Risen Star
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Click the link for the rest of the league. NFC East here. (ESPN Insider)
http://espn.go.com/nfl/insider/stor...anking-rosters-all-32-teams-2016-depth-talent
5. Philadelphia Eagles
Top five players: DE Fletcher Cox, OT Jason Peters, S Malcolm Jenkins, DE Brandon Graham, QB Sam Bradford
Starters who should be upgraded: LB Nigel Bradham, OG Allen Barbre, WR Nelson Agholor, LB Jordan Hicks, CB Nolan Carroll
The Eagles imploded around Chip Kelly, but the roster still has a lot of good players, and more may see the field after the organization's offseason of personnel moves designed to move away from Kelly's way of doing things as fast as possible. Cox has been a monster and could improve with a transition to a four-man line, in which he will no longer have two-gap responsibilities, allowing him to simply attack gaps and wreak havoc in the backfield. Graham and Vinny Curry are both able edge rushers, and Bennie Logan should be a fine nose tackle in a 4-3 scheme, giving the Eagles a formidable front. On paper, Jenkins and Rodney McLeod look to be one of the league's best safety tandems, and if Eric Rowe can take a step forward, this defense looks very impressive.
There are still a lot of pieces in place on offense. The line has talent, but it has been inconsistent. Skill position players Zach Ertz, Darren Sproles and Jordan Matthews provide dangerous weapons from their roles. Second-year receiver Agholor needs to be much better in 2016. Plus, there's the quarterback competition, which will be the headline grabber, but Bradford played pretty well in 2015.
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12. Dallas Cowboys
Top five players: OT Tyron Smith, OG Zack Martin, OC Travis Frederick, LB Sean Lee, QB Tony Romo
Starters who should be upgraded: LB Anthony Hitchens, CB Morris Claiborne
In the opposite trend to most NFL teams, the Cowboys have no worries along the offensive line, boasting all-pros in multiple positions. La'el Collins had several highlight-reel pancake blocks as a rookie, but he was only average overall. If Collins develops and irons out those negatives, he could quickly become another all-pro.
There are significant holes elsewhere, however, especially at cornerback, where former first-round pick Claiborne appears likely to start again despite four straight seasons of negative PFF grading and no year in which he allowed lower than 61.5 percent of targets sent his way. Depth remains an issue on the defensive front, as the Cowboys let Greg Hardy walk this offseason, while DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory are facing four-game suspensions to start the season.
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21. Washington Commanders
Top five players: OT Trent Williams, CB Josh Norman, TE Jordan Reed, DE Chris Baker, OLB Ryan Kerrigan
Starters who should be upgraded: OC Kory Lichtensteiger, LB Perry Riley, LB Mason Foster
Washington landed one of the coups of the offseason when Norman unexpectedly became available in April. He adds a legitimate, elite-level coverage player to a secondary that has shown ability, particular in the development of Bashaud Breeland. The Commanders' front seven has several good players, and overall, this defense could be an impressive unit in 2016.
On offense, Kirk Cousins cemented himself as the starter at quarterback, and there is enough talent for this team to be very good. Rookie wideout Josh Doctson has the ability to become an elite target, but he'll need time. The only major issue is in the middle of the offensive line, where Lichtensteiger was poor and banged up in 2015, causing major problems to the offense as a whole. The Commanders could move up this list rapidly if he can find his best form again, or if they can find an upgrade.
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25. New York Giants
Top five players: WR Odell Beckham Jr., DE Olivier Vernon, DTDamon Harrison, DE Jason Pierre-Paul, DT Johnathan Hankins
Starters who should be upgraded: OT Ereck Flowers, OG John Jerry, OTMarshall Newhouse, TE Larry Donnell, DE Devon Kennard, LB Keenan Robinson, S Landon Collins
The Giants are all-in on the 2016 season after the biggest free-agent spending spree in the league earlier this offseason. They have brought in a lot of talent -- and upside -- but the bust potential of this group is high. Last season, Vernon played like a candidate for defensive player of the year in the final eight games of the season, but that stretch is a massive departure from his career baseline. In the first half of last season, he notched only 24 total pressures.
