Biggest Positional Needs for All 32 NFL Teams - NFC East Edition

February 22, 2024

Rob looks at each NFL team in the NFC East and looks at what kind of offseason assets they have, both financially and draft capital wise. Each team's top three positional needs are identified.

Following the 2023 NFL Season, it's quite easy to make the argument that every fanbase for each of the four teams in the NFC East is disappointed with how the season went. The Eagles imploded in the last two months of the season. Hard. The Cowboys got blown out at home in the first round of the playoffs. The Giants followed up a surprising playoff season in 2022 with another appearance in the top 10 in this year's NFL Draft. The Commanders traded both Chase Young and Montez Sweat. They saw their Eric Bieniemy experiment explode and ended up hiring their, at best, No. 3 option for their head coaching vacancy, which happened to result in the Cowboys' losing their defensive coordinator. Brutal, brutal stuff.

Previous Divisional Editions breaking down each team's 2023 season, their offseason assets, and their top-three positional needs going into the 2024 NFL Season can be found here:

• AFC North
• NFC North
• AFC East

This is a pivotal season for head coaches Brian Daboll, Nick Sirianni, and Mike McCarthy. It's not a stretch to say that if their 2024 respective seasons aren't better than what happened this past season, all three of these head coaches in the NFC East could be looking for new work. With so much on the line, it's important that each team uses their available resources to the best of their ability in order to have a more successful 2024 season. Jobs depend on it. As for the Commanders, they're in the midst of a major rebuild. It won't happen overnight, but it's important for them to start taking steps in the right direction... for a change. If you want to take advantage of all of our great premium tools, please use promo code, "BOOM" to receive a 10% discount. 

Dallas Cowboys

Season Review and Offseason Assets

The Cowboys finished 12-5 and made the playoffs as the No. 2 seed. As good as the record and seeding were, Dallas struggled a bit throughout the regular season against other playoff teams. They went 3-4 and had a negative-16 point differential in seven games against playoff teams. In the first round of the playoffs, while at home against the Packers, the Cowboys got the doors blown off. They lost 48-32, but it was 27-7 at halftime and 41-16 after the third quarter. The final score makes the game appear far closer than it ever was. For whatever reason, this Cowboys team has failed year after year to show up consistently against the upper-echelon teams. It’s almost as though they lack toughness, but after years of shortcomings, something is amiss.

They finished with the highest-scoring offense and gained the fifth-most offensive yards. Their defense was stellar too, finishing fifth in points allowed and fifth in yards given up. That was despite losing Trevon Diggs early in the season to a torn ACL. Their defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn, left this offseason to become Washington's head coach. Mike McCarthy has since hired former Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer to take his place.

Dallas is around $8 million over the cap. Dak Prescott has a $59.5 million cap hit and will certainly be extended this offseason to lower that. Zack Martin has a $28.5 million cap hit, but at 34 years of age, restructuring his contract comes with some fairly large risks. They also need to extend CeeDee Lamb and they don’t have many clear-cut options. Cutting Michael Gallup only saves $1 million, unless they designate him as a post-June 1 cut, in which case it would save roughly $9 million. Tyron Smith will count $6 million against the cap due to void years, but will officially be a free agent. They also have some important free agents they’ll need to make tough decisions on. That includes Stephon Gillmore, Tyler Biadasz, and Tony Pollard. The Cowboys are not in the greatest of spots financially. They’ll be limited in what they can do, spending-wise.

Dallas owns the No. 24 (first-rounder), No. 56 (second-rounder), No. 87 (third-rounder), No. 172 (fifth-rounder), No. 212 (sixth-rounder), No. 230 (seventh-rounder), and No. 241 (seventh-rounder) overall picks in this year’s NFL Draft.

Biggest Needs

1. Offensive Tackle

Tyron Smith is a free agent. He’s been the blindside tackle for Dallas since 2011. He’s now 33 years old, however, and the team needs to move on. Over the past four seasons, Smith has played in just 30 out of a possible 67 regular season games. He hasn’t played in 14 games in one season since 2015. There is no replacement on the roster. The backup tackle, Chuma Edoga, is also a free agent. To make matters even worse, the team’s right tackle Terence Steele was atrocious last season. Out of 56 tackles with at least 700 snaps played, Steele had the fourth-worst PFF pass-blocking grade. He allowed eight sacks (sixth-most out of sample), 14 quarterback hits (highest), 34 hurries (11th-most), and 56 pressures (fourth-most). Cutting him is not an option. The team would lose $12 million in cap space because he just signed a large contract extension before this season. Dallas needs a left tackle. That much is guaranteed, but they also need insurance at right tackle in case Steele plays as badly in 2024 as he did in 2023.

