2015 NFL Predictions: NFC East

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1st Place- Dallas Cowboys (11-5)

The Dallas Cowboys finished at 12-4 last season. They lost Demarco Murray in the offseason and his best replacement at the moment looks to be Joseph Randle. Some people think that Murray’s breakout campaign was all due to the Cowboys’ offensive line, but that’s not entirely true. Will Murray be the same in Philadelphia this season? Probably not. Is Murray an incredibly talented back? Yes he is. Randle will not be able to replace him and put up numbers even close to Murray’s.

That being said, the Cowboys still have the best offensive lines in football and a top tier receiver in Dez Bryant. Quarterback Tony Romo will be given plenty of time to find Bryant and fellow receiver Terrance Williams. So despite the loss of Murray, don’t expect the Cowboys offense to stumble much.

As for the defense, it figures to take a step forward. With the acquisition of Greg Hardy in free agency and the addition of Randy Gregory in the draft, the Dallas front seven looks incredibly deep. Their secondary is still weak, but it hasn’t gotten worse since last season.

In the end, despite defensive improvements the Cowboys will end up with a record slightly worse than last season.