Best of the NFC East: QB, draft pick, fans and more

The season is creeping closer. Before we know it, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game (Aug. 3) will be here. As we speed toward the start of the 2023 season, let's examine the best of the NFC East.

BEST QB | Jalen Hurts, Eagles: In 2022, Hurts accounted for 13 more touchdowns than Giants QB Daniel Jones, 16 more starts than Commanders QB Sam Howell and nine fewer interceptions than the Cowboys QB Dak Prescott. Hurts also was the only quarterback from the NFC East to make the top 10 in passing last season, and his 4,461 total yards accounted for a little more than 67% of the team’s offense. In 2022, Hurts had 22 touchdown passes and 13 rushing. 

Including playoffs, the Eagles lost just two games with Hurts, the last being Super Bowl LVII. Even in a loss, his 70 yards rushing set a Super Bowl record for quarterbacks and his three rushing scores tied the record for any player, regardless of position. Hurts gets better every season, and at this point, he’s far better than any other quarterback in the division.

BEST COACH | Brian Daboll, Giants: Philadelphia's Nick Sirianni has the most recent Super Bowl appearance, but the Cowboys' Mike McCarthy has 132 more regular-season wins and a Super Bowl ring. Washington’s Ron Rivera has 57 fewer wins than McCarthy but two NFL Coach of the Year Awards.

Last season, however, Coach of the Year honors went to Daboll. The former Bills offensive coordinator took over a team without a winning season since 2016 or a playoff win since 2011.

Yet Daboll’s Giants finished third in the division with a 9-7-1 record.

With no real weapons beyond running back Saquon Barkley, New York put up 31 points on the road to beat the Minnesota Vikings in a wild-card game. Daboll may just be getting started, but if general manager Joe Schoen can improve the roster, another Coach of the Year Award could be in his future.

BEST 2023 FREE-AGENT SIGNING | Jacoby Brissett, Commanders: The Cowboys should be much better with the additions of WR Brandin Cooks and CB Stephon Gilmore, but both came via trade. Meanwhile, the Giants and Eagles each spent a lot of money on their own free agents. Washington also handed out big money ($90M) to bring back DT Daron Payne, but their signing of Brissett may be an even better move. 

According to Pro Football Focus, the Commanders had the 30th-ranked passing grade in 2022.  Sam Howell, the incumbent starting quarterback and former fifth-round draft pick, had one start as a rookie last season, against Dallas. He did not play great (11-for-19, 169 yards passing).

Brissett, on the other hand, has 10,350 yards passing and 48 touchdown passes in 76 games. If Howell struggles, Brissett will have no problem stepping in, and with an $8M salary, he could be the steal of the offseason.

BEST 2023 DRAFT PICK | Nolan Smith, Eagles, linebacker: Philadelphia had two picks in the first round of the draft, using the second one on Smith, the former Georgia star. Here’s what ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. had to say about him:

"The Eagles might have gotten a premier edge rusher at the end of Round 1. I thought Nolan Smith (30) could have gone as high as No. 8 to Atlanta. At 6-foot-2 and 238 pounds, he is undersized, but you can’t teach his physical traits. He ran a blazing 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the combine. We know [Eagles GM Howie] Roseman builds through the trenches, and I love this addition."

Pro Football Focus ranked Smith the 13th-best prospect on his big board. Bleacher Report also ranked Smith as the 13th-best draft prospect, making him a steal for Philadelphia at the end of the first round.

BEST FANS | Philadelphia Eagles: This one’s tough because every NFL fan base wants to believe it's the league’s best. But Giants fans share a city with Jets fans, and beyond the sale of the team, Commanders fans haven’t had much to cheer about lately. 

The Cowboys have more fans than any other team, but the group has too many front-runners who cheer for other teams. That’s not the case in Philadelphia. Philly fans pull for Philly teams, and no team gets more love than the Eagles.

According to a survey from bonusfinder.com, 20% of Eagles fans would skip their own wedding or the birth of their child if it meant that their team won the Super Bowl. The survey also showed that 26% of Eagles fans would forgo Valentine's Day plans to watch an Eagles game, the highest of any NFL fan base.

While the behavior of Eagles fans often gets out of hand, no NFL team has more passionate and informed fans than Philadelphia's. Win, lose or draw, Eagles fans eat, sleep and breathe their favorite team more than any other group in the NFL.