NFL Analysis
8/28/24
8 min read
NFC East Is Full Of QB Drama Entering 2024 Season
Quarterback drama abounds across the NFL as the 2024 regular season approaches.
There’s the return of Aaron Rodgers with the Jets in New York. Perhaps only to be outdone in terms of storylines by whether Patrick Mahomes will become the first quarterback to win three straight Super Bowls.
Every division is loaded with quarterback drama. It’s a close race with the NFC East, AFC East, AFC North, and NFC North in contention for the most quarterback drama-filled division in 2024.
I rank the NFC East at the top of this list. Here’s my look at these four teams and their quarterbacks under intense scrutiny this season.
NFC East QB Drama
Dak Prescott, DALLAS COWBOYS
It’s been a rough year thus far for Dak Prescott, who had a January playoff dud followed by an extended contract stalemate. He also dealt with a sexual assault lawsuit with the allegation dating back to 2017. The case was dismissed in June due to insufficient evidence.
His 2023 regular season was excellent. His passer rating (105.9, second in the NFL) was the best of his eight-year career, and he led the league with 36 touchdown passes. Prescott was named Second-team All-Pro as the Cowboys finished 12-5 and won the NFC East.
But in last January’s home wild-card game against the Green Bay Packers, Prescott threw two costly first-half interceptions as the No. 2 seeded Cowboys fell behind the Packers 27-0 on the way to an embarrassing loss.
Prescott is now 2-5 in the playoffs and hasn't led his team to an NFC title game. It’s a negative for a player with a 73-41 regular season record and certainly contributes to the slow pace of extension negotiations with Dallas Owner and general manager Jerry Jones.
Despite another poor postseason performance, Prescott holds some leverage over the Cowboys with a huge $59.455 salary cap number in 2024, the final year of his four-year, $160 million contract. With a no-tag clause in his contract, Dallas can't hit him with the franchise tag in 2025 if he plays out his deal and hits free agency next offseason.
Prescott clearly is seeking top-of-the-QB market money, which would be $55 million per year or more.
The team can use the cap room that would come with an extension, although the just-signed extension for CeeDee Lamb cleared some cap space. It also increased the focus on Prescott’s contract situation.
There will be plenty of drama here whether Prescott is extended or not, with the pressure on him to get the Cowboys back to the playoffs — they hope to repeat as NFC East champs — and lead the team on an extended playoff run and a Super Bowl trip for the first time since the 1995 season.
The first 2024 test for Prescott and the Cowboys comes in Week 1 at Cleveland against last year’s top-ranked defense led by Myles Garrett.
Daniel Jones, NEW YORK GIANTS
This is essentially a prove-it year for Daniel Jones after a disastrous 2023 in which he suffered a neck injury in Week 5. Then, after returning in Week 9, he tore his ACL. He finished 2023 with 909 yards passing, two touchdown passes, six interceptions, a poor passer rating of 70.5, and a 1-5 record.
Jones is in the second year of a four-year, $160 million contract that was signed after his best season in 2022 when he led the Giants to the playoffs and a wild-card round victory in Minnesota. He had a career-high 92.7 passer rating that season and was productive running (707 rushing yards, seven touchdowns). He threw for 301 yards with two touchdowns and rushed for 78 yards in the playoff win.
The quarterback drama in New York is intensified because he wasn’t drafted by general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll when he was picked sixth overall in 2019.
If Jones underperforms this season, the Giants can move on by trading or releasing him in March of 2025 and absorbing a $22.2 million dead money hit. That would have to happen in the first four days of the 2025 league year before $11 million of 2025 salary becomes guaranteed.
Jones finally has a potentially legit No. 1 receiver in the sixth overall pick, Malik Nabers. However, questions remain about his offensive line, which allowed a league-high 85 sacks. Plus, he’s without departed star RB Saquon Barkley and retired TE Darren Waller.
The heat is on Danny Dimes big-time, beginning with next week’s opener at home against the Vikings when Jones will face Minnesota defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ blitz-happy defense.
Jalen Hurts, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
There’s no more demanding fan base than in Philly. They’re asking — or shall we say demanding — for the Jalen Hurts from 2022 to return this season. That’s when he went 16-2 as the starter, finished second to Mahomes in MVP voting, and led the Eagles to the Super Bowl, where he went toe-to-toe with Mahomes.
Hurts had a 101.5 passer rating that season with 22 TD passes and only six interceptions. He also perfected the “tush push” to the tune of 13 rushing touchdowns and had 760 yards on the ground.
He parlayed that great season into a five-year, $255 million extension with $179 million guaranteed, which ratcheted up the expectations and pressure.
Last season started fine, with the Eagles soaring at 10-1. Then, disaster struck down the stretch, as they lost six of their last seven games, saw Dallas overtake them for the division title, and then got blown out 32-9 in the wild-card round game at Tampa Bay. Hurts was held to 250 passing yards and five yards on the ground.
Hurts’ passer rating dipped to 89.1 with a career-high 15 picks. There were highly publicized reports of friction between Hurts and Eagles coach Nick Siriani.
Hurts has one of the league’s best O-lines, even after the retirement of All-Pro center Jason Kelce. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith give him one of the league’s top wide receiver duos. Free agent signee Saquon Barkley is an elite back.
The secondary was a big issue late last season, and it appears to be upgraded through the draft and free agency. But the quarterback is always the focal point, and Hurts will be in the crosshairs of the coaching staff and fan base if he doesn’t return to top form in 2024.
His quest for renewed success begins with a tough opener in Brazil against the Packers on Sept. 6.
Jayden Daniels, WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
With only one playoff appearance in the last eight years and the last playoff win in 2005, the Commanders are pinning their hopes on the quick development of second-overall pick Jayden Daniels. Therein lies the drama of if and when he can play a major role in turning around the team’s fortunes as the starting quarterback. His career launches at Tampa Bay on Sept. 8.
Daniels injects excitement into the franchise as a dual-threat quarterback, who could wind up as the best quarterback out of this draft that had six selected in the first 12 picks.
If he proves to be a franchise quarterback, he’ll be the team’s first elite quarterback since Robert Griffin III was the 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year and a Pro Bowler that season prior to his knee issues.
Daniels comes off a Heisman Trophy-winning season at LSU in which he threw for 3,812 yards with 40 touchdown passes and only four interceptions. He also ran for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was a four-year starter in college at Arizona State and LSU, compiling a 37-18 record.
Daniels completed 12 of 15 passes for 123 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions in two preseason appearances. He has impressed his Washington coaches and teammates with his work ethic. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has plenty of experience to guide him.
Other than Terry McLaurin, his receiver corps is a bit lacking, but he has a dual-threat back in Austin Ekeler and TEs Zach Ertz and Ben Sinnott.
Daniels needs to bulk up a bit, as he may be scrambling a lot behind an offensive line that gave up 65 sacks last season, the second-most in the league. It’s likely to be a work in progress for Daniels and the Commanders' offense, adding to the pressure and drama.
