4 Dark-Horse Teams Set to Challenge Eagles for NFC Title After 2023 NFL Draft
The Philadelphia Eagles are the runaway favorites to win the NFC for a second straight year because the competition in the conference is nowhere near as difficult to navigate as the AFC.
A worthy opponent must emerge to stop the Eagles from walking through their end of tournament.
A quick glance at the other side of the ledger shows a conference loaded with the likes of teams being led by Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, Tua Tagovailoa (when healthy), Trevor Lawrence and, now, Aaron Rodgers.
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The NFC is barren, particularly at the game's most important position. Only three of last year's top 10 in quarterback rating are still expected to start in the conference.
Meanwhile, the Eagles made Jalen Hurts the highest-paid player ever with an average annual salary of $51 million over five years (a record that lasted 10 days). Furthermore, the Eagles claim one of the league's best rosters from top to bottom.
Offensively, Philadelphia's linemen are the best in the business. Yes, it lost starting right guard Isaac Seumalo in free agency, though Cam Jurgens and Tyler Steen are recent Day 2 picks ready to compete for the spot.
Wide receiver A.J. Brown is coming off a career season, and second-year target DeVonta Smith led the team last year with 95 receptions. Dallas Goedert is an excellent tight end when healthy.
Oh, general manager Howie Roseman also acquired D'Andre Swift from the Detroit Lions for a swap of late-round picks this year and a 2024 fourth-rounder to offset Miles Sanders' departure in free agency.
Defensively, Roseman found a way to retain defensive end Brandon Graham, defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry to go along with an already strong core of talent that now includes defensive tackle Jalen Carter, edge-rusher Nolan Smith, safety Sydney Brown and cornerback Kelee Ringo from this year's draft class.
The reigning NFC champions went from reloading to locked and loaded once again.
Let's take out last year's fellow division-winners since none of them were able to dethrone the Eagles and look at four contenders that could possibly emerge and challenge NFC favorites.
New York Giants
Everything starts within the division, and the New York Giants made the biggest improvements to last year's roster after finishing 9-7-1 in Brian Daboll's first year as head coach and making a postseason berth.
The job Daboll and his staff did was nothing short of astounding, considering the deficiencies clearly found on the roster. The rapid improvement led to Daboll winning NFL Coach of the Year.
Despite a winning record, the G-men finished 18th in total offense and 25th in total defense. The squad ground out victories with a strong ground attack, a top-11 time of possession percentage and a positive turnover differential.
This offseason brought much-needed reinforcements to multiple areas of need.
Bobby Okereke becomes the heart of the defense at middle linebacker after signing a four-year, $40 million free-agent contract. The Giants pieced together last year's linebacker corps, whereas Okereke averaged 141.5 total tackles over the last two seasons.
The addition of slot receiver Paris Campbell should pair nicely with this year's 73rd overall pick, Jalin Hyatt. Both bring much-needed speed to the offense, but Campbell is an underneath YAC creator, while Hyatt is a straight vertical threat. The trade for tight end Darren Waller gives quarterback Daniel Jones a security blanket and a true No. 1 option.
Finally, the second-round addition of center John Michael Schmitz shouldn't be undersold. The pivot's importance will create ripple effects throughout the entire offense. His heady play, calls at the line of scrimmage and reliability finally give the Giants an anchor smack dab in the middle of their offense.
The evolving Giants will be difficult for everyone to handle, including the Eagles.
Seattle Seahawks
A back-to-basics approach appears well underway in the Pacific Northwest.
Before the Seattle Seahawks contemplated letting Russell Wilson cook, head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider built a culture based on competition. Their approach leaned on a strong ground-and-pound assault, with the Legion of Boom secondary serving as the backbone for the entire team.
Last year's draft class brought an embarrassment of riches that helped the Seahawks rebuild in a familiar fashion. The organization's leadership smartly built upon what allowed Seattle to become a playoff team again.
In free agency, the Seahawks concentrated on improving their front seven by bringing in Dre'Mont Jones on a three-year, $51.5 million contract and bringing back Bobby Wagner and Jarran Reed. Auburn's Derick Hall also brings blazing speed off the edge after being selected 37th overall.
The team added free-agent defensive back Julian Love on a two-year, $12 million deal to provide some flexibility along the backline. Love will be joined by cornerback Devon Witherspoon, whom Seattle selected with this year's fifth overall pick. The rookie completes the Seahawks' starting cornerback trio after striking gold with Tariq Woolen and Coby Bryant last year.
When second-round running back Zach Charbonnet is added to the mix alongside Kenneth Walker III, who eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards during his rookie campaign, it's easy to see the tried-and-true formula the Seahawks are undertaking once again.
Now, Geno Smith must continue to play at expected levels after winning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year, especially when Jaxon Smith-Ngiba is added to a wide receiver corps that already featured DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. All the pieces are now in place for a full Seahawks revival.
Detroit Lions
The Lions experienced significant improvement in their second year under head coach Dan Campbell and his staff, with a six-game swing in the win column. A third-year jump should occur, too, especially after how the Lions improved their roster over the last two months.
Detroit's secondary became the offseason focal point after finishing 30th in pass defense. Cameron Sutton, Emmanuel Moseley and C.J. Gardner-Johnson all joined the team, as the Lions moved on from Jeffrey Okudah, Amani Oruwariye, Mike Hughes, DeShon Elliott and C.J. Moore.
Brian Branch, who was Bleacher Report's top-rated safety prospect, also joins the unit after hearing his name called with this year's 45th overall draft pick. Much like Gardner-Johnson, Branch brings the flexibility to play both safety spots and nickel corner.
Furthermore, this year's 18th overall pick, Jack Campbell, posted the highest coverage grade among FBS linebackers last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
With those upgraded defensive backs and Campbell's skill set, the Lions should be much improved against opposing aerial attacks.
On offense, Jared Goff's supporting cast is more potent with the selections of running back Jahmyr Gibbs and tight end Sam LaPorta in the first and second rounds, respectively. The Gibbs pick was head-scratching, particularly with the 12th overall pick, until the Lions traded previous RB1 De'Andre Swift to the Philadelphia Eagles two days later. LaPorta will fill the void left by T.J. Hockenson after his trade to the Minnesota Vikings.
The Lions are building a strong culture and finding players who fit and address problem areas. In doing so, these moves are leading them to better days as one of the NFC's top squads.
Carolina Panthers
Currently, the Carolina Panthers are the furthest behind those already mentioned. But the organization did what it had to do to finally address the game's most important position by trading up to this year's No. 1 overall pick and drafting Alabama's Bryce Young.
"But the one thing about Bryce is he just was so steady all the way through the process, and every time we sat with him was like, 'S--t, this guy's special," general manager Scott Fitterer told Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer.
Fitterer added, "He is as impressive as you would think in terms of learning and retaining—and he's kind of unflappable, too. Even someone talking in his ear the whole time, trying to distract him, he can talk and write and kind of keep his focus."
Young immediately enters a solid situation with a promising offensive line in front of him and a strong running game behind (or beside) the quarterback. Veteran additions of wide receiver Adam Thielen and running back Miles Sanders will help Young's maturation. The Panthers also have significant talent on all three levels of their defense.
Carolina is far from perfect. But quarterback was the primary missing ingredient. If Young is as good as the Panthers think he is, the NFC South is there for the taking.
Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.
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