The first waves of free agency have come and gone and now it’s time to look at what teams have gained and lost since March 13th and where they stand as they prepare for the upcoming draft. Let’s continue with the NFC East.
Dallas Cowboys
Key acquisitions: WR Randall Cobb, DE Robert Quinn (acquired from Dolphins), TE Jason Witten, DT Christian Covington, SS George Iloka, DE Kerry Hyder
Re-signed: DE DeMarcus Lawrence, WR Tavon Austin, FB Jamize Olawale, OT Cameron Fleming, LS L.P. Ladouceur
Departures: WR Cole Beasley (Bills), Geoff Swaim (Jaguars), Damien Wilson (Chiefs)
Remaining free agents: RB Rod Smith, WR Terrance Williams
Analysis: The Cowboys weren’t active in in the first wave of free agency with hopes of looking ahead to next years free agency, particularly retaining their star players (Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, Ezekiel Elliott). They were finally able to come to a monster contract extension with star pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence after tagging him for the second year in a row, thus locking down a key member of their young defense. Pairing Lawrence with newly acquired Robert Quinn could be up there with the league’s best pass rushing duos. Quinn has all the talent as a former first-round pick, but injuries have derailed his production as he hasn’t had a double-digit sack season since 2014 after having three straight, including a 19.0 sack All-Pro season in 2013. Adding Christian Covington helps shore up the defensive interior alongside Antwaun Woods and Maliek Collins.
Losing Cole Beasley is the only major loss, but the hope is the former Packer Randall Cobb will be that slot receiver security blanket for Prescott. Bringing Jason Witten out of retirement I believe is more of a locker room/leadership move than for production. I expect Witten to be out-snapped by Blake Jarwin, and the team should focus more on the development of second-year man Dalton Schultz. George Iloka is an underrated signing, as he will compete for a starting safety job with Jeff Heath, Xavier Woods, and Kavon Frazier. Finally some long snapper love, re-signing the 38 year-old L.P. Ladouceur.
Conclusion: The focus of Dallas’ roster building will be focused on retaining their star players and retaining their core. They also need to focus more on depth, primarily on the offensive side of the ball. Drafting a running back in the mid-rounds should be a priority to have a reliable backup to Elliott. The Cowboys have a top offensive line when healthy, but the issue the past few seasons has been health. Travis Frederick’s status is still up in the air due to his Guillain-Barre syndrome, and Tyron Smith hasn’t played a full 16-game season in three years. Dallas needs depth at tackle (see Adrian Clayborn’s six-sack performance in Week 10 of 2017 against Chaz Green and Byron Bell) and center, although Joe Looney filled in nicely in place of Frederick. The development of Connor Williams is key as he was benched mid-season at left guard in favor of Xavier Su’a-Filo.
The Cowboys are primed for a strong postseason run, with a roster riddled with talent. They have a quality quarterback, one of the best running backs in the league, a strong receiver core with Cooper, Cobb, Michael Gallup, Allen Hurns, and Noah Brown, and one of the best offensive lines. The Cowboys have one of the best defensive fronts with veterans Lawrence, Quinn, and Tyrone Crawford along with young guys like former first rounder Taco Charlton. The linebacking core of Jaylon Smith, Leighton Vander Esch, and Sean Lee is elite, but requires some depth as all three have injury histories. The secondary is sneaky really good, led by the Pro Bowler Byron Jones, along with Chidobe Awuzie, Jourdan Lewis, and Anthony Brown alongside Heath, Woods, Iloka, and Frazier at safety. Watch out, Dallas is in win-now mode and are dangerous.
