Don't Doze: NFC East

By: Josh Frey-Sam

If there’s one division that I can’t seem to get a bead on this off-season, it’s the NFC East.

The Philadelphia Eagles seem to be the clear front-runners, but the other teams have gotten better this off-season, most notably on defence, which makes me think this division might not be as clear-cut as many think.

The Cowboys’ and Commanders’ defences will be slightly better, and the Giants are a sneaky team to threaten for the division, depending on the health of Malik Nabers and the competency of offensive co-ordinator Matt Nagy.

We’ll leave the predictions for another day. Here is one sleeper from each team who you should know heading into your drafts.

Dallas Cowboys: WR Ryan Flournoy

I wrote about Flo earlier this off-season as a dynasty target, but there’s no doubt he can also hold some value as a redraft asset this season.

Flo enters the year as the unquestioned No. 3 WR for Dallas. While he’s clearly behind George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, I expect the Cowboys to play in more three-WR sets this season, paving the way to more snaps for Flo.

Head coach Brian Schottemheimer has sung his praises this off-season, too, saying he thinks “the sky is the limit for him and he’s definitely a guy we see finding ways to get the ball.”

And if Lamb or Pickens were to miss time, Flo would immediately become a priority on the waiver wire.

He could be worth a last-round dart throw in drafts.

Philadelphia Eagles: RB Tank Bigsby

Bigsby is not only the clear-cut handcuff to own for Saquon Barkley this year, but all signs are pointing to him potentially having some standalone value as the Eagles look to preserve Barkley as much as possible.

Bigsby came over from the Jags in an early-season trade last year and produced well in a limited showing, finishing with 344 rush yards and two touchdowns on 58 carries (5.9 avg.).

Bigsby also enters this season motivated, in the last year of his rookie deal and looking to get paid in free agency next off-season. Though he fails to offer much in the receiving game, he’s a powerful RB who has shown a lot of flashes that he can be a productive runner in the league when given the opportunity.

If Bigsby could accrue somewhere around 110 touches this season (with a healthy Saquon), he’ll be a valuable bench player who has major upside in the event Barkley is injured.

Washington Commanders: TE Chig Okonkwo

Chig is a classic example of a guy we can’t really judge because of subpar quarterback play throughout his career.

Chig signed with the Commanders this off-season after spending the first four years of his career in Tennessee, catching passes from a declining Ryan Tannehill, Will Levis and rookie Cam Ward.

Though his production was never great, it was clear that he’s a plus athlete who can be a big-time weapon if used properly. Now he joins an offence led by Jayden Daniels, who loves throwing to his tight end.

In Daniels’ rookie season, 34-year-old Zach Ertz was targeted 91 times, catching 66 passes for 654 yards and seven touchdowns. Ertz finished as the TE8 that season, and actually won some people their leagues with a 22-point performance on championship weekend. Of course, Daniels was injured outside of six games last season, which didn’t lead to much production for Ertz.

Now healthy, Daniels has a much younger and more nimble Okonkwo joining an offence that has a lot of question marks beyond Terry McLaurin.

It legitimately would not shock me if Chig saw 100 targets this season, and you can get him in the last round of your draft. This is a smash pick if you decide to punt on TE.

New York Giants: WR Malachi Fields

With Nabers’ health in question, we have no idea how this Giants’ receiving room is going to shake out.

Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney, Odell Beckham Jr., Juju Smith-Schuster, Calvin Austin and Braxton Berrios are just a few of the names in this otherwise underwhelming position group.

There’s also Malachi Fields, a rookie third-round pick out of Notre Dame who, at 6-4, 222 pounds, has the size and athletic profile to potentially fill in as a downfield and red zone threat.

A lot of positives on Fields came out of mini-camp and OTAs, suggesting he will have a legitimate chance to compete for snaps right out the gates.

It’s tough to expect much from a rookie third-rounder. Then again, not every third-rounder has the opportunity that Fields will have. And when Nabers returns, Fields may have done enough to warrant a full-time role opposite the star WR.

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Josh