After the first wave of free agency, every team still has needs on their roster. Whether it’s a team that’s signed just about every free agent it could get their hands on or a team that’s been much more judicious with their money, they all have needs. Here’s a rundown of the needs from all the teams in the NFC East:
Washington Redskins
The Redskins had a bad season in 2014, punctuated with turmoil in the locker room. The turmoil was primarily between their head coach and starting quarterback, Robert Griffin III. Depending on who you ask, the quarterback position could be considered a position of need for the Redskins. I’m sure if you asked head coach Jay Gruden he would consider it a need as well. With the fifth pick in this year’s draft there’s a chance they could address that need if Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota fall to them.
On the other side of the ball they have a few needs. For starters they have a big need at both inside and outside linebacker. As it stands right now, Ryan Kerrigan might be the only listed starter right now whose starting job is safe. Behind their linebackers they need some help in the secondary. They strengthened their secondary during free agency by bringing in Chris Culliver, but they still need another cornerback. Bashaud Breeland showed some promise last season as a rookie, but DeAngelo Hall has to be on his way out soon. He’s too much of a liability at this point in his career. At safety they also need help. Starting free safety Trenton Robinson didn’t get many snaps last season and the snaps he did get were for a lot of different positions. At strong safety they have Duke Ihenacho, who basically didn’t play at all last season. In 2013 when he played significantly for Denver he didn’t play well at all.
New York Giants
Just like the Redskins, the Giants desperately need help at the safety position. As of right now they have no free safety on the roster and their strong safety is Taylor Cooper, who has no NFL experience besides limited special teams play in 2013. The safety positions aren’t particularly strong in this upcoming draft so I expect the Giants to bring in some guys during the second wave of free agency to help at the safety positions. Also in their secondary they could use at least one more cornerback. The combination of Prince Amukamara and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie isn’t a bad tandem, but they need someone to play the nickel cornerback position. With the way the NFL is changing, the nickel cornerback is almost as important as the outside cornerbacks.
On offense they don’t have a lot of needs. If Victor Cruz can come back healthy from last season’s injury they’ll have one of the better receiving corps in the league, led by Odell Beckham. Their offensive line could use some improvement, but they have some young pieces that will have another season to work together and build better chemistry. The Giants will either bring in some veteran linemen to add depth or draft a lineman or two as insurance.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles have signed or tried to sign just about every free agent out there it seems. And if they haven’t tried to sign someone, they’ve probably tried trading for them. Despite all their activity they still have a number of holes that need to be filled. For starters, they need some offensive linemen. As of right now they don’t have a right guard to speak of and they have a 33-year-old left tackle along with a 34-year-old left guard. Also on offense, they need a number one wide receiver. They currently have Riley Cooper, the upgraded version of Cooper in Jordan Matthews, and Josh Huff. They don’t have anyone that will scare a secondary. Their quarterback situation could also be considered a need, it really depends on if you think Sam Bradford is their long-term solution or not. It’s hard to put too much stock in a young quarterback with the injury history that Bradford already has though. Bradford also only has one season left on his contract.
On the defensive side of the ball they’ve added a lot of firepower. Their biggest weakness on defense is easily at the safety position. Nate Allen had a decent season, but his departure leaves a hole. They now need a strong safety to help out Malcolm Jenkins in the secondary. Other than that, their defense doesn’t need too much more besides maybe another reliable cornerback or two.
Dallas Cowboys
On offense the Cowboys are pretty well set. Their only need is at running back, where they lost DeMarco Murray but added Darren McFadden. This is a need because a team can’t rely on McFadden with his injury history. Of course he could play all season and be great, but the Cowboys can’t count on that.
On the defensive side of the ball it’s a different story. Their defense had good numbers in 2014, but was masked to an extent due to how much their offense controlled the clock on a consistent basis. In their secondary they need safety help and a nickel cornerback. Neither Barry Church nor J.J. Wilcox played particularly well this past season, but the Cowboys might be stuck with them for another season due to the weak free agent market at the positions and the weak draft class. As for nickel cornerbacks, they’ll likely draft one of those. The cornerback class is a deep one. At linebacker they could certainly use some help as well. Their top linebacker is Sean Lee and he’s hurt too often to have much faith in him. Luckily for the Cowboys their defensive line is good enough they might be able to cover up the weakness of their linebackers. Also, if Sean Lee can stay healthy all season he’s good enough to make up for their other linebackers.