Commanders: Ranking the NFC East receivers and tight ends for 2022

1. Philadelphia Eagles

No team has seen a bigger rebuild of its receiving corps in the last two years than the Eagles. It was necessary. After their Super Bowl run in 2018, they got old fast. Alshon Jeffrey and Torrey Smith were soon gone. DeSean Jackson was a stopgap measure. The young guys who were supposed to carry the mantle – Nelson Agholor and Jalen Reagor – they just weren’t all that good. Philly relied heavily on its excellent tight end duo of Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert for its receiving production.

But things look very different now. DeVonta Smith arrived last year and did nothing to tarnish his Heisman Trophy. And this year, they have paired AJ Brown with him. I am not 100% convinced Brown can be a reliable week in/week out stud. But his skills are extraordinary and if he stays injury-free and develops his consistency, he could be among the best in the league. Truth be told, it is hard to evaluate his play in Tennessee because the Titans never really emphasized the passing game.

Throw in a very solid third option in Zach Pascal (formerly of the Colts) and you have a trio of receivers that rank in the top quarter of the league. Quez Watkins is also on hand to help take the top off opposing secondaries.

And Geodert is still there to patrol the middle and take advantage of that new outside talent on seam routes. Philadelphia’s only real concern is that they don’t have any kind of deep depth so one or two key injuries could be devastating. But that’s true for most teams. Their front-line players are the best the team has had in many years, and if there is any problem with the Eagles’ passing attack in 2022, it is more likely going to be due to inconsistent quarterback play than anything else.

With a potentially explosive core of Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, and Jahan Dotson, along with some decent depth, and with a solid and eclectic group of versatile tight ends, I put Washington a little ways behind the Eagles in the NFC East in 2022.