The latest news from around the division.
Commanders defensive line faces steep climb in 2025 – Darius Hayes, Sports Illustrated
A former Washington strength may now be a weak spot for the Commanders.
The Washington Commanders enter 2025 after an impressive one-season turnaround under head coach Dan Quinn.
However, one position group is under intense criticism. Pro Football Focus ranks the Commanders’ defensive line 31st in the league, highlighting significant issues for a unit that was once the foundation of the team’s identity.
In its latest positional rankings, PFF described the outlook for Washington going forward on defense.
“Washington’s already shaky defensive line could be even worse in 2025. The unit lost edge defender Dante Fowler Jr., who led the team in sacks, and released veteran interior defender Jonathan Allen this offseason”, said PFF.
“Of the edge defenders and interior defenders still on the team, Dorrance Armstrong owns the highest PFF overall grade from 2024 (65.3) but ranked only 56th among edge defenders.”
This low ranking comes after a significant overhaul. Veteran Jonathan Allen, a longtime leader on and off the field, was released earlier this offseason, and pass-rushing specialist Dante Fowler Jr., who led the team in sacks last year, was not retained. The departures leave a sizable void in both production and leadership.
Now, the pressure falls on players like Dorrance Armstrong, who reunites with head coach Dan Quinn from their days in Dallas. Armstrong posted a solid 65.3 overall PFF grade last season, the highest among returning linemen in Washington. Still, that ranked only 56th among edge rushers league-wide, an indicator of just how thin the unit’s top-end talent is.
While Armstrong brings familiarity with Quinn’s scheme, the rest of the defensive line remains a question mark. The team will need young players and rotational veterans to step up in a big way if it hopes to generate consistent pressure or slow down opposing run games.
ESPN Predicts ‘Nuclear’ Giants Defense To Rank Among NFL’s Elite – Nathan Karseno, AthlonSports.com
New York may produce a stellar defensive unit in 2025.
General manager Joe Schoen has committed ample resources into the defense in an attempt to drag the New York Giants out of the NFC East basement and back to relevancy.
While those efforts haven’t yielded a division title since their last Super Bowl win in 2011, many believe this offseason’s moves have has been as productive as any in recent years in making up some ground with their rivals.
They remain a long shot to win the division, but the Giants’ defense could see some major improvements this season after another productive offseason addressing that side of the ball.
ESPN’s Mina Kimes has predicted the Giants’ defense to rank in the top 10 across the league this season, thanks in large part to their depth up front.
“I chose this team entirely based on the idea that the defensive line can just completely take over games and ruin the lives of quarterbacks,” Kimes said, as the G-men were the final team she named in this projection.
The headliner of New York’s offseason on defense was the organization going back to its old ways and loading up on pass rushers. Joining Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns is the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, Abdul Carter.
“It’s a nightmare,” Kimes said about the ferocious defensive line.
She also mentions, however, that other free agency moves should be helpful as well.
“They also added some players in the back end that I think could stabilize things with Javon Holland at safety, [cornerback] Paulson Adebo, [Dru] Phillips is really good. I really like the combination of Javon Holland and Tyler Nubin together, because I think you can have Nuban playing closer to the box where he’s better, personally,” Kimes said.
TE Dallas Goedert Addresses Decision To Remain With Eagles – Adam La Rose, Pro Football Rumors
The Eagles kept a key piece of their offense.
Dallas Goedert was a trade candidate for much of the spring, and his future remained uncertain past the draft. With no agreement being made to send him to a new team, though, the veteran tight end wound up remaining with the Eagles on a restructured deal.
Originally scheduled to earn $14.25MM in 2025, Goedert will instead collect $10MM in base pay with another $1MM available through incentives. He remains a pending free agent, meaning a Philadelphia departure could still be in store next spring. Goedert’s preference was to stay in place for 2025, however, something he recently spoke about.
“Yeah, so when I got drafted a year after [the Eagles] won the Super Bowl, I was able to experience the fun parts of a Super Bowl the year after winning the Super Bowl,” the 30-year-old said during an appearance on ESPN’s NFL Live (via NFL.com). “After we won and the opportunity to run it back again to see the banner drop, it just wouldn’t have felt — it would have felt I was missing on a lot not being there to see all that stuff.
“I got a lot of love for the city of Philadelphia… So, I figured for me it was best to work out a deal, so I could stay there and be with the people I find that are important and try to win another one.”
2024 saw Goedert limited to just 10 regular season games and 496 receiving yards (the second-lowest total of his career). The eighth-year veteran will nevertheless be counted on to operate as a full-time starting member of the Eagles’ lauded skill position group. Goedert, along with running back Saquon Barkley and wideouts A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, will return in 2025 as part of the team’s Super Bowl defense.
