Giving thanks in the NFC East

He currently ranks as the league’s best cornerback by Pro Football Focus and continues to be a vital part of the Cowboys' second-ranked defense.

New York Giants: 2025

With a 3-8 record and Tommy DeVito throwing passes, the end of the season can’t come soon enough for many Giants fans. General manager Joe Schoen must feel like quite a turkey after giving quarterback Daniel Jones a four-year, $160M contract in the offseason.

Luckily, the team can get out of the deal in 2025 with just $22M in dead money. In the meantime, New York could have a chance at USC’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye in next year’s draft. Had Jones not played so poorly prior to tearing his ACL, neither would be on the Giants’ radar.

Philadelphia Eagles: A.J. Brown, wide receiver

Philadelphia finished 2021 with the eighth-worst passing offense averaging 200.1 yards per game. With Brown on the roster in 2022, the Eagles finished with the ninth-most passing yards per game and a trip to Super Bowl LVII.

After a slow start in Weeks 1 and 2, Brown has been electric, posting a record six straight games with 125 yards or more. An almost perfect combination of size, speed and precision, he’s been the gravy to Jalen Hurts’ potatoes and a bona fide threat to finish 2023 as the NFL’s top receiver.

Washington Commanders: Taylor Heinicke

Heinicke is with the Falcons now, but without him, the Commanders quarterback room could look quite different today. Playing for Washington in 2022 with one game against the Cowboys remaining, Heinicke volunteered to step aside so that Sam Howell, a fifth-round rookie from North Carolina, could get the start.

Howell responded by beating Dallas 26-6 in a meaningful game for the Cowboys. His individual numbers weren’t great, but he showed enough to earn the team’s trust and the starting job in 2023.   

Would Howell have won the job anyway? That’s impossible to say, but it’s hard to believe that a journeyman quarterback on the brink of free agency would take a seat at the kiddie table for a young, unproven teammate. Well done, Heinicke. Help yourself to more pie.