2. Linebacker

By the end of the season, teams were abusing Dallas in the running game. Their defensive tackle Jonathan Hawkins is a free agent and should also be a priority for Dallas, but their group of linebackers leaves so much to be desired. They essentially played with one linebacker all season. Micah Parsons, while listed as a linebacker, is an edge rusher. Their two linebackers were Damone Clark (784 snaps played, 73%) and Leighton Vander Esch (269 snaps played, 25%). Vander Esch only played in five games due to injury, but the team opted to essentially fill his spot with a safety. Not surprisingly, their rush defense was negatively affected. In their Wild Card loss to the Packers, they allowed 144 rushing yards and three touchdowns. They gave up 244 rushing yards in a late-season loss to the Bills. Vander Esch is likely a cap casualty, which means this group needs major reinforcements.

3. Running Back

Tony Pollard and Rico Dowdle combined for 348 rushing attempts, 1,366 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns, 89 targets, 72 receptions, 455 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns, and 1,083 snaps played (91%). Both of these players are free agents. It leaves the Cowboys with just Deuce Vaughn and Malik Davis on the roster. Vaughn is a 5-foot-6, 175-pound sixth-round pick from the 2023 NFL Draft and Davis didn’t play a single offensive snap last season. Dallas may not have a ton of cap flexibility or a lot of draft capital, but they’ll need to find some way of identifying one to two running backs who can come in and handle considerable snaps and touches.

4. Other Positions of Need: Defensive Tackle, Cornerback

New York Giants

Season Review and Offseason Assets

The Giants had an incredibly difficult 2023 season. Nothing went right. They finished 6-11 and their starting quarterback, Daniel Jones, whom they had just signed to a long-term extension, tore his ACL. They finished 30th in points scored and 29th in yards gained. Their defense wasn’t any better. They were 26th in points allowed and 27th in yards given up. Their defensive coordinator Wink Martindale essentially quit. After a surprising 9-7-1 2022 season where they made the playoffs and even won their first playoff game, the wheels came off in an explosive ball of fire.

The Giants have just under $33 million in cap space available. Jones, their supposed to be franchise quarterback carries a cap hit of $47 million in 2024. Given his play, they might struggle to restructure that because that pushes more money into the future. If the Giants don’t see a future with Jones, and they shouldn’t, they might be better off just eating his cap hit this year so they can cut him next season. They can, however, restructure the contracts of Andrew Thomas ($23.6 million cap hit) and Dexter Lawrence ($22 million cap hit). The team could cut Darren Waller and Darius Slayton and save $13 million, but since they were their best pass-catchers last season, that seems unlikely.

New York owns the No. 6 (first-rounder), No. 39 (second-rounder), No. 47 (second-rounder), No. 70 (third-rounder), No. 107 (fourth-rounder), No. 139 (fifth-rounder), and No. 184 (sixth-rounder) overall picks in this year’s NFL Draft.

Biggest Needs

1. Offensive Line

Some may be expecting quarterback here, but you won’t find that position listed as a top-three need. It’s not because they don’t need a quarterback. They absolutely do. Daniel Jones is not the answer. However, due to his contract, they’re tied to him for another season. Not only that, but right now, their offense cannot support a quarterback. The state of their offense rivals the god-awful situation the Bears put Justin Fields through and the cruel environment Sam Darnold had to endure in New York. The offensive line is a mess. It needs two, maybe three starters. They don’t have a running back. Their offensive line, running backs, and pass-catchers are bottom-five in the NFL. They do not have a No. 1 or No. 2 caliber receiver. The Giants need to first create a better offensive environment before drafting a quarterback and throwing him to a pack of lions. To make matters worse, Daboll could also be gone after this year. Adding a potential coaching change on top of their lack of any offensive help is not the way to develop a quarterback.

