DeSean Jackson: Redskins are 'the team to beat' in the NFC East

Forget the Dallas Cowboys, DeSean Jackson thinks the Washington Redskins are the team to beat in the NFC East this season.

"Well if you want to be political and say on paper, I think all the ESPN guys and all the bloggers will probably say the Dallas Cowboys," Jackson told Kevin Sheehan of ESPN 980 on Friday, via the Washington Post. "But in my eyes, I already think we're going to surprise a lot of people this year.

"I'll say once again, I'm excited about the new additions that (have) come in. Really, we just have to kind of build a camaraderie. So once the season starts and we're ahead full speed, I think we're gonna surprise a lot of people, and a lot of people are really gonna be saying, 'Wow, those guys are pretty good.' So once the season starts - I'm not gonna put too much pressure on us - but I think we'll be the team to beat this year."

It's a bold statement, considering Washington has finished at the bottom of the division the past two seasons with a combined record of 7-25. One of the team's biggest question marks is at quarterback, and Jackson said it will be key for Robert Griffin III to remain healthy and not have to sit out and then come back.

Jackson also hinted that the Redskins' 2015 offense could have elements of Mike Shanahan's 2012 team, which finished atop the division at 10-6.

"Possibly," he said. "I don't want to spill the beans to the world too much, but I definitely think you guys will have some interesting things to see this year. And I just look forward to training camp and the OTAs and doing everything we need to do to better our offense and better out team.

"So I definitely think you guys will see some things kind of similar to how he did when it was 2012 and the success he had there, taking them to the playoffs."