Eagles have the most optimistic fans in the NFC East ahead of 2019 NFL season

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Now that the 2019 NFL Draft is over and the Philadelphia Eagles are mostly done — though never truly done long as Howie Roseman is in charge — making offseason roster additions, it’s time to check up on the latest FanPulse results.

I don’t think you’ll be surprised to see that Eagles fans are feeling really good about their football team.

Eagles fans had an 83% confidence rating following Philadelphia’s Divisional Round loss to the Saints. That figure bumped up to 95% after the bulk of free agency was over. It went up to 97% right before this year’s draft. The most recent polling shows the rating is at 96%, which ranks tied for fourth highest among SB Nation NFL sites. Only the Browns (100%), Bears (100%), and Colts (98%) have higher ratings.

Of course, now’s the time of year where optimism is abound. You spend all offseason thinking about how your team got better and how the upcoming season’s going to be a great one. The majority of fans enter September with hope. Then it doesn’t take long for that goodwill to go away after their team loses in Week 1 (or some other point down the road).

Eagles fans should be feeling optimistic about the 2019 campaign, though. Roseman’s had a good offseason. Philadelphia arguably has one of the most talented rosters in the NFL. The head coach-quarterback combination of Doug Pederson and Carson Wentz is one of the top pairings in the league.

I’m not going to ignore that there are concerns with this Eagles squad. Wentz’s health is obviously the biggest elephant in the room. The trenches might be worse with Brandon Brooks banged up and the Eagles potentially losing both Michael Bennett and Chris Long. And so on.

But you can point to flaws on all 32 NFL teams. And if 2017 was any indication, we know this team has a very high ceiling. We don’t know if they’ll reach it, but we do know it’s there. Winning another Super Bowl title is on the table.

So, I’m glad to see that Eagles fans are feeling confident right now. We can always commiserate together later if need be. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that.

Elsewhere in the NFC East, the Dallas Cowboys have the second highest fan confidence rating at 76%. You might think they’d be more optimistic after winning the division last year but the presence of Jason Garrett puts a damper on expectations. It’s a big season for Garrett as he enters the final year of his contract.

Coming in at third place is ... Washington. They only had a 9% confidence rating at the end of the 2018 season. Then they were at 23% heading into this year’s draft. After landing Dwanye Haskins, though, Washington actually has some hope now. Getting a quarterback makes all the difference.

New York Giants fans are the predictable last place finishers. Their 46% confidence rating ranks third lowest among SB Nation sites; only the Texans (42%) and Buccaneers (40%) are below them. Giants fans SHOULD be lacking confidence in their team. Dave Gettleman has no idea what he’s doing. Pat Shurmur is one of the least inspiring head coaches in the league. Eli Manning is one of the worst starting quarterbacks. Daniel Jones becoming a successful Manning replacement is possible but there isn’t good reason to believe that’ll be the case.

One non-NFC East worth highlighting is the Jaguars. Jacksonville fans over at Big Cat Country didn’t absolutely love the Nick Foles signing but they’re feeling better about their team after this year’s draft. Their confidence rating improved from 5% at the end of 2018 to 71% currently.

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