NFC East stock up, down at midpoint: 'Mind-blowing' Eagle leads the way

The rest of the NFL waits for Miami’s Tyreek Hill to break the 2,000-yard receiving mark, but Brown — on pace for 1,995 yards receiving — could also break the mark. The league record for a season is held by Johnson, who had 1,964 yards receiving in 2012 with the Lions.

CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver: After finishing 2022 as the NFL’s eighth-leading receiver, Lamb is on pace for a career-high 1,536 yards receiving in 2023. That number won’t get him the recognition of Brown or Hill, but Lamb also gets plenty of attention from opponents.

With Brandin Cooks averaging 2.6 catches and 26.3 yards per game, Lamb is carrying the offense. Now eligible for a contract extension, he couldn’t have picked a better time to get hot. Dallas already picked up his fifth-year option for $17.9M, but the way he’s been playing, the team should look to get something done as soon as possible.

Kayvon Thibodeaux, New York Giants defensive end: Remember how excited everyone was when Aidan Hutchinson — the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft — finished last season with 9.5 sacks? The No. 5 pick in that draft is on pace to crush that total in 2023.

After a slow start in 2022, Thibodeaux finished with 28 tackles and three sacks in his last four regular-season games. He already has 8.5 sacks this season, tied for third most in the league. Three of those sacks came against the Jets in Week 8, along with a forced fumble and six solo tackles.

With Thibodeaux picking up where he left last season, it’s no wonder New York felt comfortable dealing defensive end Leonard Williams at the deadline. 

Stock down

Kenneth Gainwell III, Philadelphia Eagles running back: Remember when Philadelphia opened the season with four running backs listed as co-starters? That turned out to be wishful thinking, as D’Andre Swift has clearly taken over the Eagles backfield with 117 carries for 571 yards.

After watching Gainwell run for 112 yards against the Giants in the playoffs, head coach Nick Sirianni spent all summer pumping up his third-year back, insisting he’d see plenty of carries in a shared backfield. Since opening the season with 14 carries in each of his first two games, Gainwell averaged 4.6 carries and 11.2 yards over the past six games. 

Gainwell had two carries for minus-4 yards against the Commanders on Sunday and fumbled inside the Washington 3-yard line. He even had time to respond to a negative comment on social media at halftime. Sirianni said he spoke with Gainwell about the gaffe, but it’s not a good look for a player struggling to remain relevant.

Daniel Jones, New York Giants cornerback:  Jones’ passer rating (71.7) and QBR (39.3) are both career-lows. He also has thrown for two touchdowns in five games, endured 28 sacks and is on pace for a career-high in interceptions.

That’s certainly not what ownership imagined when the Giants handed Jones a four-year, $160M contract with $92M guaranteed in the offseason. In retrospect, the Giants may have been better off using the franchise tag on Jones instead of on running back Saquon Barkley. 

If New York doesn’t mind eating $22M in dead cap money, it can get out of Jones’ contract in 2025. Based on their 2-6 record, the Giants could have a top-five pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Do they use it on a quarterback? If Jones can’t get right against the Raiders, Patriots and Packers in the coming weeks, New York might start playing the field.

Sacks, Washington Commanders: Washingtons’ defense has 25 sacks this season, the fifth-highest number in the league. Unfortunately, 11.5 of those sacks came from defensive ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young, who were both moved at the trade deadline. 

To be fair, Sweat and Young were due to become free agents in 2024, and neither was likely to re-sign with the team. And you thought Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jonathan Allen was upset before the trade deadline?