So instead of quarterback, we’re going with the offensive line. This may seem like a cop-out, listing offensive line as opposed to a specific position, but it’s true. Most of this unit needs work. Justin Pugh is a free agent, as is Ben Bredeson. Pugh and Bredeson played 1,778 snaps. They’ll need to either re-sign these players or identify two new starters at each of the two guard positions. If that wasn’t enough, Evan Neal, their right tackle, was dreadful this season. He played in just seven games, but out of 75 tackles with at least 450 snaps, Neal received the second-worst PFF pass-blocking grade. He allowed 23 hurries in that limited game action. However, had he played 1,000 snaps, he would’ve given up 50 hurries, which would have been the most in the NFL. He allowed 30 pressures, but if we just simply double this since he played seven out of 17 games, he’d have 60. That would have also been first. That obviously isn’t an exact science, but it’s just to illustrate that when Neal did play, he was a major liability. He’s a former high first-round pick from the 2022 NFL Draft and he’ll be the starter in 2024 given that pedigree, but the team would be wise to identify a solid veteran insurance policy.

2. Wide Receiver

Certainly, the quarterback play is going to impact the receivers' stat lines, but no receiver had more than 80 targets, 60 receptions, 775 yards, or four touchdowns. Their two best receivers were Darius Slayton and Wan'Dale Robinson who combined for 151 targets, 110 receptions, 1,295 yards, and five touchdowns. Their two best receivers averaged just 75 targets, 55 receptions, 650 yards, and two touchdowns. Their very best. Slayton averaged a 1.43 yards per route run average, which ranked 57th, and Robinson averaged a 1.36 yards per route run average, which ranked 61st. Realistically, both of these players are best suited to be No. 3 receivers, but in New York, they’re being cast as No. 1 and No. 2 receivers. Slayton is playing up two spots and Robinson is playing up one. Jones isn’t a superstar quarterback who can overcome talent deficiencies around him. If they want to get the most out of him as a passer, they need to give him quality talent to throw the ball too. They’re a far way from doing that at present.

3. Pass Rusher

Quite honestly you could’ve picked any position here. Defensive back is a close No. 3 positional need. Starting safety Xavier McKinney is a free agent. So is starting cornerback Adoree' Jackson. Together those two played 1,920 snaps. After those two, their secondary consists of 2023 first-round pick Deonte Banks, 2022 third-round pick Cor'Dale Flott, 2021 fifth-round pick Jason Pinnock, and 2023 sixth-round pick Tre Hawkins. If McKinney and Jackson both leave, their secondary lacks upper talent and depth. Running back could have also been listed with Saquon Barkley set to hit free agency and the only two options on the roster being 2021 sixth-round pick Gary Brightwell and 2023 fifth-round pick Eric Gray. Either of those two positions could’ve worked, but we’re going to go with pass-rusher.

Kayvon Thibodeaux had 12.0 sacks last year to lead the team, but no one else had more than five. Jihad Ward had exactly five, but he’s a free agent. New York finished 29th in total sacks (34), 23rd in quarterback knockdowns (43), and 19th in total pressures (133). A lot of Thibodeaux’s sacks came on unblocked plays and missed blocking assignments. Out of 57 edge rushers with at least 350 pass-rushing snaps, Thibodeaux was 43rd in PFF’s pass-rushing grade. There is a major discrepancy between where Thibodeaux ranked in sacks vs. the other pass-rushing statistics. He finished 12th in sacks (12) out of this 57-player group but was 50th in quarterback hits (four), 45th in hurries (27), and 43rd in pressures (44). PRP is a formula that combines sacks, hits, and hurries relative to how many times a player rushes the passer. Thibodeaux finished with a 5.7 PRP average, which ranked 47th. His win percentage on pass-blocking snaps was just 6.4%. That ranked 56th out of 57 qualifying edge rushers. Based on those stats, Thibodeaux is a prime candidate for some strong regression in his sack totals. If that happens, New York will essentially be left with no pass rusher, whatsoever. They’re kind of already there.

4. Other Positions of Need: Cornerback, Safety, Running Back

Philadelphia Eagles

Season Review and Offseason Assets

After reaching the Super Bowl the year prior, Philadelphia had a tough time replicating the performance of the season before. While they finished 11-6, the Eagles ended their season 1-7 in their final eight games of the season, which included losses to three non-playoff teams, including the Cardinals and Giants. While most will point the finger at the offense, this unit finished seventh in points scored and sixth in yards gained. The problem came on the defensive side of the ball. In 2022, their defense finished eighth in points allowed and second in yards given up. This past season, however, they finished 30th in points allowed and 26th in yards allowed.

