Philadelphia Eagles: Why experts are saying Dallas has a better roster

[UK_EaglesFan89]

Philadelphia Eagles: Why experts are saying Dallas has a better roster

 

Dallas’ roster is given the nod over the Philadelphia Eagles’ yet again.

As of right now, there won’t be a Hall of Fame Game and the NFL’s preseason may be in danger of being shortened, but the 2020 NFL season is still believed to be a sure thing. What else is certain is most believe the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys are the favorites to win the NFC East. Who the top team is right now changes depending on who you talk to.

Recently, "The Worldwide Leader In Sports” ranked the rosters of all 32 NFL teams using the Pro Football Focus’ statistical engine. Both the Eagles and Cowboys made the top ten, but Dallas finished three spots ahead of the "Birds” to land at number six.

Reading this one requires a subscription to ESPN Plus, but here’s what we can tell you (if you haven’t heard the news already). Ben Linsey, the writer of this one says Philly’s biggest strength is the guys they have in the trenches while their biggest hole is at linebacker and their biggest wildcard comes in the form of one Darius Slay.

Dallas’ biggest strength lies in the fact that their quarterback, Dak Prescott, has an amazing trio of wide receivers to throw to in Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and the newly drafted CeeDee Lamb. Their biggest weakness is at cornerback, especially now with the loss of Byron Jones while Leighton Vander Esch, who’s coming off of a neck injury, remains their wild card. Apparently, Dallas’ weaknesses won’t be as detrimental as Philly’s.

 

This isn’t news to Philadelphia Eagles fans, is it?

If you watch NFC East football, you don’t need an ESPN Plus subscription to know any of that. All offseason, we’ve been treated to stories of how Dallas’ offseason was miles ahead of the one the Eagles turned in. Everyone from NFL.com to the aforementioned ESPN has, at some point, chimed in with their opinion on who’s ahead of the game in what everyone believes is a two-team race for divisional superiority.

Philly addressed many of their needs during the most recent free-agency period by trading for and extending Darius Slay and signing the likes of Jatavis Brown, Javon Hargrave, and Nickell Robey-Coleman. Dallas signed Gerald McCoy, Dontari Poe, and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

The draft is where Philly seemed to lose ground as the Cowboys snatched CeeDee Lamb to keep their rivals from getting him and added Trevon Diggs in the second round of the most recent selection meeting. Philly took Jalen Reagor in Round 1 (not a bad move), but the headscratcher came in Round 2.

A team that’s set a quarterback and at the backup quarterback position took a third-string signal-caller when guys who took care of more pressing needs were still on the board and available (A. J. Epenesa, J. K. Dobbins, Josh Uche, and Kristian Fulton). There’s no reason to cry over spilled milk and what’s done is done, but Philly made a huge error in judgment this past April.

Where they do have an advantage is in their leadership. Howie Roseman is a better general manager than Jerry Jones is. Any "Birds” fan will take Jeffrey Lurie as an owner over anyone. Philly is also the only team in their division that returned their head coach from last season. The pieces are in place for a second-straight division title and another trip to the playoffs. Only time will tell if that’s how things work out.

https://insidetheiggles.com/2020/06/27/philadelphia-eagles-experts-dallas-better-roster/

There's no doubt in my mind that Dallas has a more talented roster. But we have a better HC. Now the X factor this year is that Dallas did upgrade at HC so perhaps that slight improvement gives them the edge this year? But talent wise they do definitely have the more talented roster.

[PoconoDon]

Dallas has drafted significantly better than the Eagles for a handful of years now. They should have the more talented roster. Talent is only 1 ingredient though and the Eagles have an advantage at coaching, chemistry, and overall team culture. If the talent differential gets too high, then yes, they'll pass the Eagles as the better team, like back in the early 90's. They're not there yet though and with a strong draft or two by the Eagles, they'll never get there.

Howie, as usual, it's on you to do what's been hardest for you to do, and that's out-perform Dallas in the draft. Simply have to.

[DeathByEagle]

Anyone can see the Cowboys on paper have a better talented roster and have for a while. Takes more then just the players to win in the NFL. The coach, OC/DC, schemes, etc have more of a effect then just overall talent. 

[Asg 15]

yeah. The "experts" have been right so many times lately, haven't they?

[eggs]

Yes - same story every year, but Dallas loses on culture and they fail every time. 

[greenskeeper]

Dallass sucks !

[pallidrone]

I really wonder what effect a truncated off season with the possibility of a late start to the season will have on teams with new head coaches.

I really think the Eagles will win the NFC East this year because of that.

[UK_EaglesFan89]

14 hours ago, pallidrone said:

I really wonder what effect a truncated off season with the possibility of a late start to the season will have on teams with new head coaches.

I really think the Eagles will win the NFC East this year because of that.

