Washington’s NFL franchise has undergone several name changes, but this offseason, a rebrand might be in order for the Philadelphia Eagles.
After drafting five players from the University of Georgia over the past two years — and by acquiring former Georgia running back D’Andre Swift from the Detroit Lions — the Philadelphia Eagles have jokingly been dubbed the Philadelphia Bulldogs in recent days.
“I’m a Florida Gator, do you know how much it hurts my soul to take all these Georgia Bulldogs?” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said in a phone call with Nolan Smith, a Georgia pass rusher who Philadelphia took 30th overall, that was captured by Philadelphia’s in-house video department.
“Hell yeah, you want to win though,” Smith said.
“I do want to win!” Roseman said with a grin. “I do want to win, my man. More than you know.”
Roseman’s reliance on Georgia alums may have stung on a personal level, but the executive’s moves have been met with near-universal acclaim as the Eagles were seen as one of the clear winners of this year’s NFL draft — so much so that the praise for Roseman has “annoyed” other team executives, the NFL Network’s Peter Schrager said on air.
The reception for the rest of the NFC East hasn’t been nearly as kind. The New York Giants did receive largely positive feedback for their draft class, while the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Commanders earned more mixed reactions for their respective drafts.
The Eagles, who won the division last year and came up just short in the Super Bowl, appear to be in a strong position to build off last season.
Beyond a strong draft class that included defensive tackle Jalen Carter and defensive end Smith, the Eagles locked up their franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts with a five-year, $255 million deal. And Philadelphia had a productive free agency as the team retained several key pieces such as cornerback James Braderry, center Jason Kelce and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, while adding new talents like cornerback Greedy Williams, safety Terrell Edmunds and linebacker Nicholas Morrow.
Together, Philadelphia’s moves should help the team withstand the departures of those like defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and coordinators Shane Steichen and Jonathan Gannon, the latter of whom landed head coaching gigs.
Oddsmakers have the Eagles as a clear favorite to win the NFC East again next season.
“We’re not looking to take our foot off the gas,” Roseman told the Eagles’ website. “We’re not looking to take a step back. We’re looking to do whatever we can to make the players on our team, the coaches on our team, and the city proud.”
No team, though, has won the NFC East in back-to-back seasons in almost 20 years. The Cowboys and Giants, too, are coming off playoff appearances.
Like the Eagles, the Giants also signed their quarterback to a long-term deal as Daniel Jones re-upped on a four-year, $160 million contract. That deal, however, wasn’t nearly as well received as Hurts’ contract. Two executives, who were not named in the piece, told The Athletic they felt the Giants overpaid after a career year from Jones in 2022. “Who was going to step out and pay Daniel Jones?” the executive said.
Signing Jones seems to have given the Giants some stability at quarterback. And they’ve spent the offseason trying to build out his supporting cast. The Giants gave star running back Saquon Barkley the franchise tag, traded for Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller and drafted useful pieces like second-round center John Michael Schmitz and third-round wideout Jalin Hyatt.
The Cowboys have also been active, trading for wideout Brandin Cooks, acquiring cornerback Stephon Gillmore and adding running back Ronald Jones to replace a released Ezekiel Elliott, among other moves (Dallas gave standout running back Tony Pollard the franchise tag).
Dallas’ draft, though, earned lukewarm praise as none of their top selections — defensive tackle Mazi Smith, tight end Luke Schoonmaker and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown — move the needle in terms of star power.
The lack of buzz has also been a knock on Washington’s draft class. The Commanders filled needs by drafting cornerback Emmanuel Forbes and safety Quan Martin, but none of Washington’s seven selections appeared to generate hype nationally. The Commanders were also busy in free agency with a series of moves, but those deals hardly made a splash.
The most noteworthy part of Washington‘s offseason — well, besides the pending sale, of course — has been that coach Ron Rivera appears comfortable with letting second-year quarterback Sam Howell compete with veteran Jacoby Brissett for the starting job.
The Commanders are high on Howell — even if oddsmakers are skeptical that the quarterback will help the team improve. DraftKings’ sportsbook, for example, set Washington‘s post-draft win total at 6 ½ for next season, which would be a regression from last year’s 8-8-1 record.
If the oddsmakers are right, and Washington finishes in the range of 6-11 or 7-10, that won’t end well for Rivera.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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