State of the NFC East: All four teams are now off and running in training camp

Football season has officially arrived and not just for the Dallas Cowboys. When this year is all said and done we are all obviously hopeful that Dallas will be the last team standing and a logical mountain for them to climb on the way to the ultimate one is the NFC East, a division that has not seen a repeat champion since 2004.

It will be interesting to see whether or not the reigning champions, the Washington Football Team, are capable of being the first to repeat in a decade and a half. Now that the season is here we will be updating you on the State of the NFC East every Wednesday which will include an episode of the NFC East Mixtape.

This is a podcast featuring myself and Brandon Lee Gowton from Bleeding Green Nation. It is a unique project in that it is accessible on both their feed and ours. Remember to subscribe to the Blogging The Boys podcast if you haven’t already... Apple users can subscribe right here and Spotify users can subscribe right here.

There are no three teams that we will be paying more attention to (outside of the Cowboys of course) than the three within the NFC East. Let’s begin.

Philadelphia Eagles: Debates are happening about the team’s 2022 quarterback

At present time the biggest story encircling the Philadelphia Eagles isn’t even about anybody that is currently on their team, rather about a quarterback that potentially could be in the future.

Many people have connected the Eagles with current Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. It is difficult to gauge or even discuss the Watson situation at present time, but there will likely be other options available in the spring. One of those could be Aaron Rodgers and BGN’s Shamus Clancy fancies that idea quite a bit.

Nevertheless, rumors persistently circulate that the Eagles are interested in trading for Watson. I cannot emphasize enough how tone-deaf and wrong such a move would be. That goes for any NFL team, not just the Birds.

I want no parts of the baggage Watson brings with himself in Philadelphia.

It could be a situation where the Eagles wait out this season and see what happens with the legal ramifications for Watson, potentially making a deal for him in 2022. If the Eagles are unhappy with Jalen Hurts and don’t see him as a legitimate franchise quarterback after this season, Watson isn’t the guy who they should target. It’s Rodgers.

Throw all those picks at Green Bay. Pair Rodgers with the next great wide receiver in this league in DeVonta Smith. Put Rodgers’ buddies in midnight green like a bench of washed-up NBA stars on a title contender to placate him.

The picks in question are the first-rounders that Philadelphia have/could have to operate with. At present time they own their own and the one belonging to the Miami Dolphins, but if Carson Wentz plays 75% of snaps for the Indianapolis Colts then Philly would have Indy’s as well.

Ultimately the Eagles are going to likely do something at quarterback next year. But they have a whole season with Jalen Hurts before then to weight their options.

New York Giants: Daniel Jones thinks high expectations are “healthy”

One of the teams most flying under the radar right now across the entire league is the New York Giants. Perhaps this is because no one quite knows what to think of them.

Running back Saquon Barkley is starting training camp on the PUP list and while that in itself is hardly cause for panic it hardly makes Giants fans feel warm and fuzzy inside. There are apparent expectations for the G-Men in 2021 though and quarterback Daniel Jones thinks that they are “healthy”.

On Tuesday, the day veteran players reported for training camp, Jones acknowledged the expectations.

“I think at this level and in this job, we’re all expected to perform and play at a high level every day, and that starts today,” Jones said. “I certainly feel that. I think everyone on the team does and I think that’s healthy, I think that’s the way it should be and I know we’re excited for the opportunity.”

Jones will be with head coach Joe Judge and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett for a second season. He knows there is value in that.

“I think it’s valuable for all of us. I think it’s the second year in the system under Coach Garrett and Coach Judge. A lot of us are back and, like I said, have developed chemistry and know how to communicate with one another, but kind of the same theme, to start over and take it day by day, to start with step one and make sure we’re going about it the right way,” Jones said. “We’ve got several new guys and had some time to get to know them during the spring and in the summer and we’ll continue to go from there, but definitely helps to be back with Coach Garrett, Coach Judge and a lot of the same guys.”

We have all seen first-hand how Jason Garrett can help a young quarterback thrive. The addition of Kenny Golladay to New York’s offense will obviously help Jones and he is certainly very athletic, but he is so prone to turnovers that you wonder how things will ultimately shake out.

Washington Football Team: Ron Rivera is disappointed in his team

The most divisive subject in the National Football League these days has nothing to do with football and has everything to do with vaccinations. Apparently the Washington Football Team has the lowest vaccination rate throughout the entire league.

Ron Rivera expressed frustration at this when he met with the media on Tuesday. There is a connection to be made between players being as ready as they can towards the idea of competitiveness and the lowest-vaccinated team seemingly is making things the most difficult for themselves through that particular lens.

In this clip Coach Rivera notes that he is immune deficient which is why he is wearing a mask in places given the rate of vaccinations among his team. Obviously this is a complex issue.