The start of the NFL season is two weeks away, here are my record predictions, a possible MVP for each team, and one prospect that will light it up on the big stage. We start with the NFC East.
New York Giants
The New York Giants are still not a good football team, despite drafting a star OT out of Georgia in Andrew Thomas. They are still the New York Giants. Joe Judge will struggle to get a grip on this team, and Daniel Jones is still making a name for himself in this league. Their only saving grace is Saquon Barkley; without him, the Giants wouldn't be winning more than seven games this season.Â
Record Prediction: 7-9
MVP: Saquon Barkley
Now entering his third year into the league, Saquon Barkley is the Giant's only hope at a playoff spot this season. Barkley, whom last season had a dip in numbers from his impressive rookie campaign, will need to show up big once again. I see Barkley rushing for 1100 yards and ten touchdowns, helping the Giants win a few games.
Prospect: Andrew Thomas
With the Giants drafting Andrew Thomas with the 4th overall pick in this year's draft, Giants fans were relieved to get some help on the offensive line. Thomas, who started 41 games at Georgia, only had five sacks against him over his three years at Georgia. He was also the recipient of the SEC's Jacobs Blocking Trophy in 2019, among other awards. Standing at 6'5 and 320 Ibs, Thomas is a force to be reckoned. The Giants made the right choice selecting him at number 4, and I expect him to make much noise this upcoming year.
Dallas Cowboys
This year, the Dallas Cowboys might have a chance to return to an 11 win squad. With the addition of Ceedee Lamb from Oklahoma, and with Michael Gallup, Amari Cooper alongside. It is going to make for a deadly trio of receivers for defensive coordinators. Plus, with Dak Prescott getting some more talent to throw to on the outside, his numbers will be boosted. There go, Cowboys win the NFC East.
Record Prediction: 11-5
MVP: Ezekiel Elliott
Ezekiel Elliott is a beast at the running back position and will continue to be for years to come. Looking just at last year's numbers, Elliott, who rushed for 1357 yards and 12 touchdowns, is not slowing down this year. Elliott is a strong downhill runner similar to a Marshawn Lynch, so with that, he is tough to tackle when he gets going. I expect him to have another big year with the Cowboys offensive line staying intact from last year.
Prospect: Ceedee Lamb
Ceedee Lamb was one of the most underrated pickups in the NFL draft this year. The cowboys selected the Oklahoma Univerisity product chosen 17th overall. Many people expected him to go higher, and lucky for Dallas, they scooped him up and didn't even need to trade up. Lamb dominated the Big 12 Conference the past three years, racking up over 3000 yards receiving and 33 touchdowns. I expect him to make an immediate impact for the Dallas Cowboys this season.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a team that has question marks surrounding it every year. Carson Wentz is injured every year, they can't find any good receivers to catch a football, and this year they drafted another quarterback. With the team selecting Jalen Hurts, it makes you question whether the Eagles still believe in Carson Wentz. I still think that Carson Wentz has seen better days ahead of him, but his injuries are adding up.
Record Prediction: 8-8Â
MVP: Carson Wentz
As much as Carson Wentz is injury prone, with him having at least one injury in each season of his league career, he will have to be the Eagles' MVP of the season. Wentz, who finished the season with a 9-7 QB record, twenty-seven touchdown passes and only seven interceptions, looked promising for Philadelphia fans to play an entire season. That wasn't the case as he injured himself in the NFC wildcard game against Seattle. The goal for Carson Wentz is to finish the season, and I see him having another strong year, just not good enough to make the playoffs.
Prospect: Jalen Reagor (WR)Â
The Eagles finally have someone who can catch a football for them. Jalen Reagor, a TCU product, racked up 72 catches for 1,061 yards and nine touchdowns. The future looks bright for the first-round pick as he joins a franchise begging for receivers. I expect him to have a strong rookie season racking up 800 yards and at least eight touchdowns.
Washington Football Team
The Washington football team will not be good this year; they made a big splash in the draft picking up Chase Young. Who is set to be a franchise player for them, possibly helping them get over the hump? For me, he is not enough to make a difference in them winning three games or them ten or eleven games. Dwayne Haskins has yet to prove himself as a regular starter in this league. I do not see them winning more than four games.
Record Prediction 3-13
MVP: Ryan Kerrigan (LB)
Ryan Kerrigan is the best player on the Washington football team. Kerrigan, who last season finished with 25 solo tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 14 QB hits and 5.5 sacks, made his mark on the team last year. I expect him to have similar numbers this season, with 30 solo tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 12 QB hits, and 6 sacks on the season. I expect Kerrigan to have a good year on the field for the team to have a chance to win 4 or 5 games.
Prospect: Chase Young (DE)Â
Chase Young is one of the most exciting prospects of 2020; his pure speed and agility of the line will make any offensive coordinator double think about their game plan. Young, who dominated at Ohio State University as he racked up 68 tackles, 40 tackles for loss and 30.5 sacks, 16.5 of those sacks in his senior year. He is going to be an exciting player for fans of the Washington Football Team. I expect him to rack up 11 sacks, 26 solo tackles, and 12 tackles for loss in his rookie season.