PFF’s All-Time Single-Season Teams: NFC East

The Eagles are well-represented among recent standouts: Players from the 2017 and 2024 Super Bowl-winning teams litter one of the best single-season rosters in PFF history.

Micah Parsons‘ was a different type of dominant in Dallas: Parsons generated the highest-graded seasons in Cowboys history at both edge rusher and linebacker.

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Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

In honor of PFF heading into its 20th season of grading and data collection, we’re taking a look back at the best single-season performances for each team according to PFF grading.

As such, we’ve built a series of starting offensive and defensive lineups for all 32 teams using the highest-graded seasons at every position. There are a few rules:

A player must have played at least 500 snaps in a given season
A player can only make one appearance per roster (e.g., Julio Jones can’t take up all three WR slots for Atlanta)
A player who was acquired midseason can still be slotted provided he fulfilled the required snap minimum for that team.

Without further ado, here are PFF’s all-time single-season lineups for the NFC East.

Dallas Cowboys

QB: Dak Prescott, 90.0 (2023)

RB: Tony Pollard, 90.2 (2022)

WR: CeeDee Lamb, 90.9 (2023)

WR: Dez Bryant, 90.1 (2014)

WR: Cole Beasley, 85.9 (2016)

TE: Jason Witten, 91.6 (2007)

LT: Tyron Smith, 91.7 (2015)

LG: Kyle Kosier, 82.8 (2009)

C: Travis Frederick, 89.3 (2014)

RG: Zack Martin, 93.4 (2021)

RT: La’el Collins, 86.4 (2019)

EDGE: Micah Parsons, 92.4 (2023)

EDGE: DeMarcus Lawrence, 91.6 (2017)

DI: Jason Ferguson, 81.4 (2006)

DI: Chris Canty, 80.0 (2007)

LB: Sean Lee, 88.4 (2015)

LB: Leighton Vander Esch, 85.4 (2018)

CB: DaRon Bland, 89.5 (2023)

CB: Terence Newman, 82.2 (2007)

S: Barry Church, 86.1 (2016)

S: J.J. Wilcox, 82.1 (2016)

FLEX: Orlando Scandrick, 81.7 (2014)

Dallas’ single-season offense is a mix of old and new faces, but the team’s success in the 2010s was defined by its willingness to spend premium resources on their offensive line. From 2015 to 2019, Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick Zack Martin, and La’el Collins all played on the same unit. Though their highest-graded seasons all came at different points, this was an outstanding group that made life much easier for Tony Romo and Dak Prescott behind them.

Even though he’s no longer a Cowboy, Micah Parsons’ excellence cannot be overstated. His 2023 season is the highest-graded by a Cowboys edge defender in PFF history. His 89.7 overall PFF grade in 2021 is actually the highest in Dallas history by a linebacker, as he played 150 more snaps there than on the edge that year. However, we could only use him once for this exercise, so this roster gets Leighton Vander Esch’s excellent 2018 season alongside Sean Lee at linebacker.

New York Giants

QB: Eli Manning, 87.4 (2011)

RB: Saquon Barkley, 85.2 (2018)

WR: Odell Beckham Jr., 90.8 (2014)

WR: Hakeem Nicks, 89.2 (2011)

WR: Malik Nabers, 86.7 (2024)

TE: Kevin Boss, 83.5 (2008)

LT: Andrew Thomas, 90.3 (2022)

LG: Rich Seubert, 89.8 (2008)

C: Shaun O’Hara, 84.2 (2009)

RG: Chris Snee, 92.0 (2008)

RT: Kareem McKenzie, 86.6 (2008)

EDGE: Olivier Vernon, 86.3 (2018)

EDGE: Michael Strahan, 85.5 (2007)

DI: Dexter Lawrence, 92.9 (2023)

DI: Damon Harrison Sr., 90.9 (2017)

LB: Bobby Okereke, 79.0 (2023)

LB: Blake Martinez, 75.9 (2020)

CB: Corey Webster, 91.7 (2007)

CB: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, 90.2 (2016)

S: Will Hill III, 88.9 (2013)

S: Xavier McKinney, 87.5 (2023)

FLEX: Janoris Jenkins, 82.5 (2016)

Eli Manning was bound to be the Giants’ quarterback in this exercise, and he was never better than during New York’s Super Bowl-winning 2011 season. He set a career-high with a 90.1 PFF passing grade and set a PFF record that may stand forever with an outrageous 70 big-time throws. He earned an equally outstanding 91.2 PFF passing grade in the postseason that year.

