Championship teams are, of course, put together in the offseason. Every savvy NFL fan understands as much. In a salary cap era, the draft is essential because you need to find cheap, productive players. And free agency is a risk because you have to make the right choices about which older, possibly declining players are worth large contracts.
The story of the NFC East is not an unfamiliar one: two teams — the Eagles and Cowboys — are able to build around possible franchise QBs still on entry-level deals. The Giants and Redskins, meanwhile, are working to move away from well-paid veterans at the most important position on the field.
So we looked at each and every offseason move and how it fit the needs, both short- and long-term, of each team in the NFC East and handed out final grades for the offseason …
Philadelphia Eagles
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The Eagles could not have dreamed up a better 2019 offseason. Not only did GM Howie Roseman address the team’s major needs — both through the draft and free agency — but he did so without spending a lot of money or impacting Philly’s compensatory pick formula. It’s so easy to nitpick NFL teams’ moves, but I wouldn’t change one thing about the Eagles’ offseason.
Notable draft picks: OT Andre Dillard, RB Miles Sanders, WR J.J. Arcega Whiteside
Key acquisitions/re-signings: DL Malik Jackson, WR Desean Jackson, S Andrew Sendejo, CB Ronald Darby*, DT Timmy Jernigan*
Losses: WR Golden Tate, QB Nick Foles, LB Jordan Hicks, RB Jay Ajayi
*Re-signed with team
Versatile defensive lineman Malik Jackson was brought in after Jacksonville let him go. He was a productive pass rusher in 2018, but the Jaguars simply couldn’t afford him. Because he was released, he was not a free agent included in the compensatory pick formula. The Eagles also added DeSean Jackson for next to nothing. Tampa Bay parted ways with the deep threat for a sixth-round pick but gave up a seventh-rounder in the process. This was basically a major free agent signing masked as a trade. The Andrew Sendejo pick could end up costing Philadelphia a compensatory pick, but if the veteran safety isn’t producing, the team can avoid that by cutting him prior to Week 10.
Roseman continued his impressive work in the draft, where he landed the best pass protector in the class, Andre Dillard, who will replace the aging Jason Peters at left tackle … eventually. The Eagles added depth in the second round with the Miles Sanders and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside picks. The latter will make it easier for Philly to move on from Alshon Jeffery — my pro comparison for Arcega-Whiteside before the draft — when his cap hit jumps to $15.9 million in 2020.
To round out a fantastic offseason, the Eagles were able to bring back key contributors Ronald Darby and Timmy Jernigan on cheap deals. Philadelphia took a risk by declining Jernigan’s $13 million option for 2019, and it paid off as the defensive tackle chose to return for less money.
GRADE: A+
Washington Redskins
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
The Redskins looked like a playoff team before injuries took out most of the offensive line and Washington’s quarterback room. The front office had two goals heading into the offseason: Find a cheap replacement for Alex Smith, who may never play another down for the Redskins, and shore up the backend of its defense. It certainly accomplished that first goal. We’re not so sure about the second one.
Notable draft picks: QB Dwayne Haskins, OLB Montez Sweat, WR Terry McLaurin, WR Kelvin Harmon
Key acquisitions: S Landon Collins, QB Case Keenum, RB Adrian Peterson*
Losses: WR Jamison Crowder, OLB Preston Smith, OT Ty Nsekhe
*Re-signed with team
Washington went from having no good options at quarterback — no, Colt McCoy does not count — to having two. Even if Dwayne Haskins, whom Washington was able to land on draft day without having to move up from the 15th pick, isn’t ready to start in 2019, Case Keenum, who came over from Denver in a trade, isn’t a bad short-term option and was acquired for next to nothing. Haskins and Keenum will cost Washington about $7 million in 2019 cap space … combined. Not bad.
Washington’s offensive needs were not confined to the quarterback position. The Redskins needed receivers and they found two good values in the draft. Second-round pick Terry McLaurin has 4.3 speed and runs good routes. He’s not going to give you contested catches downfield, but he will be a cheap replacement for free agent departure Jamison Crowder. Sixth-rounder Kelvin Harmon looks like one of the steals of the draft. He slid because of speed concerns (4.6 40-yard dash) but he’s a professional route-runner who just devours 50/50 balls.
The front office also found a top-10 talent in Montez Sweat, a replacement for free agent Preston Smith, late in the first round. He’ll help the pass rush, but the secondary still looks like an issue, even after Washington overpaid for S Landon Collins. The former Giant is better in coverage than he gets credit for, but he’s not a true impact player in the passing game, and that’s what Washington is paying him to be. This isn’t unlike the Josh Norman signing, which looks worse and worse by the year.