New York Giants
Key acquisitions: WR Golden Tate, G Kevin Zeitler (acquired from Browns), SS Jabrill Peppers (acquired from Browns), OLB Markus Golden, FS Antoine Bethea, DE Olsen Pierre
Re-signed: Cody Latimer, Bennie Fowler
Departures: WR Odell Beckham Jr. (traded to Browns), DE Olivier Vernon (traded to Browns), SS Landon Collins (Redskins), FS Curtis Riley (Raiders), CB B.W. Webb (Bengals), G Jamon Brown (Falcons)
Analysis: I honestly feel bad for Giants fans. They had a chance to make a playoff run and the front office just threw that away. Losing one of the best receivers in the game in his prime and an elite safety to build around must be heartbreaking. It was shaping up to be a good offseason after the G-Men acquired G Kevin Zeitler from the Browns for DE Olivier Vernon, getting rid of Vernon’s large contract while acquiring an above average starting guard. The offensive line was steadily improving after signing Nate Solder last offseason and the emergence of Will Hernandez at left guard. The offensive weapons were going to be one of the league’s best with Odell Beckham, Sterling Shepard, Saquon Barkley, and Evan Engram, but now that’s all in the rear view mirror. The defense needs work at all levels, but a great defensive draft could’ve resolved those issues and could’ve only meant a quick rebuild. But that was all best case scenario, which has since been thrown out the window.
While the Giants have lost several key guys, they at least made an attempt to replace them. Golden Tate is a solid receiver who’s one of the best after the catch. Jabrill Peppers is an up and coming versatile safety, Markus Golden is three years removed from a 12.5-sack season, but two-years removed from a torn ACL. B.W. Webb was a solid starting corner opposite Janoris Jenkins last season after bouncing around the league, but has found a new home in Cincinnati. Curtis Riley was solid starting free safety, but has moved on to Oakland. Antoine Bethea adds some veteran leadership to an otherwise young defense, but he’s also 34 years old. Giants made some moves to attempt to counteract the losses, but are still a work in progress.
Conclusion: How can Giants fans remain Giants fans after this? The only thing they’ve got going for them is Barkley. He’s got the talent to be the best not only running back, but offensive WEAPON in the league. That’s it. That’s what the Giants have right now. Teams will soon learn that the entire offense goes through Barkley, the defense will just game plan for him, and the Giants will be staring at a 3-13 record and wasting the prime of a generational talent. There’s been a ton of turnover in New York, and this draft is so important for the future of the Giants. Whether it be drafting Dwayne Haskins as the heir to Eli Manning, or draft one of the premier defensive players and ride 2019 with Eli and address the future of the position next year.
Philadelphia Eagles
Key acquisitions: Jordan Howard (acquired from Bears), WR DeSean Jackson (acquired from Buccaneers), DT Malik Jackson, DE Vinny Curry, SS Andrew Sendejo, LB L.J. Fort
Re-signed: DE Brandon Graham, CB Ronald Darby, TE Richard Rodgers
Departures: QB Nick Foles (Jaguars), LB Jordan Hicks (Cardinals), WR Golden Tate (Giants), WR Jordan Matthews (49ers)
Remaining free agents: RB Jay Ajayi, FS Corey Graham, DT Timmy Jernigan, G Stefen Wisniewski
Analysis: The Eagles front office once again was aggressive and addressed several needs. They brought back some key contributors, some old friends, and some new faces, making them one of the biggest winners of free agency. Brandon Graham is the second-longest tenured Eagle and has been a staple for them coming off the edge for nine seasons. Ronald Darby was brought back on a one-year deal to be a starting cornerback after tearing his ACL in Week 10. They brought back an old friend in DeSean Jackson to shore up a strong receiving core with Alshon Jeffrey and Nelson Agholor after losing both Golden Tate and Jordan Matthews in free agency. They also brought back Vinny Curry after a year in Tampa to be a rotational pass rusher on a deep depth chart featuring Graham, Chris Long, and Derek Barnett. After declining the option on Timmy Jernigan’s contract, the Eagles signed former Jaguars DT Malik Jackson to pair with All-Pro DT Fletcher Cox. With these signings, along with Barnett coming back from injury, this Eagles front should be one of the best in the league.
The Eagles have been trying to find their running back since trading LeSean McCoy to the Bills in 2015. They’ve gone through the likes of DeMarco Murray, Ryan Matthews, Corey Clement, Wendell Smallwood, and last year with undrafted rookie Josh Adams. Now they’ve just acquired former Bears Pro Bowl back Jordan Howard. Howard is a pure downhill runner with limited ability in the passing game, similar to Adrian Peterson’s style of play. He’s in a contract year, so this could very much be a one-year rental. They should still address the position in the draft, as they’ve been linked to Alabama’s Josh Jacobs in several mock drafts.