In classic Giants fashion, their defense is spearheaded by an incredible defensive line. Michael Strahan retired in grand fashion after leading New York to a massive upset in Super Bowl 42 over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Dexter Lawrence has become an elite defensive tackle over the past three seasons. Damon Harrison Sr. was a PFF darling who led the NFL with a 92.0 PFF run-defense grade in 2017.

Philadelphia Eagles

QB: Jalen Hurts, 88.2 (2022)

RB: LeSean McCoy, 87.0 (2013)

WR: A.J. Brown, 90.2 (2024)

WR: DeSean Jackson, 84.4 (2013)

WR: DeVonta Smith, 81.2 (2024)

TE: Dallas Goedert, 90.7 (2021)

LT: Jordan Mailata, 95.2 (2024)

LG: Evan Mathis, 95.0 (2013)

C: Jason Kelce, 94.1 (2017)

RG: Shawn Andrews, 93.4 (2006)

RT: Lane Johnson, 88.9 (2024)

EDGE: Brandon Graham, 91.4 (2016)

EDGE: Chris Long, 86.6 (2017)

DI: Fletcher Cox, 92.3 (2018)

DI: Jalen Carter, 87.4 (2023)

LB: Zack Baun, 90.2 (2024)

LB: Mychal Kendricks, 88.7 (2014)

CB: Brandon Boykin, 88.6 (2013)

CB: Patrick Robinson, 87.0 (2017)

S: Quintin Mikell, 90.2 (2008)

S: Brian Dawkins, 82.9 (2006)

FLEX: Cooper DeJean, 86.3 (2024)

As they do in the current NFL landscape, the Eagles may have the most stacked roster in this series. Several key contributors on both of their championship teams make an appearance. Six players — A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jordan Mailata, Lane Johnson, Zack Baun and Cooper DeJean — appear on this list due to their outstanding 2024 performances.

Several other legendary players also make appearances for Philadelphia. Jason Kelce is one of the greatest centers of all time and was never better than he was in 2017, when he posted a 94.1 overall PFF grade. Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox were also major contributors to Philadelphia’s Super Bowl run that season. We certainly couldn’t forget about fan favorite Brian Dawkins either, as he earned a terrific 86.8 PFF coverage grade in 2006.

Washington Commanders

QB: Jayden Daniels, 90.6 (2024)

RB: Alfred Morris, 91.0 (2012)

WR: Terry McLaurin, 85.7 (2019)

WR: Pierre Garcon, 85.5 (2016)

WR: Antwaan Randle El, 82.6 (2007)

TE: Jordan Reed, 90.1 (2015)

LT: Trent Williams, 92.7 (2016)

LG: Pete Kendall, 87.3 (2008)

C: Will Montgomery, 80.5 (2013)

RG: Brandon Scherff, 86.3 (2020)

RT: Morgan Moses, 79.9 (2020)

EDGE: Chase Young, 87.1 (2020)

EDGE: Montez Sweat, 86.4 (2022)

DI: Jonathan Allen, 84.9 (2021)

DI: Chris Baker, 78.5 (2015)

LB: Bobby Wagner, 88.3 (2024)

LB: Zach Brown, 88.2 (2018)

CB: Kendall Fuller, 90.6 (2017)

CB: Quinton Dunbar, 87.6 (2019)

S: Sean Taylor, 84.9 (2007)

S: Kamren Curl, 82.9 (2022)

FLEX: LaRon Landry, 80.6 (2008)

The Commanders have multiple rookies who found their way onto their single-season starting lineup. Jayden Daniels was fantastic in his first NFL season, as he ranked fifth in the league with a 90.6 overall PFF grade. Alfred Morris parlayed a sixth-round selection out of Florida Atlantic into a 90.4 PFF rushing grade in 2012 that ranked third in the NFL. In 2020, edge defender Chase Young gave Washington a glimpse of his immense potential before injuries stalled the rest of his tenure there.

There are plenty of veterans as well, none more prominent than Bobby Wagner. In his first season with the Commanders, he recorded an 88.3 overall PFF grade that was the highest in Washington history and third-best in the NFL in 2024. In fact, this is the first of three appearances that Wagner will make in this series. There is a bust in Canton waiting for him whenever he decides to retire.