Micah Parsons aside, where are the impact LBs in the NFC East?
The NFC East might have an elite group of defensive linemen, but for everything this division has at DL, the linebacker group is severely lacking. Defensive rookie of the year Micah Parsons showed himself to be one of those rare draft selections who can change the trajectory of his own unit and raise the level of the entire team.
The rest of the linebackers in the division are going to have a hard time living up to what Parsons can do, but maybe a fresh crop can make the type of plays Parsons did for Dallas last year. All eyes will be on Nakobe Dean from the Philadelphia Eagles, Darrian Beavers of the New York Giants, and sophomore LB Jamin Davis of the Washington Commanders.
Meanwhile veteran players such as Blake Martinez, Cole Holcomb, and TJ Edwards will look to step up and make plays for their respective teams. Here’s a look at the rankings of the NFC East teams when it comes to their two-way patrol men.
New York Giants
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The Giants’ linebacker core is easily one of the worst in the league. It is full of unknowns except Tae Crowder, who made a giant leap in his sophomore campaign. Going from six starts as a rookie to 17 last year. He had 130 tackles, six pass defenses, and two intercepted passes. He isn’t a star player, only 64 of his tackles were solo and he brings almost zero pass rush, but he can cover well and is always around to help bring down ball carriers.
Blake Martinez is a production machine. He might be a liability in coverage, but if he wasn’t coming off of a torn ACL, then the Giants could have a better LB core than the Eagles. In the last three seasons prior to his injury, Martinez combined for 449 tackles, and 11 sacks. Thats 150 tackles and 3.5 sacks a season. How will the ACL injury impact his already poor coverage ability, and will it limit him at all around the line of scrimmage? These questions keep the Giants in the basement of the NFC East.
The rest of the linebacker core is relying on a couple rookies to make a big impact year one. Pick No. 146, of the fifth round, Micah McFadden and pick No. 182, Darrian Beavers out of Cincinnati, will have reserve roles right away for the Giants.
Philadelphia Eagles
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Third-round pick Nakobe Dean could change this ranking all by himself. He was thought to be possibly the best LB prospect in the entire draft, and he could be an elite playmaker behind the Eagles defensive line. He was a third-round selection though, he had an injury issue, and he is a rookie, so he can’t move the needle too much because of those factors.
Behind the possible greatness of Dean, the Eagles don’t have much at that position. T.J. Edwards nearly doubled his tackle total from 70 in 2020, to 130 in 2021, Kyzir White literally doubled his tackles from 77 to 144 from 2020 to 2021. Neither guy had ten tackles for a loss, nor add much in the pass rush department, but they are athletic enough to be good cover guys.
If Dean becomes a star playing behind and being protected by the dominant players up front for Philadelphia, then the Eagles will be a top two unit in the division, but until Dean gets out on the field and shows what he is capable of, Eagles are next-to-last.
Washington Commanders
(AP Photo/Terrance Williams)
The Commanders linebacker group is not exceptional. It isn’t head and shoulders above the Eagles, or even the Giants. David Mayo is a solid backup who a good year starting for the Giants in 2019 but hasn’t done much else in his career.
Holcomb is another production machine like Edwards for the Eagles, or Blake Martinez for the Giants. He gobbles up solo tackles behind the Commanders defensive line full of stars. and before his injury in 2020 he was playing well in coverage also, only allowing 5.3 yards per catch, at a 62 percent completion percentage against, and a QB rating of 64.7 when targeted.
That isn’t much to put them above either of the teams they are rated higher than on this list, but the Commanders have a player with a ton of potential in the sophomore Davis. Davis shot up draft boards after showing great athleticism to go with his prototypical size and length for the position. He needs to improve taking on blocks and shedding them, and his pass coverage was less than expected his rookie season, but playing in only 56 percent of the defensive snaps, and starting in eight games, Davis accumulated 76 tackles, three for a loss, with a sack and a few QB hits.
If Davis can take a second-year leap as a full-time starter, then this Commanders LB core has two potentially great nickel linebackers that can run, tackle, and have the traits to be great cover guys as well.
Dallas Cowboys
(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
The Dallas Cowboys linebacker core is underrated currently and possibly will be one of the best units in football in the next season or two with a combo of Parsons, Jabril Cox, Damone Clark, and specialty big nickel LB Jayron Kearse.
Cox was almost a unanimous choice for the steal of the 2021 draft when he was selected No. 115 in the fourth round. He was a giant fish in a small pond at North Dakota State College. He moved up too LSU and was no less a big fish in his single season there. His rookie season in Dallas was just starting before he tore his ACL. He played special teams all seven games but had just started to see defensive snaps when his season ended. While he has the profile, and he flashed in his very limited time, he still has to do it at the NFL level.
Leighton Vander Esch made the Pro Bowl as a rookie. He had over 100 solo tackles, and two interceptions. He looked like he was going to be a great player for a long time. Injuries since then have held him back, but he did have his best season since his rookie year as a part time player under Dan Quinn. In only 58 percent of the defensive snaps, he had his most tackles since his rookie season and as many tackles for a loss as the rest of his career combined. Vander Esch also had his best coverage analytics as an NFL player as well. He will be a valuable rotational player for the Cowboys.
Kearse is a unique linebacker because he plays the safety position officially. In Dan Quinn’s system though, Kearse has many of his plays in the big nickel role. In that spot, he essentially plays LB and had a special 2021. He had the lowest missed tackle percentage in the NFL at 3.3 percent. He almost completely eliminated the tight end position all season, and in 24 blitz attempts he had eight pressures and five QB knockdowns. It was a magical year.
Parsons is possibly the best linebacker in the NFL already, in only his second season, and the reason Dallas is easily the top LB unit in the NFC East. He is a five-tool monster, who had 84 tackles, with 20 for a loss. He only allowed 61 percent completion percentage, on 7.3 yards per completion and a QB rate just above 70. His ability to get to the QB is special though, he had seven of his 13.5 sacks from the LB position and overall added 16 hurries, 47 pressures, 17 QB knockdowns, and 30 overall QB hits. He is a defense changing player, that took a bottom five defense in 2020 to a top ten defense as a rookie.
Conclusion
“Linebackers don’t matter” is a sentiment that grows in popularity with some NFL fans (Cowboys Wire editor K.D. Drummond leads this charge). Then a player like Parsons comes along and turns that sentiment on its head. The league might only have one Parsons, let alone the NFC East, but Davis could be a great playmaker behind the Commanders defensive front. Dean has the chance to make a Parsons-type impact for the Eagles. His instincts, and ability behind the monstrous Philadelphia DL could open up Dean to become one of the biggest playmakers in football.
Martinez has been a tackling machine before he was lost for the season with a torn ACL. If he returns to the defensive player he was before the injury then he will make a big impact on the field for the Giants. Same as Holcomb for the Commanders.
Parsons will be a superstar, but will any other linebackers in the division be able to join him and create the enormous impact he has made?
You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or at Youtube on the Across the Cowboys Podcast.