The biggest issue is on the offensive line, however. Flowers, playing on a bad ankle, was a disaster as a rookie on the left side. The ankle may be better heading into 2016, but he remains at left tackle, giving the Giants one of the most worrying pair of tackles in the NFL in Flowers and Newhouse. The two combined to surrender 10 sacks and 120 total pressures last season. For comparison, the entire Dallas O-line allowed just 108.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/insider/stor...anking-rosters-all-32-teams-2016-depth-talent
5. Philadelphia Eagles
Top five players: DE Fletcher Cox, OT Jason Peters, S Malcolm Jenkins, DE Brandon Graham, QB Sam Bradford
Starters who should be upgraded: LB Nigel Bradham, OG Allen Barbre, WR Nelson Agholor, LB Jordan Hicks, CB Nolan Carroll
The Eagles imploded around Chip Kelly, but the roster still has a lot of good players, and more may see the field after the organization's offseason of personnel moves designed to move away from Kelly's way of doing things as fast as possible. Cox has been a monster and could improve with a transition to a four-man line, in which he will no longer have two-gap responsibilities, allowing him to simply attack gaps and wreak havoc in the backfield. Graham and Vinny Curry are both able edge rushers, and Bennie Logan should be a fine nose tackle in a 4-3 scheme, giving the Eagles a formidable front. On paper, Jenkins and Rodney McLeod look to be one of the league's best safety tandems, and if Eric Rowe can take a step forward, this defense looks very impressive.
There are still a lot of pieces in place on offense. The line has talent, but it has been inconsistent. Skill position players Zach Ertz, Darren Sproles and Jordan Matthews provide dangerous weapons from their roles. Second-year receiver Agholor needs to be much better in 2016. Plus, there's the quarterback competition, which will be the headline grabber, but Bradford played pretty well in 2015.
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12. Dallas Cowboys
Top five players: OT Tyron Smith, OG Zack Martin, OC Travis Frederick, LB Sean Lee, QB Tony Romo
Starters who should be upgraded: LB Anthony Hitchens, CB Morris Claiborne
In the opposite trend to most NFL teams, the Cowboys have no worries along the offensive line, boasting all-pros in multiple positions. La'el Collins had several highlight-reel pancake blocks as a rookie, but he was only average overall. If Collins develops and irons out those negatives, he could quickly become another all-pro.
There are significant holes elsewhere, however, especially at cornerback, where former first-round pick Claiborne appears likely to start again despite four straight seasons of negative PFF grading and no year in which he allowed lower than 61.5 percent of targets sent his way. Depth remains an issue on the defensive front, as the Cowboys let Greg Hardy walk this offseason, while DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory are facing four-game suspensions to start the season.
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21. Washington Commanders
Top five players: OT Trent Williams, CB Josh Norman, TE Jordan Reed, DE Chris Baker, OLB Ryan Kerrigan
Starters who should be upgraded: OC Kory Lichtensteiger, LB Perry Riley, LB Mason Foster
Washington landed one of the coups of the offseason when Norman unexpectedly became available in April. He adds a legitimate, elite-level coverage player to a secondary that has shown ability, particular in the development of Bashaud Breeland. The Commanders' front seven has several good players, and overall, this defense could be an impressive unit in 2016.
On offense, Kirk Cousins cemented himself as the starter at quarterback, and there is enough talent for this team to be very good. Rookie wideout Josh Doctson has the ability to become an elite target, but he'll need time. The only major issue is in the middle of the offensive line, where Lichtensteiger was poor and banged up in 2015, causing major problems to the offense as a whole. The Commanders could move up this list rapidly if he can find his best form again, or if they can find an upgrade.
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25. New York Giants
Top five players: WR Odell Beckham Jr., DE Olivier Vernon, DTDamon Harrison, DE Jason Pierre-Paul, DT Johnathan Hankins
Starters who should be upgraded: OT Ereck Flowers, OG John Jerry, OTMarshall Newhouse, TE Larry Donnell, DE Devon Kennard, LB Keenan Robinson, S Landon Collins
The Giants are all-in on the 2016 season after the biggest free-agent spending spree in the league earlier this offseason. They have brought in a lot of talent -- and upside -- but the bust potential of this group is high. Last season, Vernon played like a candidate for defensive player of the year in the final eight games of the season, but that stretch is a massive departure from his career baseline. In the first half of last season, he notched only 24 total pressures.
The biggest issue is on the offensive line, however. Flowers, playing on a bad ankle, was a disaster as a rookie on the left side. The ankle may be better heading into 2016, but he remains at left tackle, giving the Giants one of the most worrying pair of tackles in the NFL in Flowers and Newhouse. The two combined to surrender 10 sacks and 120 total pressures last season. For comparison, the entire Dallas O-line allowed just 108.
