There are 32 teams in the NFL, but the real battle lies within the division.
With each team playing six games versus their divisional adversaries, each matchup plays a huge role in the scope of the entire season.
The NFC East is a particularly competitive division.
There has not been a repeat champion since the Philadelphia Eagles won the division four years in a row from 2001 to 2004.
It made me think of a fun exercise. Let’s go position group by position group ranking which teams in the NFC East are superior.
Today we start with the most important position room in the locker room: Quarterback.
Analysis will be in team alphabetical order, with rankings revealed at the end of the article.
Dallas Cowboys
Projected starter: Dak Prescott
Bench: Cooper Rush
Dak Prescott
Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets.
Rodgers no longer being in the NFC is not the only ramification of that move for the Dallas Cowboys.
With that transaction, Dak Prescott is now the longest tenured quarterback with the same team in the NFC.
Entering his eighth season as field general for Dallas, the expectations for Prescott are higher than they have ever been.
The fourth round pick out of Mississippi State is 61-36 as a starter in his seven years in the NFL, and 2-4 in the playoffs.
He has exceeded expectations based on his draft stock, but has yet to live up to the lofty expectations of Cowboys Nation.
As I mentioned in a previous article, fans should be happier with what Prescott has provided in his time here.
Cooper Rush
The Cowboys brought back Cooper Rush this offseason with new 2 year/$5 million contract to remain Prescott’s primary backup.
It’s a well-deserved raise after going 4-1 while filling in for Prescott in the 2022 season.
Rush proved he can fill in amicably when called upon, and showed tremendous value to the team.
New York Giants
Projected starter: Daniel Jones
Bench: Tyrod Taylor
Daniel Jones
Daniel Jones was a surprise pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Not that he wasn’t projected to go in the first round, but no one predicted he’d be the second quarterback taken behind Kyler Murray.
It was a weak quarterback class that featured only three taken in the first round. The other being the late Dwayne Haskins.
Jones has struggled early in his career with taking care of the football.
He has gifted the opposing defense with a turnover 57 times in only 54 games played.
The 2022 season showed marked improvement under the tutelage of new Head Coach Brian Daboll and Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka.
Jones took much better care of the football, and posted career highs in nearly every passing metric to lead the Giants to the playoffs.
Things are looking up for the young New York quarterback.
Tyrod Taylor
Behind Daniel Jones on the depth chart is journeyman quarterback Tyrod Taylor.
Taylor has played for six teams in his 11 year career, and is no slouch as a backup.
He has started 53 games, mostly during his time in Buffalo from 2015 to 2018.
Since then he has been relegated to a backup role, but is a savvy veteran who can fill the void in a pinch.
Philadelphia Eagles
Projected starter: Jalen Hurts
Bench: Marcus Mariota
Jalen Hurts
Fresh off of a Super Bowl appearance, Jalen Hurts looks to return to the big game in 2023.
Bolstered by a great supporting cast in his first year as a starter, Hurts brings a skillset to the quarterback position that gives defensive coordinators agita.
He can rifle passes to his receivers or simply choose to pull the ball down and use his 6’1″ 225 pound frame to barrel over defenders.
The Eagles boast an excellent offensive scheme that utilizes his skills to put him in the best position to win on a down to down basis.
Eagles fans are ecstatic to see Hurts build on a season in which amassed 4,461 yards from scrimmage and 35 total touchdowns.
A repeat performance from Hurts likely means the Eagles will be in or around the big dance come February 2024.
Marcus Mariota
A sneaky good move this offseason by General Manager Howie Roseman and the Eagles was bringing in eight year veteran Marcus Mariota.
Although Hurts went 14-1 as a starter in 2022, he did miss two games with a shoulder injury.
With the style of play that Philadelphia requires of Hurts, a competent backup quarterback is paramount.
The Eagles lost both games Hurts missed with injury, but more importantly, they had to change their offensive scheme for Gardner Minshew in those two games.
The running ability of Mariota allows Nick Sirianni call the same type of game no matter who is under center.
Washington Commanders
Projected starter: Sam Howell
Bench: Jacoby Brissett
Sam Howell
The Washington Commanders have not had a viable quarterback they can depend on in many years.
They drafted Sam Howell from the University of North Carolina hoping they finally found the answer to that position.
Howell only appeared in one game in 2022, a victory in Week 18 at home versus the Dallas Cowboys.
He was not spectacular by any means, but did just enough to get the job done on a day where the Cowboys offense seemingly never got off the plane.
The Commanders did not draft a quarterback in the 2023 draft, so it appears they will at least give Howell the opportunity to prove what he can do.
Jacoby Brissett
Whether Jacoby Brissett was brought in to compete for the starting job or simply to provide veteran leadership is still unknown.
Brissett’s latest stint was starting in place of a suspended Deshaun Watson in Cleveland.
He went 4-7 as a starter before Watson returned to claim his starting job back.
Brissett seems to have the makings of a career backup, which would mean he was brought to Washington to help mold Howell.
Final QB Room Rankings
Dallas Cowboys
Philadelphia Eagles
New York Giants
Washington Commanders