The Athletic: Roundtable - NFC East beat writers break down their teams ahead of free agency

Cotton

One-armed Knife Sharpener
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By Jon Machota, Zach Berman, Dan Duggan, and Rhiannon Walker 3h ago

While the COVID-19 pandemic wreaks havoc on NCAA basketball tournaments, the NBA and NHL campaigns and the start of the MLB season, NFL free agency is set to begin on time next Wednesday. The league canceled its annual meetings scheduled for later this month, and teams are changing how they scout prospects for the upcoming draft, but the rest of the offseason calendar remains intact — for now.

With the virus lurking in the background amid the uncertainty surrounding the players’ vote on the owners’ CBA proposal, teams are preparing for a free-agency period unlike any other. We asked our beat writers around the country to analyze their teams and offer predictions before the opening of the legal tampering window Monday for division-by-division looks at the league heading into what should be a memorable week.

Dallas Cowboys
Key free agents:

QB Dak Prescott (UFA)
WR Amari Cooper (UFA)
CB Byron Jones (UFA)
DE Robert Quinn (UFA)
DT Maliek Collins (UFA)

State of the roster: Although the Cowboys fell short of winning a weak NFC East last season, it wasn’t for a lack of talent. Dallas enters free agency with 25 unrestricted free agents, highlighted by the five mentioned above. Regardless of how many of those players the team is able to re-sign, the roster should still be strong on offense, led by Pro Bowl players like Ezekiel Elliott, Zack Martin, Tyron Smith and Travis Frederick. Defensively, the Cowboys could be in trouble without some notable additions in free agency and the draft. The most likely offensive free agent to return is Prescott. If the Cowboys are unable to finalize a long-term deal before the franchise tag deadline, Prescott will be given the tag. There’s a good chance they get something done with Cooper as well. Of their top defensive free agents, Jones and Collins are expected to find more money elsewhere. Quinn could do the same, but there seems to be genuine interest from the Cowboys to work something out after his team-high 11.5 sacks last season.

Wish list: The top priority is Prescott. While it seems unlikely a long-term deal will get done in the upcoming days, the Cowboys have made it clear he’s not going anywhere. Under the current collective bargaining agreement, they could use the franchise tag on Prescott and the transition tag on Cooper. If the new CBA is passed by the players, Dallas will be able to use only one tag, which would go to Prescott. It seems likely that Dallas will get a deal done with Cooper before Prescott. In terms of other notable free agents, the Cowboys won’t be much of a player, and they really haven’t been since 2012, when they signed veteran cornerback Brandon Carr to a five-year, $50 million deal. Jerry Jones and company would be pleased to retain Prescott, Cooper and Quinn and then add a few other bargain players later in free agency when asking prices come down. If the Cowboys are able to pull that off, they should be in contention to win the division for the fourth time in seven years and be in a position to make a run in the playoffs.

Prediction: Prescott will be given the exclusive rights franchise tag and Cooper will sign an extension that makes him among the NFL’s highest-paid wide receivers. Prescott will eventually get his own extension that will make him one of the league’s highest-paid quarterbacks and the highest-paid player in franchise history, but it’s going to take a little longer to get that deal done.

— Jon Machota

Philadelphia Eagles
Key free agents:

OT Jason Peters (UFA)
WR Nelson Agholor (UFA)
S Rodney McLeod (UFA)
CB Ronald Darby (UFA)
OL Halapoulivaati Vaitai (UFA)

State of the roster: The Eagles are not in rebuilding mode, but they’re expected to reshape their roster more than in any offseason since 2017, when they built a Super Bowl champion. Look for them to focus on getting younger and faster. They have difficult internal decisions to make, such as determining what to do about Alshon Jeffery (there’s a $26 million cap hit if they cut him) and Malcolm Jenkins (he wants a new contract and said he won’t play on his existing deal). The Eagles have 19 players with expiring contracts, none of whom should be considered players they must re-sign. They must upgrade at wide receiver and cornerback. They have holes to fill at linebacker and must figure out what to do at safety. They can improve their pass rush and are unsettled at No. 2 quarterback. The Eagles are letting Peters hit the open market after 11 years with the team and are expected to turn to 2019 first-round pick Andre Dillard. Look for Vaitai to be a coveted free agent elsewhere; he was a key reserve for the Eagles for four years and should find a starting job. Darby and Jalen Mills, their top two cornerbacks for the past three seasons, are set to hit free agency. It’s unlikely both are back. It’s likely that the Eagles have at least eight new starters next season.

