Examining the NFC East after day 1 of free agency

Free agency started off with a bang for the Dallas Cowboys, but perhaps not in the conventional way. Dallas made a trade with the Green Bay Packers to acquire Rashan Gary, who has had a pretty good career in Green Bay, including a Pro Bowl appearance in 2024. The trade reunites Gary with his Packers teammate Kenny Clark who Dallas picked up in the Micah Parsons trade last season. The Cowboys weren’t done there. Dallas signed safety Jalen Thompson to a three-year, $36M contract to help fortify Dallas’

secondary. That said, the NFC East didn’t stay stagnant either. Dallas’ divisional counterparts were also in the news, saying goodbye to several players and welcoming in new faces. Here’s how the NFC is looking after the first day of free agency.

Dallas Cowboys 

Signings:

Jalen Thompson, safety, 3 years, $36M

Exploring Dallas’ moves further, Dallas made two sensible moves. Gary is a proven pass rusher with 46.5 sacks in his career and Dallas needs all the help it can get to create more pressure. By adding Gary before the Packers were intending to release him to unrestricted free agency, allows Dallas to secure a quality player before having to bid against other teams on the open market. Meanwhile, Jalen Thompson provides the Cowboys with a versatile player who, while he doesn’t have elite characteristics, is instinctual and is capable of limiting big plays against the secondary. Dallas also placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on George Pickens and the second-round tender on Brandon Aubrey, giving Dallas the ability to match any offer extended to them, and if not, Dallas retains their services through the 2026 season. The Cowboys also renegotiated the contract of Terence Steele, which saved them 13M in cap space going into Monday. The Cowboys were active on day one and appear to have more moves to make. 

Washington Commanders

Signings:
Tim Settle, defensive tackle, 3 years, $24M
Odafe Oweh, edge rusher, 4 years, $100M
Amik Robertson, cornerback, 2 years, $16M

The Washington Commanders’ defense was on par with the Cowboys’ defense as far as how bad each unit was. The Commanders made swift changes and fired defensive coordinator Joe Whitt after the season. Washington immediately addressed their defense, adding Tim Settle to their interior and agreeing to terms with edge rusher Odafe Oweh. Oweh is a speed rusher with an explosive first step that Washington hopes can help them generate more pressure on opposing quarterbacks. 

The Commanders had already released cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who battled inconsistent play and injury after he was acquired by the team, which makes the Amik Robertson addition very sensible. Washington also released former Cowboy Tyler Biadasz and was pursuing Tyler Linderbaum, who ultimately signed with the Las Vegas Raiders. The Commanders wisely re-signed Laremy Tunsil, Andrew Wylie, and backup quarterback Marcus Mariota, likely with the health of Jayden Daniels at the forefront of both decisions to retain those players. 

New York Giants
Signings:
Tremaine Edmunds, linebacker, 3 years, $36M
Isaiah Likely, tight end, 3 years, $40M

The New York Giants, fully invested in the John Harbaugh era, opened free agency by adding one of his former players. New York threw a generous contract to tight end Isaiah Likely. Likely is a very athletic receiving threat for the position and often provides mismatches for opposing secondaries. Although his ADOT is 7.2 yards, 47% of his career receiving yards (1568) have come after the catch. His athleticism allows him to make explosive plays once the ball is in his hands. 

The Giants have to surround quarterback Jaxson Dart with receiving threats, and a dynamic weapon such as Likely is a good start. Defensively, New York picked up linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who was being linked to Dallas as a possible free agent target. If there is one regret New York may have, it’s letting Wan’Dale Robinson leave to the Tennessee Titans. Robinson had two consecutive years of over 90 receptions and just posted his first career one thousand-yard season.

Eagles

Signings: None 

One of the biggest surprises of free agency is the Philadelphia Eagles doing nothing. General manager Howie Roseman and Philadelphia are one of the more aggressive front offices in the NFL and to see them inactive on the first day is surprising. With Jeff Stoutland stepping down from his role coaching the offensive line, the Eagles are in a transitional period. Then you also factor in Christian Parker now with Dallas as their defensive coordinator, who was an integral part of developing their secondary, the Eagles are undergoing a lot of significant changes. The Eagles didn’t sign anyone today, but they certainly lost of important pieces to their roster Monday. 

Edge rusher Jaelen Phillips, who was acquired at the trade deadline last year, signed with the Carolina Panthers on a four-year, $120M contract. Nakobe Dean, who was strongly considering joining the Cowboys, signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, and Reed Blankenship joined the Houston Texans. If nothing else, the Eagles are set up to command some compensatory draft picks next season, but so far, the Eagles are looking like a lesser version of themselves.