a look at the off-season moves by the other NFC East teams

All is quiet in Giants-land. Below I will break-down what has our NFC East rivals have done since SuperBowl XLIII.


WASHINGTON REDSKINS

re-signed CB DeAngelo Hall: UFA; $54M/6 yrs, $22.5M guaranteed.

acquired

DT Albert Haynesworth UFA Titans; $100M/7 yrs, $5M SB/$41M guaranteed.

re-acquired

OG Derrick Dockery: FA Bills; $26M/5 yrs, $8.2M guaranteed.

notable draft picks:

Brian Orakpo DE - round 1

Kevin Barnes CB - round 3

a couple of LBs in the middle

My take: Washington didn't really address their aging and inconsistant OL, still is lacking playmaking receivers unless 2nd year guys Devin Thomas or Malcolm Kelly show something. They have no RB depth behind Portis. They also could have also used an upgrade at SS & SAM. Once again this will be a tough team as they are a bitter rival with a physical defense, but they are not any better offensively. Haynesworth will help improve the middle of the front seven, but he is the team's only true pass-rusher. Orakpo has a good chance of becoming a good DE, but probably not for a year or two.

DALLAS COWBOYS

acquired

LB Keith Brooking

QB Jon Kitna

DE Igor Olshansky

S Gerald Sensabaugh

lost

DE Chris Canty

CB Anthony Henry

LB Zach Thomas

LB Greg Ellis*

* It appears that Greg Ellis is going to be released or traded

let go

WR Terrell Owens

S Roy Williams

notable draft picks:

(no day 1 selections)

Jason Williams LB - round 3

Michael Hamlin S - round 5

Mike Mickents CB - round 7 (could be a steal, projected as a mid-round pick)

My take: Only "real change" is the departure of Owens. The team is hoping that it is "addition by subtraction." Kitna is good insurance if Romo gets hurt or decides to take up golf full-time http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=4160904. It was very surprising that Dallas did not draft another WR. I guess it's time that Patrick Crayton put the money where his (big) mouth is. This is now Romo's team. Can he be a good leader? Can he play as well in the winter as he does in the fall?

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

acquired

OT Stacey Andrews

CB Ellis Hobbs

S Sean Jones

OT Jason Peters

FB Leonard Weaver

lost

RB Correll Buckhalter

S Sean Considine

S Brian Dawkins

CB Lito Sheppard

TE L.J. Smith

OT Tra Thomas

notable draft picks:

Jeremy Maclin WR - round 1

LeSean McCoy RB - round 2

Cornelius Ingram TE - round 5

Victor Harris CB - round 5

Fenuki Tupou T - round 5

My take: The Eagles had a productive off-season. They now have two new OTs who are in the prime of their careers. Jason Peters had a down year last year. Can he return to form? Maclin is a speedy WR, but can he make an impact as a rookie? McCoy is a Westbrook clone, which is not a bad thing, but the Eagles could have used a big, bruising RB. Can Sean Jones replace the ever-present Briab Dawkins? The rest of the NFC East is happy to see him gone. If McNabb can stay healthy, a playoff spot should easily be obtained. And as he will be 33 this year, his window of opportunity for a SuperBowl victory will be closing soon.