I certainly think that's going to be a factor yeah. But then we have a lot of new coaches and players at positions that need a lot of coaching up and they won't get that. 

[jsb235]

I don't think Dallas has the better roster, and I don't think it is even close.

On offense, we have a clear edge at QB and TE. Offensive line is somewhat of a toss up. They have a declining LT, a pretty good RT, an excellent RG and questions at C and LG. We have a better RT, C, LG and RG (when he's healthy), and an ascending LT. Obviously there is a gap at LT favoring the Cowboys right now, but that's the only spot on the line where they have an advantage.

They are better at RB, though it's not a huge gap. The biggest difference is at WR, but a healthy DJax narrows that gap, and we have yet to see what Reagor or Lamb can contribute. Also, the fact that we use 12 personnel more means we are comparing Lamb, Cooper and Gallup to Reagor, DJax and Ertz.

There is a huge gap on defense since we added good players and they subtracted them.

Lawrence is the only lineman who would start on this team. We have a huge advantage there. Slay and Robey-Coleman are much better than the Cowboys CB1 and slot corner. Maddox and whomever the CB2 is in Dallas is probably at best a tie, and I think we have an edge there as well. At safety, McLeod and Mills versus Clinton-Dix and Woods is tough to judge. But certainly if they are better there, they aren't much better. Both teams have been mentioned as landing spots for Adams, so that is some indication of where we both stand.

Linebacker is interesting. The Cowboys dump draft picks and money into a position we don't care about, and when Vander Esch is healthy, they have a massive advantage. But it isn't enough to make up for the fact that their Dline is not very good. I watched our second game against them last year, and our LBs were as good as Smith and Lee, who pretty much lost the game for them. 

So the only place on defense where Dallas has a clear advantage is at LB. On offense, would you rather have Sanders running the ball and Wentz throwing to Goedert, Ertz, Jackson and Reagor or Elliot running the ball and Dak throwing to Cooper, Gallup, Lamb and whoever plays tight end for them now?

Our roster was better last year, and we got better and they got worse. There is no way they have better players than us.

It is also worth mentioning that every player that they handed a big contract to, with the exception of Collins, had a down year or stayed the same. Lawrence had half as many sacks and was down in every category. Elliot had fewer rushing and receiving yards while playing one more game. Smith saw his sacks and QB hits go down. Cooper had similar numbers, so at least he didn't get worse.

[UK_EaglesFan89]

4 hours ago, jsb235 said:

I don't think Dallas has the better roster, and I don't think it is even close.

I do think though bud that in your assessment of both rosters there are some Eagles bias coming through. 

[VeeMak]

Cowboys have the better roster.  Howie had yet another questionable draft.  Lightning in a bottle in 2018 for Howie with everything coming together perfectly.  Every free agent was a hit, Frank Reich and DP pulled all the right levers.  Wentz was on an MVP trajectory until the injury, and then BDN played flawlessly in the playoff run in his stead. And all of this through devastating injuries.  But somehow, Howie gets credit for it and continues to make a mockery of the draft and basic talent evaluation without any repercussions.  
 

Yes, Dallas has the better roster because they have better talent evaluation and a better GM on draft day.

[jsb235]

7 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

I do think though bud that in your assessment of both rosters there are some Eagles bias coming through. 

I'll be happy to defend my position.

Wentz>Dak

Elliot>Sanders

Ertz, Goedert, DJax, Reagor>Cooper, Gallup, Lamb, Jarwin

Dillard, Seumalo, Kelce, Brooks, Johnson>Smith, Williams, Looney, Martin, Collins

Graham, Cox, Hargrave, Barnett>Lawrence, Poe, McCoy, Crawford

Smith, Vander Esch, Lee>Edwards, Gerry

Robey-Coleman, Slay, Maddox>Diggs, Worley, Lewis (I had to google who the Boys will be starting at corner.)

McLeod, Mills=Clinton-Dix, Woods

At best the Cowboys have an argument about their skill position players being equal, but do you bench Ertz for Gallup? Goedert for Jarwin? Cooper is better than DJax. But that's about it. And the main difference is that Lamb has to start for the Cowboys even if he isn't ready, since they have no one else. We have more options.

[VeeMak]

3 hours ago, jsb235 said:

I'll be happy to defend my position.

Wentz>Dak

Up for debate, durability goes to Dak, accuracy goes to Dak (especially on the move), arm talent goes to Wentz, upside goes to Wentz.  At best a push here.

Elliot>Sanders

Agree, but closer than national pundits think IMHO

 

3 hours ago, jsb235 said:

Ertz, Goedert, DJax, Reagor>Cooper, Gallup, Lamb, Jarwin

Disagree here.  Ertz is in the discussion as best tight end in football.  But after that, the best we have is DJax.  Pencil him in for 8-10 games if we are lucky.  