Head Coach Nick Sirianni fired both the offensive (Brian Johnson) and defensive (Sean Desai) coordinators. Since then, they have hired Kellen Moore to be the new offensive coordinator and Vic Fangio to be the new defensive coordinator. Many analysts described the offensive system as boring and predictable. The fact that the offense finished where it did is a testament to the elite talent they have on that side of the ball, but it’s hard not to argue that they underperformed, especially late in the season. The bigger task, assuming Moore can implement a new system that works, will be fixing the defense.

The Eagles have just over $32 million in cap space. Fletcher Cox is a free agent despite carrying a $5.7 million cap hit in 2024. Brandon Graham is also a free agent and carries a $7.9 million cap hit. All of their receivers behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are free agents. There have been rumors that AJB could be traded, but that isn’t happening. Trading Brown would result in a $41 million dead cap hit and would actually cost the team $29 million in cap space. It’s not happening. Even if they were to trade him post-June 1, they’d take on a $11.6 million dead cap hit in 2024, $30.8 million in 2025, and they’d only save $750,000 against the cap in 2024. Their starting running back D'Andre Swift is also a free agent. They only have two players with a cap hit north of $15 million, so there aren’t any clear and obvious restructuring candidates to create more space. They can cut safety Kevin Byard whom they acquired at the deadline last season, which would save $13 million.

Philadelphia owns the No. 22 (first-rounder), No. 53 (second-rounder), No. 97 (third-rounder), No. 159 (fifth-rounder), No. 169 (fifth-rounder), No. 170 (fifth-rounder), No. 177 (fifth-rounder), and No. 188 (sixth-rounder) overall picks in this year’s NFL Draft.

Biggest Needs

1. Cornerback

Eagles allowed the second-most passing yards (4,296), second-most passing touchdowns (35), third-highest passing touchdown rate (5.4%), had the seventh-fewest interceptions (seven), and allowed the fourth-highest quarterback rating (97.6). Their passing defense contributed -98 expected points, which was the fifth-worst in the NFL. Darius Slay will be 33 years old for the 2024 season and while he still played well enough this past season, the end is near. James Bradberry, who will turn 31 before the start of the season, appeared to hit the cliff this past year. Out of 83 cornerbacks with at least 350 coverage snaps, Bradberry allowed the 13th-highest quarterback rating. His 54.7 PFF coverage grade ranked 68th out of that same group. Maybe the team trusts 2023 fourth-round pick Kelee Ringo to step into that role, but their cornerback position needs a major influx of youth talent.

2. Linebacker

Zach Cunningham, Shaquille Leonard, and Nicholas Morrow are all free agents. Morrow and Cunningham played a combined 1,551 snaps. Leonard was a late-season signee who played just 164 snaps. Cunningham and Morrow combined for 180 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, and nine pass deflections. Neither player was elite, but that’s an awful lot of snaps and production that Philadelphia will need to replace. In recent seasons, the Eagles have largely opted to fill this position with cheaper options, but that came back to bite them this past season. With the results from the 2023 season, the front office may finally decide it’s time to shore up this position with some upper-tier talent. Regardless of how they fill it, it’s a major need as of right now.

3. Running Back

While many could argue receiver here because every prominent receiver behind Smith and Brown are free agents, we’re going to highlight running back. Quez Watkins, Julio Jones, and Olamide Zaccheaus combined to have 60 targets, 36 receptions, and 380 yards. The trio of Brown, Smith, and Dallas Goedert, who actually missed three games, commands so much volume that whoever the No. 3 receiver is will be lightly used. Could it be upgraded? Absolutely. Do they need to address this? Of course, because all three of those players are free agents, but is it more important than running back? No, it’s not.

Swift, Rashaad Penny, and Boston Scott are all free agents. This leaves just Kenneth Gainwell on the roster. He finished the season with 84 rush attempts, 364 yards, and two touchdowns. Swift posted his first 1,000-yard rushing season, but Philadelphia’s rushing offense largely took a step back. In 2023, Philly had 32 expected points contributed by their rushing offense. In 2022, it was 103. Kellen Moore has been an offensive coordinator for five seasons. His teams have finished 15th or higher in rushing in four of them and has been in the top 10 twice. Given his history for running the football and the team’s offensive line, look for Philadelphia to address the running back by either re-signing Swift or making another move.

