NFL Key Performance Indicators: NFC East

Every spring, every NFL team looks to get better: they draft rookies, they sign free agents, they let underperforming players go. But when teams aren’t being put to the test against each other, how can we know if they’re really improving? Throughout July, VICE Sports will be identifying Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each squad: the things fans should be watching in August for hints about how their teams might perform come kickoff time.

DALLAS COWBOYS

The Cowboys’ collapse from 12-4 in 2014 to 4-12 last year was a perfect storm of unforeseeable disasters, except for the few disasters that were totally foreseeable. This spring, it seemed the tide had turned: Dallas let troubled (and troublesome) pass-rusher Greg Hardy walk and made a couple of judicious additions in free agency; star quarterback Tony Romo looked sharp in minicamp after a March collarbone surgery.

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But three key players—linebacker Rolando McClain, defensive end Randy Gregory, and DE DeMarcus Lawrence—were slapped with suspensions for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, swamping the positivity and glooming-up the outlook for 2016. Romo, star wideout Dez Bryant, and No. 4 overall pick Ezekiel Elliott will have to perform at the highest possible level to lift the Cowboys back up to the NFC East penthouse.

• Filling Holes: Thanks to those suspensions, the Cowboys just don’t have enough front-seven talent right now. They open the season with two divisional games, and then host the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football. They’ll have to play all three games, then a road game in San Francisco, without the services of two of their most talented pass-rushers. For a defense that finished 27th in sacks last year, that’s terrible news. Potentially worse, a defense that finished 22nd in rushing yards and 28th in rushing touchdowns will be without its starting middle linebacker for ten games, as this was McClain’s second substance abuse policy violation. NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo reports that the Cowboys could bring back journeyman Justin Durant, and the just-released Stephen Tulloch is another free-agent option. If the Cowboys do bring in free-agents during camp, that’s an on-field positive—but it’s also a signal coaches and brass don’t believe the backups can get the job done.

• The Importance of Being Ezekiel: Expectations for Elliott are incredibly high. Not only is he the fourth overall pick, he’s projected as a franchise tailback for a franchise that desperately needs one. Romo and the passing offense be keying their attack off Elliott’s ability to keep defenses honest, and the Cowboys defenders are pinning their hopes on Elliott’s ability to keep them off the field, as safety Barry Church told SiriusXM. He’s got plenty of talent, one of the best offensive lines in the league, and therefore zero excuses not to have a transformative impact in Dallas. If he doesn’t look like Todd Gurley on the first day of camp, Cowboys fans are going to get very nervous very quickly.

• Dak to the Future? Romo may have told NFL Media’s James Palmer he can play another five years, but he’s also 36 and already suffering major injuries on a regular basis. If rookie QB Dak Prescott, whom the Cowboys drafted in the fourth round this year, throws a single meaningful pass this season, it probably means the team is already sunk. Dallas passed on several other free-agent and rookie options to tab Prescott as Romo’s heir apparent. Prescott isn’t just a long-term project; he’s a vital resource for a premier NFL franchise with short-term title aspirations. If he can’t display NFL-level competence this camp and win the backup job, the Cowboys either blew a mid-round pick on a guy who can’t help them get over the top, or will be looking at a full rebuild when Romo is finally done.

NEW YORK GIANTS

The Giants have experienced a good amount of upheaval the past two years. Former defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo took his old job back, star pass-rusher Jason Pierre-Paul’s fireworks accident took him off the field for much of the season, and star receiver Victor Cruz never made it back after tearing his patellar tendon in 2014. There were multiple different starters on every level of the defense.

Despite it all, Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr., and former offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo combined to generate the seventh-most prolific passing offense in both seasons, and the Giants finished with a 6-10 record each year. Now McAdoo has been promoted to head coach, displacing Tom Coughlin, and Olivier Vernon, Janoris Jenkins, and Eli Apple top a major wave of additions. Will Big Blue finally get different results?

• A Sterling Recruit: For all the hype about Apple (and his awesome mom), New York’s most important rookie is second-round receiver Sterling Shepard. Reuben Randle went to Philadelphia and Cruz, though able to practice, is still a huge question mark. The physical, polished Shepard has the tools and opportunity to make an impact. Meanwhile, the presence of Jenkins and holdover Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie means the Giants don’t necessarily need Apple to step in and perform like a quality starter. Shepard “ran with the ones and caught more passes than anyone during Giants minicamp,” per CBS Sports Rotowire, and he’ll need to keep that up from here on out. He will get plenty of looks in camp, but it’s critical he take advantage of them.

• An Answer at Linebacker: The defensive regime change adds even more uncertainty to a position group that was already in flux. When a Giants beat writer like James Kratch, of NJ Advance Media, reports a free-agent signee he “assumed was a camp guy/contingency” spent much of minicamp “running with the ones at middle linebacker,” the depth chart isn’t very deep. As Kratch wrote, “Spagnuolo said they are still mixing and matching linebackers,” and they’re waiting for the live action of training camp to figure out who will play where (and how much). Giants fans have to hope the uncertainty is settled quickly by surprisingly solid play.

• A More Versatile JPP: While Pierre-Paul’s unprecedented injury and inspiring comeback only resulted in a single sack on the season, he consistently brought pressure from his usual spot. Part of the problem was putting his injured hand in the dirt, per ESPN’s Dan Graziano; between that and the addition of cap-busting free agent Olivier Vernon, Pierre-Paul will now have to learn how to play situationally from either side of the line.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

With the Chip Kelly Experiment going the way of the Alan Parsons Project, the Eagles’ off-field structure and identity is completely unrecognizable from last year. On the field, there’s surprising continuity: Sam Bradford remains the starter at quarterback, Kelly draftees Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor remain the top wideouts, and the defense is still best described as “Fletcher Cox and some other guys.”

New defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz will try and remake the Eagles defense in a mold not unlike the attacking 4-3s drawn up by the late, great Jim Johnson. But will he have enough chess pieces to grandmaster Philadelphia to significant improvement?

• Lay a Couple of Cornerstones: Cornerback has been a major problem, and a revolving door, for the Eagles over the past few seasons. Leodis McKelvin should solidify the No. 1 spot, but the Eagles will be flipping through Nolan Carroll, Ron Brooks, and Eric Rowe in the second and third spots. Carroll was the Eagles’ top-rated corner last season, and Pro Football Focus ranked him No. 53 overall out of 111 qualifiers. One of the three needs to emerge as a clear No. 2—or an effective inside corner—if the Eagles are going to cut down on allowing big plays.

• Chasing Relevance: Plenty of ink has been spilled on the Eagles’ quarterback situation. They have a returning veteran starter making veteran-starter money, a promising young veteran backup who’ll be out-earning quite a few starters this season, and a No. 2 overall pick to whom they’ve committed most of two drafts and a bazillion dollars. It’s the backup, Chase Daniel, who’s the intriguing piece here. Were it not for rookie Carson Wentz, Daniel would be getting buzz as the quarterback of the future. Were it not for Bradford, Daniel would have a real shot at the starting gig. Given that new Eagles head coach Doug Pederson coached Daniel in Kansas City, let’s count how many reps Daniel is getting—and which unit they’re with. If Daniel reaches his potential, he could make one (or both) of the big-money guys irrelevant, at least for now.

• Jason Peters Finds the Fountain of Youth: The Eagles’ stalwart left tackle, Jason Peters, is 34 years old and coming off yet another major injury. The team already signed Peters’ heir apparent, 2013 No. 4 overall pick Lane Johnson, to an extension—but the line will be far better in 2016 if Peters plays well on the left and Johnson stays on the right. If Peters starts slowly in camp, or the Eagles force the switch too early, it won’t mean good news for the health of $82.7 million worth of quarterbacks.

WASHINGTON

In 2012, Robert Griffin III led Washington to their first division title since 1989. Just three years later, Kirk Cousins, the understudy drafted three rounds after Griffin, led the burgundy-and-gold back to the top of the NFC East while Griffin watched from the end of the bench. Can Cousins build off one of the greatest statistical stretch runs any quarterback has ever had? VICE Sports asked Donté Stallworth, former Washington wide receiver and Huffington Post columnist for early indicators.

“[Training camp] is going to be fun to watch,” Stallworth said, marveling at the pass-catching talent Washington will muster this year. “I might have to get up to Richmond for a couple of days and check it out.” First-round rookie receiver Josh Doctson joins Pierre Garçon, DeSean Jackson, and tight end Jordan Reed. Naturally, the receivers were where Stallworth’s attention went first.

• A Tight-Knit Wideout Group: “At the end of the day, that wide receiver group becomes like a brotherhood,” Stallworth said. There’s always competition for reps and targets, but successful wideout groups bond quickly. Stallworth says the wideouts should be comfortable and joking with each other when they aren’t working, and deadly serious when they are. “That’s my biggest question: How will they handle [success]? Are they like, ‘We know you’re coming, so we’re going to work our ass off?’ Will they take that attitude? Or will they be like, ‘We’re on top now, and we deserve to be here?’” In a NFC East where every team has serious designs on improving this year, maintaining the status quo won’t cut it.

• Cousins Calling the (Deep and/or Quick) Shots: “I liked what that kid was doing back in 2013,” Stallworth said, who saw firsthand the professional way Cousins ran the huddle, took responsibility for his mistakes and then worked to eliminate them. Now that Cousins is far more comfortable and confident in his ability to execute the offense, Stallworth sees two training-camp KPIs to watch for Cousins taking the next step: 1) attacking the defense deep more often, and 2) when going short, making his decision early, planting at the end of his dropback, and throwing.

• Josh Norman Setting the Tempo: Stallworth called the newly arrived All-Pro cornerback a “wild card” in the development of the Washington passing game. “He’s going to make those dudes get better,” he said. “He’s going to make them work. It’s going to be competition. Josh is going to talk his shit; you might see him and Pierre [Garçon] get into a fight.” Stallworth stressed that competitors like Norman and Garçon will naturally tussle when emotions get high—and then laugh about it afterwards. But whether tempers boil over into blows or not, Norman’s intensity will ward off complacency. “He’s going to bring that swag here, and the receivers are going to have to rise to that.”

• Josh Doctson Answering the Bell: “I know Josh Norman is going to want to beat Doctson so bad,” Stallworth said. “Norman is going to make sure he’s lined up on him early in training camp, in one-on-one drills. He’s going to want to let him know, ‘Hey kid, this is the NFL, and you’re going to have to step your game up if you want to stay up here.’” With both Garçon and DeSean Jackson in contract years, Washington fans need to see Doctson rise to Norman’s challenge. “That can only elevate your game,” Stallworth added. “It shouldn’t break you—because if that can break you, someone doing that to you in practice, how in the hell are you ever going to compete in the actual game?”

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