Getty Jerry Jones congratulates Drew Pearson after he received his Hall of Fame ring during a 2021 ceremony in Canton, Ohio.
The Dallas Cowboys are the reigning champions in the NFC East. They played it safe in the offseason, not adding too much talent while focusing on the draft after losing receivers Amari Cooper and Cedrick Wilson.
The offensive line is a big question mark in Dallas, too. But the Cowboys believe they have an elite defense and enough firepower on offense to once again be in the playoff mix. They aren’t afraid of anyone, including the retooled Philadelphia Eagles.
How confident are they? Well, Cowboys Hall of Famer Drew Pearson was willing to stoke the Eagles-Cowboys rivalry flames. He told the Zach Gelb podcast that his old team can “dominate the NFC East.”
“We should have a lot of confidence that we can dominate the NFC East,” Pearson said, via NJ Advance Media. “[The Cowboys had] success playing the teams that didn’t have better records. A team like San Francisco had great defense and we couldn’t do anything against them, but I think playing Philadelphia twice this past season, I think we scored 90 points combined. We’re not that afraid of Philadelphia.”
Pearson wasn’t totally slamming the Eagles and called them the “main competition” for the Cowboys in the division. He also praised their trade for A.J. Brown while calling out Jalen Hurts as a proven winner.
“We can’t take him lightly because you’ve got to remember when he came out of college he was a winning quarterback,” Pearson said of Hurts. “He’s not a losing-type guy so he’s probably doing all he can to get back on the winning track and get Philly on the winning track coming off a 9-8 season.”
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Pearson Trolled Eagles at 2017 NFL Draft
Pearson has a history of trolling Eagles fans on major stages. The 71-year-old gave a spirited speech at the 2017 NFL draft when he announced the Cowboys had selected cornerback Chidobe Awuzie out of Colorado with the 60th overall pick.
Following Drew Pearson’s 2017 Draft pick in Philly, we asked Brian Westbrook who should announce the Eagles 2018 pick in Dallas.
His answer: “Joel Embiid.” #TrustTheProcess
“How about them Cowboys,” Pearson said at the time. “I want to thank the Eagles fans for allowing me to have a career in the NFL.” Pearson went on to praise owner Jerry Jones, plus all the Cowboys players that played “with him and after him” before announcing the second-round pick. He didn’t hold back as the boos rained down from the Philly faithful. Remember, that 2017 draft was held on the Rocky steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Cowboys Writers Address State of NFC East
Many Cowboys writers have been turning in their early predictions for the NFC East. The overwhelming consensus has the Eagles looking like a pretty big threat, or the one team that could steal the NFC East crown away from Dallas. The reasons are multiple but tend to focus on their explosive new offense.
The Athletic’s Bob Sturm pointed to the “real studs” the Eagles added in a recent mailbag question-and-answer session. He also mentioned Jalen Hurts and Gardner Minshew.
Yes, Jalen Hurts is still not a top QB, but he does enough with his feet that he is formidable in his own way. Also, if they want, Gardner Minshew offers another option of the bench or in case of injury. Who does Dallas have if Dak gets hurt? Exactly. So, yes, consider me among those taking Philadelphia pretty seriously in 2022 for this divisional crown.
Mine and @BrandonGowton’s defensive NFC East All Stars
DE: DeMarcus Lawrence
DT: Jonathan Allen
DT: Javon Hargrave
DE: Chase Young
LB: Micah Parsons
LB: Blake Martinez
CB: Trevon Diggs
CB: Darius Slay
CB: Kendall Fuller
S: Xavier McKinney
S: Jayron Kearse
Meanwhile, Blogging the Boys picked their All-Defense Team for the NFC East. The Cowboys dominated with four starters: DE DeMarcus Lawrence, LB Micah Parsons, CB Trevon Diggs, S Jayron Kearse. The Eagles were represented by CB Darius Slay and DT Javon Hargrave.
RJ Ochoa wrote: “When we look at the state of the division that the Cowboys play in it is arguable today that they have the most talent if we are factoring in every level.”
It’s important to note that Blogging the Boys compiled the list in tandem with Eagles blog Bleeding Green Nation. The Eagles had seven total players on the list: 5 on offense, 2 on defense.