Can’t go wrong if you don’t go
We have reached the “everyone worth signing has signed” portion of free agency, which means it is a good time to recap moves around the division.
Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles
Notable additions: G Kenyon Green, CB Adoree’ Jackson, DE Azeez Ojulari
Notable losses: Mekhi Becton, Brandon Graham, CJ Gardner Johnson, Isaiah Rodgers, Darius Slay, Josh Sweat, Milton Williams
The Eagles lost four starters and three high level backups/rotation players. They acquired just one player who played in more than half his team’s snaps last year, and only two others played more than 25%. They brought in nobody who will unquestionably be a starter. They had a great free agency.
The easiest way to avoid the mistakes of being saddled with a bad contract in free agency or to sign a player who disappoints is to not give anyone a big contract or sign a player with high expectations. (Hey remember Bryce Huff? He’s still on the roster.) In this regard, the Eagles are defending Super Bowl winners, and free agency winners.
Of course it helps to already have the best roster in the league and not need to sign anyone. After the expected trade of Dallas Goedert, the offense will have 9 starters returning from last season, and the defense will have 8 (whenever Nakobe Dean returns from injury).
The Eagles roster unquestionably took a step back this offseason, but their competition in the NFC have their own problems, no one has stepped up their game. The Lions lost their boy wonder play caller, the Vikings QB will either be JJ McCarthy or for some reason washed Aaron Rodgers, the Rams got even older, the 49ers are about to ask Brock Purdy to carry their franchise, the NFC South is still the NFC South. It’s really hard to go to back to back Super Bowls, but the Eagles are very much in position to do it.
If things go bad this year, the Eagles should re-acquire CJGJ next offseason. They have always made the Super Bowl when they have acquired CJGJ. It’s science.
Washington Football Team Commanders
Notable additions: DT Javon Kinlaw, WR Deebo Samuel, LT Laremy Tunsil
Notable losses: DT Jonathan Allen, WR Dynami Brown, S Jeremy Chinn, DE Dante Fowler
The 2024 Washington Football Team Commanders feel like the 2022 Giants: new front office, new head coach, a bunch of try hard veterans on short term deals to set the culture during the rebuild of a bad roster… and then they unexpectedly made the playoffs. The Giants, specifically their ownership, mistakenly thought they had arrived, which only set the franchise back even further. Oh no. Washington has one crucial advantage over that Giants team in Jayden Daniels, but that could give them even more reason to buy their own hype.
The ingredients are there for Washington to think they’re closer to the prize than they actually are.
The offseason the Commanders are having has done nothing to dissuade me.
Laremy Tunsil is probably a good pickup, but if a team whose OL was such a disaster that the OC and OL coach got fired over it is willing to trade you an OL you should probably run away.
Deebo Samuel has had one good year since 2021 and is a crybaby loser that doesn’t fit their supposed culture.
Javon Kinlaw is considered the worst signing of the season. WASTEAM is back!
The Commanders went 8-4 in one score games last year, 9-4 if you include playoffs. The 2022 Giants went 8-4-1, 9-4-1 if you include playoffs. That Giants team followed up with a 6 win season because they were a below average team who caught a bunch of breaks. Jaden Daniels keeps the Commanders floor higher, but when they come plummeting back to Earth this season, it’ll be easy to understand why.
The good news for Washington is that almost all of these signings are on one year contracts, so they can get out of them easily when they predictably don’t work. The bad news is that they’ll be right back to square one again in a year, but trying to chase the playoffs instead of trying to build a team from the ground up. Just like that Giants team.
Dallas Cowboys
Notable additions: DE Donte Fowler, RG Robert Jones, LB Kenneth Murray, RB Javonte Williams
Notable losses: DE DeMarcus Lawrence, RG Zack Martin, RB Rico Dowdle
This team stinks. Jonathan Mingo is a starter. Their RB depth chart is flotsam and jetsam. Their defense was just plain awful last year and has gotten worse.
The Cowboys moves this offseason continue to add fuel to the critique that the profit margin is the most important thing to them. A team that hires Brian Schottenheimer as their head coach is deeply unserious. The Micah Parsons vs Dexter Lawrence social media bitchfest indicates that all is not well behind the scenes in Arlington, which is even more of a reason not to promote from within a lackey. Live forever Jerry Jones.
Also, the only QBs on the Cowboys roster are Dak Prescott and Will Grier. Quinn Ewers, you are a Dallas Cowboy.
New York Giants
Notable additions: CB Paulson Adebo, S Jevon Holland, LB Chauncey Golston, OT James Hudson, DT Roy Robertson-Harris, LB Chris Board
Notable losses: The Giants didn’t have anyone notable on their roster to lose
At the end of the season, John Mara decided to not fire Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll because he wanted some stability. It’s going great. The Giants are waiting to hear back from Aaron Rodgers, with Russell Wilson waiting to hear back from the Giants. Or maybe they will sign Jameis Winston. They could draft Shedeur Sanders, a 2nd round talent, with the 3rd overall pick. Or maybe Jaxson Dart. Whoever the QB is, it doesn’t matter for Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll, they’re getting fired. Giants fans, just go ahead and take the year off. Take the rest of the decade while you’re at it. This is an NPC franchise.
