DALLAS COWBOYS:
The Cowboys have a lot of young talent at the skill positions, with franchise cornerstones at quarterback (Dak Prescott), running back (Ezekiel Elliott) and wide receiver (Amani Cooper). Michael Gallup played well at receiver last year too, and the team spent a third-round pick on him in 2018. although they don’t have a lot of depth at the position. 2018 fourth-rounder Dalton Schultz is a good blocker at the tight end position, but last year’s starter, Blake Jarwin, is nothing special, so a great receiver or more well-rounded player at the position would be nice. The Cowboys have at least three pieces along the offensive line (Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, and La’el Collins), although 2018 second-rounder Connor Wiliams struggled at left guard last year, while at center they just lost Travis Frederick to retirement and have only journeyman Joe Looney and 2019 third-rounder Connor McGovern as candidates to man the pivot; McGovern didn’t play last year after landing on injured reserve.
The Cowboys signed both of Carolina’s defensive tackles last year, those being Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe; with 2019 second-rounder Trysten Hill, they should be okay there, even though Tyrone Crawford fell off last year. They have one of the top defensive ends in the league in Demarcus Lawrence, but not much opposite him; Dorance Armstrong didn’t play well, and Joe Jackson played under a hundred snaps, while Michael Bennett hasn’t re-signed yet. None of Dallas’ highly-regarded linebackers graded out very highly last year, those being Sean Lee, Jaylon Smith, and Leighton Vander-Esch, although it’s conceivable they could be confident in those players rebounding. Among the team’s clearest needs is for a top-end cornerback; Chidobe Awuzie is a pretty good starter on one side and Jourdan Lewis is decent in the slot, but Anthony Brown struggled in limited snaps and shouldn’t be considered a suitable replacement for Byron Jones as a boundary starter. They should be okay at safety after signing Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix to pair with Xavier Woods.
Top Needs: TE, OC, DE, LB, CB
Expiring Contracts: QB Dak Prescott, CB Chidobe Awuzie, CB Jourdan Lewis, DB Xavier Woods
NEW YORK GIANTS:
Daniel Jones decent rookie season, and the team has surrounded him with some pretty good pieces. Saquon Barkley is the running back of the future, and while the Giants lack a true number-one receiver, they have three solid targets in Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate, and Darius Slayton. Evan Engram ended last year on injured reserve but they should be comfortable with him at tight end if healthy. Figuring out how to improve the offensive line will be a priority, as Jones was hit and fumbled too often last year. Nate Solder was a disappointment on the blindside last year, although they have a lot invested in him; ditto for left guard Will Hernandez, a 2018 second-round pick. There’s essentially nothing at center, and right tackle Cameron Fleming is a journeyman/reserve type; only right guard Kevin Zeitler is a great option. They’re probably most likely to look at a center or right tackle given what they have spent acquiring the other members of the line.
The Giants have an odd defensive front with a lot of talent on the defensive line – Leonard Williams was acquired last year and joins Dexter Lawrence, Dalvin Tomlinson, and B.J. Hill as stout run-stuffers. They didn’t get what they wanted from Kyler Fackrell or rookie Oshane Ximines on the edge last year, so they will probably be looking for a primary pass-rusher to play opposite Lorenzo Carter, who graded out better against the run and in coverage. David Mayo is a stout run-stuffer at inside linebacker, but neither Ryan Connelly nor Blake Martinez played at a starting-caliber level. The Giants invested heavily in James Bradberry and DeAndre Baker at cornerback, and although both were shredded last year, that’s likely to be their starting set in 2020 as well. Julian Love converted from cornerback and did a good job at safety last year, and Jabrill Peppers was a pretty good coverage safety too.
