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Jan 26, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay Jr. (2) hugs Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) after the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

UCLA Bruins' General Managers Faltered in NFC East

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI | By Brock Vierra | Last updated May 24, 2025 12:14 PM ET

The UCLA Bruins have a tall mountain to climb if they wish to help their teams continue a 20-year streak of the NFC East having a new champion every season.

The Philadelphia Eagles look like they are in prime position to repeat after retaining most of their starting roster following their victory in Super Bowl LIX.

For the rest of the division, Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema believes they did not do enough to warrant a strong offseason grade, making it that much harder to claim the division. He gave them a C+.

"This grade comes down to what Brian Schottenheimer is as a head coach," Sikkema wrote. "The Cowboys waited a long time to make a move to hire him (and determine Mike McCarthy's future), watching several good head coach candidates sign elsewhere in the meantime. They were also very quiet in free agency (not uncommon for them) when they had money to spend.

"Dallas' draft was a home run, though, especially the team's first three picks. I remain worried about how their offensive and defensive lines will come together in 2025, with Zack Martin retiring on offense and the duo of Mazi Smith and Osa Odighizuwa, who earned PFF run-defense grades of 35.9 and 50.8, respectively, slated to start again."

Bruins Odighizuwa and Jay Toia should help stop the dominant Eagles offensive line in their tracks, but while the team did draft Tyler Booker to replace Martin, concerns about locker room chemistry, coaching staff, and offensive tackles continue to plague the team.

"The Giants took swings at quarterbacks Geno Smith and Matthew Stafford in the trade market, and even called up to No. 1 overall for Cam Ward," Sikkema wrote. "But they were forced to settle for Jaxson Dart at the back end of Round 1. Defensive backs Paulson Adebo and Jevon Holland were great additions via free agency for a defense that earned a 52.2 PFF coverage grade last season. The Giants' draft was very good overall, earning an A- in PFF's draft grades."

Darius Muasau is in the worst position of all the Bruins in the division as the Giants have no clarity at quarterback and a massive question mark about a defensive line full of names but devoid of production.

However, Jaxson Dart catching fire as a rookie and a healthy season from Dexter Lawrence could change everything.

"No one was poached from the Commanders' coaching staff after the team's hugely successful 2024 season," Sikkema wrote. "They also made big splashes by trading for Laremy Tunsil and Deebo Samuel and signing Deatrich Wise and Jonathan Jones for depth.

"I also like that the Commanders brought back veterans Zach Ertz and Bobby Wagner. Their draft class was small in number, but the Josh Conerly Jr. pick could be huge for the flexibility of their offensive line in the short and long term. The only things holding Washington back from a better grade were the team's overpay for Javon Kinlaw and lack of upgrades at edge rusher."

The Commanders are in good shape on paper, but there was also a reason why Samuel and Tunsil were traded. Samuel had a horrific 2025 season, in fact, the worst in his career, as he dropped balls, started scraps with teammates and soured his end with the 49ers.

Tunsil was grabbing more laundry in 2025 than a maid in a five-star hotel and had more false starts than a romantic with no people skills.

Whichever version of them shows up, the good or the bad, will decide if Kain Medrano, Colson Yankoff and Kazmeir Allen will be playing in the postseason for a second straight year.