NFC East Notebook: Wrapping Up a Wild Week

The NFC East has always been an interesting division, with a different winner every year since the Eagles won back-to-back championships in 2003-2004.

As the division gears up for the 2022 season, all four teams have vastly remade their respective rosters. The Eagles appear loaded on paper and are looking to make some noise after a wild card appearance last season.

The Dallas Cowboys, who won the division last year, have seemingly gone in the opposite direction with some of their moves. They traded star wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Browns for just a fifth-round pick and swapped seventh-round picks. And they have some serious concerns about their offensive line.

Meanwhile, the Giants and Washington Commanders are looking to make an impact after being the two bottom dwellers of the division a year ago.

How did the four NFC East teams shape their respective rosters? Let's take a look.

New York Giants

Notable Transactions: Cut LB Blake Martinez and WR Alex Bachman. Added DB Jason Pinnock, DB Tony Jefferson (practice squad), OL Wyatt Davis

The Giants are rebuilding under new general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll. Given the Giants' still unhealthy cap situation, which Schoen acknowledged this week, it will take time before this franchise can return to its winning days.

In terms of personnel, the Giants have shed themselves of Logan Ryan and James Bradberry and, more recently, veteran linebacker Blake Martinez. While not all of these moves were cap-related, they are a clear sign of the new regime's determination to move on to the future.

In injury news, wide receiver Kadarius Toney said he’s ready to go for Week 1 against Tennessee. That would be great news for the Giants offense after Toney finished a disappointing rookie campaign appearing in just ten games.

Guard Shane Lemieux, cornerback Rodarius Williams and outside linebacker Elerson Smith were all placed on injured reserve this week, which means they’ll miss a minimum of four games to start the season.

The Giants still have questions at left guard, inside linebacker, and cornerback to resolve. General manager Joe Schoen noted that we might not know what this Giants team is until about 4-5 weeks into the season.

Philadelphia Eagles

Notable Transactions: Traded WR Jalen Reagor to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a 2023 seventh-round pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick that can become a fifth-round pick if benchmarks are not met. Acquired Saints safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and a 2025 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2023 fifth-round pick and the latter of their 2024 sixth-round picks. Acquired receiver A.J. Brown from the Titans during the draft.

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman continues to be the textbook example when making value-added deals. He scooped up a solid safety in Chauncey Gardner-Johnson that will immediately make a defensive secondary with cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry better.

They also claimed former 49ers running back Trey Sermon off of waivers on Thursday to boost their running game, and they finally moved on from the big mistake of the 2020 NFL Draft in Jalen Reagor, whom they selected over Justin Jefferson, who was taken with the next pick by the Vikings.

Add to that A.J. Brown, who the Eagles acquired via trade on draft night, second-year receiver Devonta Smith, Zach Pascal, and Quez Watkins in the slot, and the Eagles seem loaded at receiver talent, which isn't good news for teams like the Giants, where questions still exist in the defensive secondary.

Dallas Cowboys

Notable Transactions: Traded WR Amari Cooper to the Browns. Lost LT Tyron Smith to an injury

With the news of Tyron Smith being out until December due to injury, the Cowboys called on a former rival to help fill the void. Former Eagles tackle Jason Peters visited Dallas earlier this week. A signing hasn’t happened as of this writing, but the Cowboys need to figure out how to fill Smith’s absence with less than ten days until the season opener.

There was good injury news for Cowboys fans this week, as wide receiver Michael Gallup was removed from the PUP list. Gallup signed a five-year, $62.5 million deal earlier in the offseason after Dallas traded Amari Cooper to Cleveland. It’ll be interesting to see if Gallup will be healthy enough to play next weekend.

Regarding cut week, Dallas released both backup quarterbacks Will Grier and Cooper Rush but added them to the practice squad. That leaves Dak Prescott as the only quarterback on the active roster, a rather risky move unless the decision to carry just one quarterback is temporary.

Washington Commanders

Notable Transactions: QB Carson Wentz (acquired via trade), edge Chase Young (PUP), QB Sam Howell (draft).

The big news out of Washington this week was rookie running back Brian Robinson Jr was shot twice in the leg on Sunday after an attempted carjacking. Robinson was put on the NFI list and will miss at least the first four games of the year, but more importantly, he is alive and on the mend and could be back later this season.

Washington tried to resolve its quarterback situation by acquiring Carson Wentz from the Colts. Wentz never meshed in Indianapolis, where he was reunited briefly with Frank Reich, his position coach during his heyday in Philadelphia.

The Commanders hope Wentz is good enough to lead this squad to playoff contention. Still, just in case, they're expediting the indoctrination of rookie quarterback Sam Howell, who got a nice endorsement from head coach Ron Rivera earlier in the week.

The big injury news is that pass rusher Chase Young may be out for longer than expected. Young was placed on the reserve/PUP list, meaning he’ll miss a minimum of the first six games. However, Ralph Vacchiano reported this week that Young could be out until midseason as he recovers from an ACL injury suffered last November.

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