GRADE: B+
Dallas Cowboys
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The Cowboys’ 2019 offseason was more about keeping the 2018 roster intact than it was improving the team. For the most part, the Cowboys did a decent job in that regard. Dallas didn’t bring in any big names — unless you still consider Robert Quinn and Randall Cobb big names, I suppose — and with the Amari Cooper trade wiping out a first-round pick, it’s hard to get excited about the draft class, though the Cowboys did manage to replace their three significant losses in the offseason.
Notable draft picks: DT Trysten Hill, G Connor McGovern
Key acquisitions/re-signings: WR Randall Cobb, DT Christian Covington, DE Robert Quinn, S George Iloka, DE Kerry Hyder, TE Jason Witten, DE Demarcus Lawrence*, DE Randy Gregory*
Losses: WR Cole Beasley, TE Jeff Swaim, DT David Irving
*Re-signed with team
This year’s Dallas team will look an awful lot like last year’s. Gone are Cole Beasley, who was being phased out of the offense anyway, and blocking tight end Jeff Swaim. Those two were replaced by Cobb and Jason Witten, respectively.
Everyone else is back!
Randy Gregory has been suspended, but the Cowboys must be confident in his return because they gave him a one-year extension not long after the league announced the suspension. The biggest move of Dallas’ offseason was the DeMarcus Lawrence extension. It was undoubtedly an overpay — no defensive player is worth $20 mil a year — but at least the Cowboys overspent on a position that actually matters.
Nobody is going to be overly impressed with the additions the Cowboys made, but they’re the type of low-profile moves that might boost a division winner into a legit conference contender. Quinn proved last year in Miami he still has some juice left. Kerry Hyder was a solid defensive end in Detroit before Matt Patricia asked him to move to nose tackle in 2018. He won’t have to worry about that in Dallas after the Christian Covington signing. George Iloka isn’t Earl Thomas, but he’s a league-average safety who adds depth to the secondary.
Really, the Cowboys’ offseason grade isn’t incomplete until we find out what they’ll do with Dak Prescott’s contract, which expires after the 2019 season. Prescott is just good enough to warrant an extension but he’s not worth the kind of money he and his agent will likely ask for. The franchise tag might be in his future.
GRADE: B-
New York Giants
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Giants GM Dave Gettleman says he has a plan, and if it’s to win a Super Bowl in the 1980s, then he’s doing a fantastic job. Gettleman jettisoned his two best players, Odell Beckham Jr. and Olivier Vernon, both of whom play premium positions in today’s NFL. And he did so for a box safety, a guard and a draft pick that he used on a run-stuffing defensive tackle.
Gettleman says we’ll see in three years if he really is “crazy,” but I think we already have our answer.
Notable draft picks: QB Daniel Jones, DT Dexter Lawrence, CB Deandre Baker, DE Oshane Ximines, CB Julian Love
Key acquisitions/re-signings: WR Golden Tate, S Antoine Bethea, DE Markus Golden, G Kevin Zeitler, S Jabrill Peppers, WR Sterling Shepard*
Losses: WR Odell Beckham Jr., DE Olivier Vernon, S Landon Collins
*Re-signed with team
After just giving away Beckham, Gettleman decided it was a good idea to replace him with Golden Tate, a slot receiver on the wrong side of 30 who started to show signs of decline in 2018. So it makes perfect sense to give that guy a $37 million contract. Not to worry, New York also received Kevin Zeitler in the trades with the Browns. That ought to fix things. Sure, Zeitler is a great pass blocker but there’s only so much a guard can do to help a passing game that wasn’t very good WITH Beckham on the roster. Somehow, the Giants passing game might be worse off than it was a year ago.
I don’t necessarily hate what Gettleman is doing on the other side of the ball. The Vernon trade might hurt the pass rush, but bringing in Markus Golden and rookie Oshane Ximines could offset that loss — and save the Giants money in the process. The swap of Landon Collins for Jabrill Peppers is a like-for-like change, only Peppers is a lot cheaper. Drafting Deandre Baker and Julian Love shores up the secondary, which, in turn, will help the pass rush.
And then there’s the Daniel Jones pick. Look, Gettleman certainly reached for Jones, but the Duke product is a solid prospect who has the talent to develop into an above average quarterback. If that happens, he’ll be a major asset over the course of his rookie deal. I don’t love the pick, but I don’t hate it either.