Top Needs: WR, OT, OC, DE/OLB, ILB, CB
Expiring Contracts: TE Evan Engram, DT Dalvin Tomlinson, DB Jabrill Peppers
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES:
Carson Wentz is the team’s quarterback of the future, but they don’t have a ton around him. Miles Sanders leaves something to be desired as a primary running back, while the team’s receivers didn’t play as expected last year; Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson both got hurt, and second-round rookie J.J. Arcega-Whiteside really struggled to play through injury, although Greg Ward was a pleasant surprise. They have two very capable tight ends, so that’s their strongest position. The offensive line played well, and it’s unlikely they’re planning to make any changes along it, aside from possibly letting Jason Peters walk in free agency so 2019 first-round pick Andre Dillard can take over on the blindside. Left guard Isaac Seumalo isn’t great, but it’s not imperative to replace him, either.
The Eagles usually have a deep defensive line rotation, and their top two tackles are very good as well – Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave. Vinny Curry hasn’t been re-signed yet, so while they have a good pass-rusher in Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett is the likely starter opposite him and didn’t play very well last year. It’s possible they could want to see what they have in Josh Sweat or Shareef MIller before drafting another player, or maybe they’d rather invest big resources there. Things are uglier at linebacker, where T.J. Edwards and Duke Riley flashed in very limited snaps but need to step into starting roles next to Nathan Gerry, who didn’t play well. The team acquired Darius Slay to start at one of their cornerback positions, but their other investments there are not working out so far – the likes of Avonte Maddox, Rasul Douglas, Jalen Mills, and Sidney Jones were all roasted in 2019. It’s possible they may try Mills at safety, but a better complement for serviceable free safety Rodney McLeod is needed.
Top Needs: WR, DE, LB, CB, DB
Expiring Contracts: WR Alshon Jeffery, DE Derek Barnett, LB Duke Riley, LB Nate Gerry, CB Rasul Douglas, CB Sidney Jones
WASHINGTON REDSKINS:
The Redskins acquired Kyle Allen to push Dwayne Haskins this year, and it’s possible Alex Smith may recover enough to get into the mix at quarterback as well. Derrius Guice ended up on injured reserve last year but between him, Adrian Peterson, and Bryce Love, they may feel comfortable that someone will run the ball well for them in 2020. Terry McLaurin has been a big hit at receiver, and Kelvin Harmon flashed opposite him, although they may be interested in adding competition for the starting role beyond Cody Latimer, who’s Harmon’s primary competition so far. Tight end looks like a big need unless they think recent acquisition Richard Rodgers is a true number-one option. Cornelius Lucas played well last year and is penciled in at left tackle, while center Chase Roullier and right guard Brandon Scherff are other likely starters. They could potentially try to improve on either left guard Wes Schweitzer or right tackle Morgan Moses, though; their internal competition is currently being provided by Wes Martin/Ross Pierschbacher and Geron Christian, respectively.
The defensive line is somewhat unproven but they have a quality nose tackle in Da’Ron Payne; Matt Ioannidis graded out well as a pass-rusher, but 2017 first-runder Jonathan Allen struggled opposite him, as did backup nose Tim Settle. Ryan Kerrigan is a stalwart rusher off the edge, although they invested heavily in Montez Sweat opposite him and didn’t get much. Ryan Anderson is also in the mix there. Shaun Dion Hamilton is a coverage specialist at inside linebacker, and they also brought in the aging Thomas Davis Jr., who will join Jon Bostic and Cole Holcomb in competition there; it seems that Reuben Foster is on roster as well, but his off-field issues and struggles in 2018 may not make him a serious competitor for a starting role just yet. All three of the team’s top cornerbacks – Fabian Moreau, Jimmy Moreland, and the recently-signed Ronald Darby – played very poorly last year. It looks like the team may have been using Kendall Fuller at safety last year; he played well opposite Landon Collins in that capacity, but if they wanted they could see if someone like Sean Davis or Troy Apke could man the free safety spot. It’s worth mentioning, though, that Davis graded out very poorly in 2019.
Top Needs: WR, OL, DL, LB, CB, FS
Expiring Contracts: RB Adrian Peterson, TE Jeremy Sprinkle, OT Trent Williams, OC Chase Roullier, DE Jonathan Allen, LB Ryan Anderson, LB Ryan Kerrigan, LB Reuben Foster, CB Fabian Moreau, CB Ronald Darby
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