and cost them a slot in my confidence rankings. So, the defensive Reality Check Rankings end up like this:
4.) Dallas
3.) New York
2.) Philadelphia
1.) Washington