Wish list: They must add a No. 1 cornerback, with the Cowboys’ Byron Jones being the player to watch. The wide receiver market is not as robust and it’s a deep draft class, so the Eagles shouldn’t rush to spend big there. They must make speed a priority, though, which is why Tampa Bay’s Breshad Perriman is a player to target if the price is right. Even though the Eagles are returning their starters on the defensive line, their pass rush wasn’t good enough last season and the position is an organizational priority. The Eagles need linebackers, but it’s not a position they value with significant resources. Look for them to go bargain shopping at the position. The Eagles have preferred veteran backup quarterbacks with starting experience under Doug Pederson, and they’ll be flush with options once the starting jobs are filled.

Prediction: The big-ticket signing will be a cornerback, and they’ll be aggressive in paying top dollar for a player such as Jones. They’ll add an inexpensive veteran at linebacker and another piece at wide receiver, even if it’s not a market-setting price. Howie Roseman will also be aggressive in the trade market. By the end of the week, the Eagles will be more active than in the past two offseasons.

— Zach Berman

New York Giants
Key free agents:

DL Leonard Williams (UFA)
LB Markus Golden (UFA)
K Aldrick Rosas (RFA)
OL Jon Halapio (RFA)
LB David Mayo (UFA)

State of the roster: The Giants are fully engaged in a rebuild after regrettably trying to make one last run with Eli Manning in 2018. They’re relying on the development of a young core because the roster lacks top-end talent across the board. With nearly $80 million in cap space and the fourth pick in the draft, this is a crucial offseason for the Giants to make strides toward returning to contention.

Wish list: The Giants have needs all over the roster. Edge rusher, cornerback, offensive line and linebacker stand out as particularly weak positions. The Giants need to direct their cap space toward landing difference-makers on defense. Cornerback Byron Jones, edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney and linebacker Cory Littleton represent the top options on the market at the Giants’ biggest positions of need.

Prediction: Expect the Giants to make one big swing in free agency on a player like Jones or Clowney. They’ll also try to re-sign Williams after giving up a pair of draft picks for the defensive lineman at last season’s trade deadline. Otherwise, the Giants will likely shop the middle class as they try to avoid the pitfalls of over-spending in free agency.

— Dan Duggan

Washington Redskins
Key free agents:

RG Brandon Scherff (UFA)
LG Ereck Flowers (UFA)
ILB Jon Bostic (UFA)

State of the roster: New coach Ron Rivera believes the strength of his roster lies in the front seven, which is littered with first- and second-round picks from drafts of old. Most of the team’s playmakers from last season come from new vice president of player personnel Kyle Smith’s last three go-rounds in the draft, and as such, many are locked up on inexpensive rookie deals. They’ve played a lot of minutes, and Rivera has said many times the young nucleus is part of what attracted him to the gig. With just over $61 million, Washington has the ninth-most cap space to play with, according to Over the Cap, and the expectation is the team will spend some of that dough to fill out the roster. With Trent Williams receiving clearance to seek a trade, left tackle now potentially moves up the list of needs, depending on how that situation plays out. If the team is able to trade him before free agency opens, it would clear up another $12.5 million in cap space.

Wish list: All three of the team’s top free agents are on Rivera’s list to retain, with Scherff expected to receive the franchise tag, the team expressing interest in Bostic re-signing and Flowers also being engaged by the staff. Definitive needs include cornerback and tight end.

Prediction: Scherff said he’d like to end his career with the burgundy and gold, and Bostic and Flowers spoke positively about their time in the nation’s capital. They’re all being engaged by the team, and my expectation is they return in some form or fashion. As for the targets in this year’s draft class, Smith said in an interview with the team site that free agency is where you bring players to fill holes or positions of need, and the draft is where the team takes the best players available. The expectation is the team will attempt to go out and reel in some big-name players at those aforementioned spots of need, then try to find some supplemental players to bolster the roster. Rivera and company want competition at every position.
 

bbgun

please don't "dur" me
Joined
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As someone said on another forum, do Dak and Brady want to celebrate multi-million-dollar contracts when innocent people are dying or losing their jobs? I know that life goes on, but the optics might be bad.
 
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