We’re deep into the offseason lull now, so it’s only right that we take some time to hand out some flowers across the league. We talk about NFL players a lot – obviously – and use terms like “best in the league” or “elite” frequently, but rarely do we actually quantify who the best players on each team are. Until now.
The criteria is pretty simple. We’re not projecting ahead and thinking long-term. This is strictly: who is the best player on each team right now? So let’s begin, with the NFC East and the Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas Cowboys: Zack Martin, Guard
There’ll likely be a running theme with points of contention here, but just view it as an indictment of how talented some of these teams are. So, let’s start with the Cowboys. This could easily be Micah Parsons – he’s been one of the best defensive players in the NFL since he was drafted in 2021 and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He’ll undoubtedly be a favourite for the award in 2023 with a full-time move to the edge in the cards.
For now, Zack Martin still has to be viewed as the best player on the Cowboys’ roster. He’s been a model of consistency over the last nine seasons. Per PFF, Martin has only given up 11 sacks in his entire career. That’s 11 sacks in 137 career starts. He’s elite in pass protection, elite as a run blocker, and he just doesn’t miss time – aside from the latter half of the 2020 season. Martin has been a fixture on one of the best offensive lines in football for the longest time and has solidified his status as the best interior lineman in the game during that time.
New York Giants: Dexter Lawrence, Defensive Tackle
Let’s just quickly gloss over the players who could have had this honour. Andrew Thomas was the name that instantly sprang to mind. After a slow start to his career, Thomas has dramatically improved his game to become one of the league’s premiere left tackles over the last two seasons. Saquon Barkley is another. His return to form last season after a tough two years was a reminder that he remains one of the best running backs in the NFL.
However, we’re sticking with Dexter Lawrence, the Giants’ defensive tackle. Lawrence has been a steady player for the Giants since he was drafted with the 17th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Very much a run-stopping first tackle, Lawrence took a leap as a pass-rusher in 2022. He had a career-high 7.5 sacks and 63 pressures – only Chris Jones had more pressures as an interior lineman. He’s hitting his peak and still only 25 years old, so there’s a lot left to come from Lawrence. But he’s already proving to be a game-wrecker.
Philadelphia Eagles: Lane Johnson, Tackle
This is the first no-brainer in this writer’s opinion. Lane Johnson has long been the best right tackle in the NFL and is a surefire bet – as is Zack Martin it should be said – to be a Hall of Famer when all is said and done. Guys like Jason Kelce, A.J. Brown, and Darius Slay deserve their flowers – all three are All-Pro level players, but Johnson takes this biscuit.
Johnson has given up just one (yes, one!!) sack and 27 pressures over the last three seasons, per PFF. Those are astounding numbers. The only lingering question mark with Johnson is injury-related. Staying healthy for an entire season has been a struggle – he hasn’t played a full slate of games since 2015. That’s likely affected the amount of All-Pro teams he’s made as well. Last season was just his second All-Pro selection. He deserves so much more.
Washington Commanders: Terry McLaurin, Wide Receiver
Okay, so this one was tough. That’s not to say that the Commanders don’t have elite talent on the roster. They absolutely do, but there’s not one player who necessarily stands out. The interior defensive line – Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen – are both studs, Montez Sweat and Chase Young are both productive edge rushers, though Young has stagnated a bit post-injury, and there should also be a shoutout for Tress Way. An elite punter.
But, we’re going to go with Terry McLaurin who has become one of the more underappreciated wide receivers in the league. McLaurin has topped 1,000 yards in three of his four NFL seasons but has never really had an elite – or even slightly above-average quarterback to make his life easier. McLaurin can do it all. He can work one vs one in man coverage, feel his way through zone coverage, and beat press. He’s an exceptional receiver and despite maybe being a top-10 receiver in the NFL – he never gets the accolades he deserves. Now he’s getting them.
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @tvalentinesport
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.