4. Other Positions of Need: Wide Receiver, Offensive Line Depth

Washington Commanders

Season Review and Offseason Assets

The Commanders finished with a 4-13 record this past season. The team finally got a new owner and a new general manager, and those changes sparked other major changes in the organization. Ron Rivera was let go. Many expected Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator for the Lions, or Mike MacDonald, former defensive coordinator of the Ravens, to be the new head coach. In the end, Washington chose Dan Quinn, the Cowboys' defensive coordinator in 2023. It’s hard to feel as though Washington didn’t botch this a bit. They have the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft and many expected the team to target a young, up-and-coming offensive coach to pair him with. Instead, they settled with an older defensive coach. Johnson spurred them and by then, it was too late to pivot to MacDonald. A tough draw for a team looking to make a splash.

They struggled in every facet last season. Their offense finished 25th in points scored and 24th in yards gained. Sam Howell was given every chance to be their starting quarterback, but never seized the opportunity. He did some good things, but ultimately, the negative plays were too much. He finished with 21 interceptions and 65 sacks. Their defense finished 32nd in points allowed and 32nd in yards given up. Midway through the year, they traded Chase Young and Montez Sweat, leaving their pass rush very short-handed.

The Commanders have over $87 million in cap space, which could easily balloon to $94 million by cutting 33-year-old left tackle Charles Leno Jr. and 33-year-old tight end Logan Thomas. The team has a few free agents they’ll need to make decisions on, but do not have any must-re-sign players. Guard Saahdiq Charles, receiver Curtis Samuel, running back Antonio Gibson, safety Kamren Curl, and cornerback Kendall Fuller are all players who could potentially be re-signed if the numbers are right. Realistically, with a new coaching staff coming in, most of these players will be allowed to test free agency. Washington has plenty of cap space to re-sign whoever they like and still be major players in free agency.

Washington owns the No. 2 (first-rounder), No. 36 (second-rounder), No. 40 (second-rounder), No. 67 (third-rounder), No. 100 (third-rounder), No. 102 (fourth-rounder), No. 137 (fifth-rounder), No. 180 (sixth-rounder), and No. 219 (seventh-rounder) overall picks in this year’s NFL Draft. The Commanders are absolutely loaded in terms of cap space and draft capital. They have their original picks, as well as Chicago’s early second-rounder and San Francisco’s third-round compensatory pick. The draft chest is full.

Biggest Needs

1. Quarterback

By no means is the Washington offense stacked, but it’s better equipped than most give it credit for. Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Curtis Samuel, Logan Thomas, Brian Robinson Jr., and Antonio Gibson are a solid group of skilled players. Their offensive struggles largely fall on their quarterback, and there were a lot of offensive struggles. Washington finished 23rd in yards per play, 28th in scoring percentage, 25th in third-down conversation rate, and 24th in points per drive. Their quarterback play ranked 19th in completion percentage, 19th in touchdown rate, 25th in yards per attempt, and 26th in quarterback rating. They also had the second-most sacks, the fifth-highest sack rate, and the third-highest interception rate. Washington’s passing offense contributed -26 expected points, which was 26th in the NFL. Howell simply did not do enough to elevate this offense. Washington holds the No. 2 overall pick and it seems almost guaranteed that it will be a quarterback.

2. Pass Rusher

After trading Chase Young and Montez Sweat it should come as no surprise that the team needs to add edge rushers. Sweat, despite only playing eight games for Washington, ended up leading the team in sacks with 6.5. Casey Toohill, a defensive lineman, had five, which was tied for third on the team. He’s a free agent. Chase Young, who played in just seven games, also had five. Washington finished with 39 sacks on the season and 16.5 of them came from players who have since been traded or are free agents. Washington finished 27th in hurries, 29th in quarterback knockdowns, 30th in pressures, 26th in sacks, and 32nd in pressure rate. Their need at edge rusher is arguably as big of a need as any team has at any position except for their own need at quarterback.

3. Offensive Tackle

Andrew Wylie, who will be 30 years old this year, is their starting right tackle. Leno will turn 33 during the season and is their starting left tackle. Among 58 tackles with at least 600 snaps, Wylie gave up the third-most sacks (nine), 18th-most quarterback hits (six), 23rd-most hurries (27), and the 13th-most pressures (42). He earned a 67.5 pass-blocking grade, which was 33rd. Leno was much more effective, and, based on his play in 2023, left tackle wouldn’t constitute a needed position. However, his age puts it into that category. Wylie was certainly below-average by just about any statistic and, given he’ll be 30, he’s at risk of getting even worse. Since Washington is likely drafting their future franchise quarterback at No. 2 overall, finding quality tackles that could keep their quarterback upright for the foreseeable future should be a priority.

4. Other Positions of Need: Safety, Linebacker, Cornerback

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