http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...ahead-of-the-2019-season?campaign=Twitter_atn
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Top 3 from the article, Let's Go!!!
3) Chicago Bears
Don't let
the drama at kicker distract you. When your biggest problem is at that position, you know you've got a solid team on your hands. GM Ryan Pace has shown he's not afraid to make bold moves, orchestrating trades to land QB
Mitchell Trubisky in the 2017
NFL Draftand pass rusher
Khalil Mack last September. Not too long ago, it felt like Chicago's roster was littered with first-round busts. Now, it feels like it's bursting with first-round starters, like Trubisky, cornerback
Kyle Fuller, right guard
Kyle Long and linebackers
Leonard Floyd and
Roquan Smith, peppered with mid-round steals like running back
Tarik Cohen and safety
Eddie Jackson. The state of the
Bears' talent base also shows how far Pace has come since the first phase of his tenure in Chicago, when he was working with then-head coach John Fox. That era was marked with forgettable acquisitions like
Pernell McPhee, Antrel Rolle and Eddie Royal. Since Pace's first year, the
Bears have fared much better, adding players like defensive tackle
Akiem Hicks, right tackle
Bobby Massie and cornerback
Prince Amukamara. Either Pace has learned well, or new coach Matt Nagy has the players playing the way Pace visualized.
2) Dallas Cowboys
The
Cowboys' personnel department -- fronted by Stephen Jones and Will McClay -- should take a bow for building the foundation of a strong roster through the draft, headlined by running back
Ezekiel Elliott, left tackle
Tyron Smith, right guard
Zack Martin, quarterback
Dak Prescott, defensive end
DeMarcus Lawrence, linebackers
Leighton Vander Esch and
Jaylon Smith and cornerback
Byron Jones, among others. They've also made crucial additions in the past eight months, trading for players like receiver
Amari Cooper in October and defensive end
Robert Quinn in March and signing players like receiver
Randall Cobb and safety
George Iloka. Now, the question is, how will Dallas sort out the extensions due to Elliott, Prescott and Cooper? The
Cowboys already solved one part of the puzzle by
inking Lawrence to a new deal in April, and I can see them working something out with Prescott before camp.
1) Philadelphia Eagles
What puts the
Eagles in the top spot isn't just the roster assembled by GM Howie Roseman -- it's the fact that so much core talent is locked into contracts through at least 2021. That core includes several who are considered among the best at their respective positions, like quarterback
Carson Wentz (signed through 2024), defensive tackle
Fletcher Cox (2022), tight end
Zach Ertz (2021) and center
Jason Kelce(2021). The
Eagles are also at the point where the NFL draft can be used to build for the future rather than being relied upon as a source of players who can provide an immediate impact. For example, Philly was able to snag offensive tackle prospect
Andre Dillard, who can essentially redshirt for a year while being groomed to replace
Jason Peters next season, in this year's draft.