Dillard, Seumalo, Kelce, Brooks, Johnson>Smith, Williams, Looney, Martin, Collins

Depends on Adre Dillard.  At best it’s a push.  Kelce is on the downside and Brooks just ruptured his Achilles.  Edge to Dallas.

Graham, Cox, Hargrave, Barnett>Lawrence, Poe, McCoy, Crawford

slight edge time Eagles on paper.  But we seem to say this year in and year out but the production doesn’t ever live up to the hype.  But on paper, Eagles better at this position group.

Smith, Vander Esch, Lee>Edwards, Gerry

Easily Cowboys better here. But so are just about 30 other teams. Just not a priority for this regime.

Robey-Coleman, Slay, Maddox>Diggs, Worley, Lewis (I had to google who the Boys will be starting at corner.) 

Eagles have the edge on paper.  But this group under Gym Shortz is completely a product of the front 7 and really front 4’s ability to get a pass rush.

McLeod, Mills=Clinton-Dix, Woods

Advantage Cowboys.  Can’t even grade Mills at safety.  Dangerous territory when a pro football team pencils in an out of position player to take over for a future HOF’er

At best the Cowboys have an argument about their skill position players being equal, but do you bench Ertz for Gallup? Goedert for Jarwin? Cooper is better than DJax. But that's about it. And the main difference is that Lamb has to start for the Cowboys even if he isn't ready, since they have no one else. We have more options.

Cowboys have edge IMHO.  See my thoughts on your thoughts above.  Friendly debate from my perspective, so no offense intended.

[jsb235]

18 minutes ago, VeeMak said:

Cowboys have edge IMHO.  See my thoughts on your thoughts above.  Friendly debate from my perspective, so no offense intended.

No offense taken. A discussion board is supposed to provoke discussion. Certainly there's an argument to be made that the Cowboys have a talented roster, and it is a two-horse race in the division.

I think some people are overly critical of our drafting, and it makes them biased when evaluating the roster. Which is fine. Certainly it leaves a lot to be desired, and they made a few questionable decisions this year. But the Cowboys haven't been that good recently, either. and I think they have some serious weaknesses, namely on the defense.

While the answer is somewhat unknown right now, it is coming. If Reagor does well, Mills turns out to be a decent safety and JJAW and Dillard redeem themselves, I think the conversation is a lot different. If they all struggle, and Lamb and Diggs are really good, my opinion is clearly going to change.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

[UK_EaglesFan89]

1 hour ago, jsb235 said:

and it is a two-horse race in the division.

That much we can absolutely agree on bud! Washington and New York are still quite far behind us. 

[DeathByEagle]

16 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

That much we can absolutely agree on bud! Washington and New York are still quite far behind us. 

Never under estimate anyone. Did anyone expect us to go from the 4th worst team in the league to best in the div in Chip Kelly's first year? Nothing is certain in the NFL and you have to prepare for anything. Worst to first happens more then most think. 

[time2rock]

2 hours ago, DeathByEagle said:

Never under estimate anyone. Did anyone expect us to go from the 4th worst team in the league to best in the div in Chip Kelly's first year? Nothing is certain in the NFL and you have to prepare for anything. Worst to first happens more then most think. 

Agreed.  It wouldn’t be wise to write off any teams.  Especially with the kind of crazy offseason we are experiencing.  Both NY and Washington have a decent amount of young talent on their teams.  Perhaps the former coaching staffs just weren’t getting the best of them.  

[UK_EaglesFan89]

5 hours ago, DeathByEagle said:

Never under estimate anyone. Did anyone expect us to go from the 4th worst team in the league to best in the div in Chip Kelly's first year? Nothing is certain in the NFL and you have to prepare for anything. Worst to first happens more then most think. 

Fair points. I mean that Washington line could be devastating and could at times take over games.

[jsb235]

30 minutes ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

Fair points. I mean that Washington line could be devastating and could at times take over games.

Washington has a really good line, but not much else. McLaurin was a nice draft pick, and our offense would be totally different had we grabbed him last year. But Haskins seems like a bad pick. Plus, no one really wants to be there thanks to a terrible owner.

NY is a mess. Last year, if they had drafted the player who was the next pick in the first round, they would have a dominant DE, a starting center and a starting right tackle. Instead they have an iffy QB, a run stuffing DT and a jailed CB. So this year they had to draft three offensive linemen, including a tackle at #4, when they could have had a much better QB prospect.

Someone once did a study of the Raiders first round picks, and found that for a few years, the next guy drafted made the pro bowl, and their pick flamed out. That reminded me of the Giants draft last year. I also think their tackle they drafted is going to struggle. His tape looks terrible. He is big and athletic, but I would rather have Dillard and it's not close.

That being said, I would gladly take Slayton.