NFC East Summer Power Rankings: Defense Only Edition

Earlier this offseason, we ranked all four NFC East teams based on how strongly we felt about each squad's chances headed into 2012. Now, we're breaking things down on more of a micro scale. Here's how we view the division's four defenses.

Completely arbitrary power scores in brackets.

1. Philadelphia Eagles (90)

It's hard to believe considering how much heat they took, but the Eagles actually had the best defense in the division by a wide margin last season, surrendering 19 fewer points than the Cowboys, 39 fewer points than the Redskins and 72 fewer points than the Super Bowl-champion Giants.

But when it mattered, they struggled quite a lot. A full offseason to mesh and the addition of DeMeco Ryans, Mychal Kendricks, Vinny Curry and Fletcher Cox should help, too. This'll be a top-five D in 2012.

2. New York Giants (82)

The pass rush gained momentum late, and now Osi Umenyiora is happy and healthy again. They'll be just as strong up front as the Giants and nearly as strong on the back end so long as Terrell Thomas' surgically-repaired knee holds up. The linebacking corps has become a strength, too.

Oh, and don't discount what a healthy Prince Amukamara could bring to the table. It would be real nice to see Antrel Rolle return to his regular role in 2012.

3. Dallas Cowboys (78)

The pass defense improved more than they've been given credit for last season, and now they've got two blue-chip cornerbacks and more depth in the secondary than any team in the division.

The pass rush isn't as vicious as the two teams ahead of them on this list, and the jury's still out on key players like Bruce Carter, Morris Claiborne and Brodney Pool, but Sean Lee is only going to get better. They'll be above average in 2012.

4. Washington Redskins (75)

Here's where Washington truly can compete with the rest of the teams in the division. Last year, they gave up fewer yards than the Cowboys and fewer points than the Giants, and they're trending upward.

Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan should be better, as should Perry Riley and Jarvis Jenkins (who missed his rookie campaign due to injury). Plus, the cornerback tandem of DeAngelo Hall and Josh Wilson is better than you think. Depth is a bit of an issue, but if they stay healthy they could push to become a top-10 defense in 2012.

As you can see, there's less of a gap separating the top three teams from Washington on defense than there is on offense. What's also interesting is how much these units have in common. All four of these teams were top 10 in sacks last season, and all four have question marks on the back end. In a division with quarterbacks as good as this one, that could be problematic.