Eagles Position Comment Jason Peters LT I don't know if he's the best offensive lineman in the game or not, but I don't think there was an offensive lineman that had a better season in 2011 than Peters. Just a size/athleticism specimen. Evan Mathis LG Pro Football Focus had Mathis rated as the best guard in the NFL in 2011. I don't agree with that assessment, but he do believe he played at a Pro Bowl level. Didn't give up a sack the entire season. A little overrated as a run blocker. Jason Kelce C 6th round rookie draft pick started all 16 games, mostly played well (or at least as well as you might hope for from a 6th round rookie draft pick). Outstanding athleticism for a center. Will likely only get better. Danny Watkins RG Rough start to his NFL career. Held out of camp in an already lockout shortened offseason, fell behind, had major struggles in preseason games, and didn't get on the field until Week 5. Got better as the season progressed, and should benefit from a full offseason with the team. Todd Herremans RT Very good season at RT after moving over from LG. He even filled in for Jason Peters for one game at LT and had a stellar game against the Redskins.

The rest of the NFC East after the jump...

Giants Position Comment Will Beatty LT Played well in his first season as a starter before being lost for the season with an eye injury. Kevin Boothe? LG Boothe was forced into action as a starter when Beatty got hurt, and held his own. Boothe is a nice, versatile player that can play several position, but is probably best suited as a backup. The Giants could of course still try to make a move here either in the draft or free agency. David Baas C Just a guy. Chris Snee RG In previous years, Snee was among the elite guards in the game, but his play fell off dramatically in 2011. Just a hunch, but I suspect he'll be better in 2012. David Diehl? RT Without a shred of hyperbole, I can confidently say that Diehl was one of the worst offensive linemen in the entire NFL last season. I anticipated that the Giants would release him, but they restructured his contract, which means he'll be sticking around in 2012. He began the season at LG and kicked out to LT when Beatty got hurt. The Giants told free agent RT Kareem McKenzie to shop for a new team, so it's possible that Diehl could move over to RT. Another option could be 2nd year player James Brewer or Boothe.

Cowboys Position Comment Tyron Smith LT Excellent looking athletic young offensive tackle who could be a fixture of the Dallas offense for the next decade+. Could be scary good if he continues to fill out his frame and keep his athleticism. Nate Livings LG Signed a 5 year, $19 million deal with Dallas. It would be fraudulent of me to pretend I've studied the Bengals' OL, so I'm forced to be that guy that relies on Pro Football Focus' ratings. 2011: -10.4. 2010: -7.6. 2009: -1.5. 2008: -6.5. If you believe in PFF, then you wouldn;t think highly of Livings. Phil Costa? C Phil Costa had an awful season in 2011. Well below average NFL starter. We'll pencil him in as the starter… for now. But I just can't see any way the Cowboys purposely go into the 2012 season with Costa as their starting center. Mackenzy Bernadeau? RG The Cowboys signed Bernadeau away from the Panthers for $11 million over 4 years. Today they released offensive line staple Kyle Kosier. Last season, Bill Nagy started 4 games before being lost for the season with a broken ankle, and played very poorly when he was in there. Bernadeau is either the starter, or an extremely overpriced backup. I'm going to guess he's the former. Again, like with Livings, I'm not going to pretend to know squadoosh about the Panthers' OL, so I'm again forced to use PFF as a crutch: 2011: +3.4 (just 125 snaps). 2010: -10.5. 2009: -13.7. Doug Free RT Very season in 2010, got paid that offseason, struggled mightily in 2011. One of the biggest disappointments in the NFC East last year. This season, he'll slide across to the right side to make room for the emerging Tyron Smith, where I think he'll be better. Free probably isn't as good as he was in 2010, and probably isn't as bad as he was in 2011.

Redskins Comment Trent Williams LT Improved from Year 1 to Year 2 in the NFL. Should benefit from a full offseason with the team. With Williams protecting the golden child's blind side next season, he'll need to grow up… now. Tons of talent, to be determined if he can put it all together. Kory Lichtensteiger? LG Tore everything in his knee Week 5 againt the Eagles last season. To be determind if he can return healthy. Will Montgomery C Re-signed with the team recently. Just a guy. Chris Chester RG Good pass protector, useless in the run game. ? RT Jammal Brown and Tyler Polumbus are both still on the roster, but I won't do Skins' fans the disservice of projecting either of them as their starter at RT in 2012. I'll just leave it blank. There's a 99.9% likelihood the Skins will address this spot. It was reported that Demetrius Bell of Buffalo is scheduled to visit DC. We'll see if the Skins can close him.

And the best part? Peters, Kelce, and Watkins are signed through the next 3 seasons. Herremans and Mathis are signed through the next 5.

Of course, things can change between now and September, but the likelihood that any of the Eagles' main rivals can significantly narrow the gap is slim.

Jimmy covers the NFC East at Blogging the bEast. You can follow Jimmy on Twitter at @Jimmy_Beast.