For most of the 2023 season, the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles were viewed as the only teams that could beat the mighty San Francisco 49ers in the NFC.
That wasn’t the case, with both NFC East squads getting bounced in the wild-card round. The Eagles, who started 10–1, had a disastrous second half to the season before losing in ugly fashion to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the playoffs. The Cowboys stole the division from the Eagles, but that did them no favors with a disappointing home playoff loss vs. the Green Bay Packers.
Dallas and Philadelphia now head into a pivotal offseason, needing to retool their respective rosters to become a legitimate contender. The New York Giants and Washington Commanders have question marks at quarterback, but they have ideal options to possibly upgrade the most important position in football.
Here’s one move every NFC East team should make this offseason.
Dallas Cowboys
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One move they should make: Re-sign CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons
Technically, these are two moves, but it would be monumental for the franchise to lock down their two best players in Lamb and Parsons. This would also give the Cowboys some much-needed cap space, because Lamb currently has a $17.9 million cap hit in 2024 due to the fifth-year option on his rookie contract being exercised. The Cowboys are currently $19.7 million over the salary cap, according to Over the Cap. The team could wait to work out a contract extension with Parsons, who has two years left on his rookie deal (his fifth-year option will surely get picked up soon). But it would be better to secure the elite pass rusher this offseason, so the Cowboys can have a better idea for how to operate when it comes to personnel decisions this offseason.
New York Giants
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One move they should make: Trade up to draft a QB
Quarterback Daniel Jones failed to build off his breakout 2022 season. The Giants’ signal-caller had six subpar performances before a torn ACL cut his ’23 season short. The organization had hopes of Jones having consistency under the guidance of head coach Brian Daboll and decided to sign him to a four-year, $160 million contract extension last year, but the team wisely gave itself an out after two years of the deal. The Giants currently have the No. 6 pick to possibly draft a quarterback to sit behind Jones for at least a season—or compete for the starting job immediately. The Giants could have the option of drafting LSU’s Jayden Daniels or Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy at No. 6, but they shouldn’t play it safe. New York needs to find a way to trade into the top three or inside the top five.
Philadelphia Eagles
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One move they should make: Sign Ravens’ Patrick Queen
The Eagles’ second-half collapse was well documented, but the linebackers were an issue the entire season. Nakobe Dean struggled to find his footing as a rookie in 2022 and only played five games due to injury last season. Zach Cunningham, the team’s other starting linebacker, is scheduled to be a free agent in March. With about $19 million in cap space, the Eagles should prioritize the defensive side in free agency, especially at linebacker. Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen, who had a breakout ’23 season, could be available because the team already has All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith and also needs to set money aside for defensive tackle Justin Madubuike. Queen recorded 133 total tackles, 3.5 sacks and made the Pro Bowl for Baltimore last season.
Washington Commanders
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One move they should make: Draft Caleb Williams or Drake Maye at No. 2
This is an easy one for an organization that hasn’t had a franchise quarterback in a very long time. The Commanders hold the No. 2 pick in April’s draft and await to see what the Chicago Bears decide to do with their No. 1 pick. Many view Williams as the best quarterback in the draft, but many are also high on Maye, who’s drawing comparisons to Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. The Commanders are in a good spot to land a talented quarterback, but they will need to develop the pending signal-caller, a key task for new head coach Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who worked with Williams at USC last season. Washington got an up-and-down performance last season from Sam Howell, who was a college teammate of Maye’s at North Carolina.