Philly also brought in the former Viking Andrew Sendejo as a third safety behind Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod. L.J. Fort was signed to compete to be the starting middle linebacker, despite being a special teamer for most of his career, after losing Jordan Hicks to the Cardinals. The Eagles should draft a linebacker in the first three rounds, as that is an obvious weak spot with the other starting spots occupied by Nigel Bradham and Kamu Grugier-Hill at the moment.
The biggest question approaching free agency was the status of Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles. He led the Eagles to the playoffs for the second straight year following an injury to Carson Wentz and proved effective down the stretch. Wentz is clearly the future of the franchise, but Philly wanted to cover all their bases and tried to maximize the market value of Foles. But in the end, the Eagles set Foles free, and signed a four-year contract with the Jaguars.
Conclusion: The Eagles got better, straight up. They took a step back last year following their Super Bowl win, and the team and front office realized that. They suffered through a lot of injuries to starters, particularly in the secondary, like Ronald Darby, Jalen Mills and Rodney McLeod, but that opened the door for young guys like Avonte Maddox, Rasul Douglas, and Sidney Jones to step up and deliver. One area of focus is the linebackers, which they should address in the draft, but other than that, from top to bottom, this is one of the league’s most complete rosters. If Wentz can come back to MVP form after his back injury in 2018, the Eagles should be poised to make another strong playoff run.
Washington Redskins
Key acquisitions: SS Landon Collins, QB Case Keenum (acquired from Broncos), OT Ereck Flowers, CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
Re-signed: RB Adrian Peterson
Departures: FS Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (Bears), WR Jamison Crowder (Jets), WR Maurice Harris (Patriots)
Remaining free agents: RB Robert Kelley, G Jonathan Cooper, QB Josh Johnson
Analysis: The Redskins logo should just be a giant question mark because they are so unpredictable every season, yet predictable at the same time. They win some games and look like the best team in football, and they also lose some games and look like an utter disaster. In the offseason, they make some moves, they lose some guys, but nothing really ever flashy. They traded for Alex Smith last offseason and let Kirk Cousins walk in free agency, that was something, but it still seemed underwhelming. This year, they traded for Case Keenum, a move that also seems underwhelming, after Smith suffered a devastating broken leg in Week 11 and at 34 years old, his career is likely over. But that wasn’t the only move Washington made this year. They actually went out and made one the biggest moves in free agency, signing former Giants Pro Bowl safety Landon Collins to a monster six-year contract. Collins is one of the best safeties in the game, and is a difference-maker in the secondary. He’ll be working alongside Josh Norman, Quinton Dunbar, and Montae Nicholson in Washington after losing Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and releasing D.J. Swearinger. Could this finally be a move that makes the Redskins relevant? Maybe, maybe not, who knows?
Washington also brought back future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson. Derrius Guice is coming off a torn ACL and was expected to be the starter prior to the injury, which prompted the Peterson signing. DRC returns to the NFL after retiring mid-season as a member of the Raiders and reunites with Collins from their Giants days, and Ereck Flowers provides depth on an injury-prone offensive line after being a major bust in New York. Nobody has suffered from injuries the past two years than the Redskins, specifically on the offensive line. They had 10 different starting offensive lines, tied for the most in the league. Their only consistency was at center with Chase Roullier, and Morgan Moses at right tackle. Perennial Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams has struggled with injuries in recent years, and his backup Ty Nsekhe signed with Buffalo. Right guard Brandon Scherff missed eight games with injury, and the left guard spot saw SIX different starters throughout the season. The receiving core is mediocre as Josh Doctson as failed to prove himself as a first rounder, and former Seahawk Paul Richardson has been underwhelming after signing a five-year contract. One guy I am excited about is 2018 Mr. Irrelevant Trey Quinn, a slot receiver who only played in two games but flashed his potential with nine catches and a touchdown.
Conclusion: The Redskins made some moves, but is it enough to be competitive in the NFC East? Sure, but can they stay healthy? Nobody knows. There’s been a lot of question marks surrounding the Redskins organization the past couple years. Whether it be the direction of the team, the future of the organization, or whether they truly are a competitive team. Stay tuned and find out.
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