Philadelphia Eagles fall behind Cowboys as NFC East favorites

With the NFL Draft concluded, popular opinion seems to be that the Philadelphia Eagles have ceded “top dog” status in the NFC East to the Dallas Cowboys.

I’m as sick to my stomach as you are when I read all of the NFL Draft grades and see the Dallas Cowboys at or near the top of every single one of them while the Philadelphia Eagles are receiving C- and D+ grades all over, usually ranking among the bottom five “worst” drafts, according to the experts.

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On paper, the Cowboys look like they got exactly what they needed. A top flight wideout in CeeDee Lamb, a player whom the Eagles failed to keep out of their hands. Two talented corners in Trevon Diggs and Reggie Robinson to replace the departed Byron Jones. Center Tyler Biadasz, who could step in as a replacement for the retired Travis Frederick. Everyone just seemed to love what Jerry Jones managed to pull off.

Meanwhile, the Eagles were questioned or ridiculed at every turn for their strategy of “pick Jalens, a bunch of small receivers, Shaun Bradley (not the Space Jam one), and a Nigerian prince who may or may not be the guy who keeps sending you emails.” Even someone with complete confidence in Howie Roseman has to be concerned at the way that things are playing out in the court of public opinion.

Because of how the draft went down, the Cowboys will now be viewed as NFC East favorites going forward, rather than it being the neck-and-neck competition with the Eagles that most expected. And I’m willing to bet that there will be some bozo out there who goes on to project that the Redskins or Giants will finish ahead of the Eagles this coming season, piling on because of how objectively bad the Eagles’ draft seemed to many.

There’s a feeling of dismay in Philadelphia about how this all played out, and a fanbase desperately in need of an emotional boost instead feels let down. The Eagles may have added some nice players, but “nice” doesn’t translate into having a dynamic and immediate impact. Fans don’t want to wait multiple season for picks to pan out, which could be the case with several of the newest Eagles who are more projects than prospects. Meanwhile, the Cowboys went for it, and they’re clearly all in for 2020.

But let’s not forget that this Cowboys team also had the most raw talent in the division last year. How did that work out? Last time I checked, Carson Wentz and a bunch of guys off the street beat them out for the division title. The Eagles can’t exactly rely on this again, but let it serve as a reminder that these Cowboys might be good, but they’re not the ’72 Dolphins.

The tale of the NFC East in 2020 wasn’t decided on draft weekend, even if the media, overzealous Cowboys fans, and extremely negative Eagles fans (i.e. all of them) think that it was. But the Eagles will still return to the underdog role which has become so familiar to them. I don’t think this was the strategy the Eagles were going for, but it’s become the narrative as we move on to the next phase of the offseason.