2016 Team needs: NFC East
By jonfox
The NFC East was considered one of the struggling divisions in the NFL in 2015. Most pundits cast it as a struggle between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles-much like it was in 2014. A funny thing happened on the way to January: Dallas was crippled by Tony Romo’s injury plagued season and the Eagles’ season was destined to failure due to Chip Kelly’s decisions.
The Redskins, as they did in 2005 and 2012 got their crap together late in the season and made a run which netted them a division title. Behind the strong play of Kirk Cousins and a defense that had a nose for getting the ball back, the Redskins go into the offseason as the presumptive favorite for 2016. But they should ask Dallas how much being the favorite in the winter matters in the fall.
The Giants and Eagles decided to make changes to their head coaches. Tom Coughlin decided to retire rather than justify getting another season to the front office and his staff was largely kept intact with the offensive coordinator, Bob McAdoo getting the promotion to head coach. The Eagles deposed Chip Kelly like he was some third world dictator, and much like third world dictators Kelly has popped up in power elsewhere.
Next: Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
Defensive line: The Redskins have some big decisions coming on their defensive line. Jason Hatcher is being pushed(not so gently) into retiring. Terrance Knighton will be a free agent and Chris Baker will be a free agent in 2016. With potentially large new contracts coming for Kirk Cousins, Jordan Reed and Desean Jackson, they need to trim some fat elsewhere.
Former 1st round bust Ziggy Hood was just signed, but it’s not enough. The Redskins’ top priority, unless Kirk Cousins isn’t resigned or franchise tagged will be replacing Hatcher and potentially Knighton.
Three names to consider: Bj Raji(free agency), Shawn Oakman(Day 2 of the draft) and Adolphus Washington(day 1 of the draft).
Inside Linebacker: the Redskins have 5 inside linebackers on the roster. 3 will be free agents, 1 is extremely overpaid and 1 was a day 3 rookie who missed most of the season due to injury. The Redskins were expecting Keenan Robinson to build on his good 2014 season but ultimately he and Perry Riley were benched for two no-names in Mason Foster and Will Compton.
Compton will be a restricted free agent, Foster and Robinson are headed for unrestricted free agency. With Reed and Cousins getting the focus of the front office, they both might hit the open market. Even if extensions get done for Reed/Cousins, there might not be enough cash to make them competitive offers.
Three names to consider: Sean Spence(free agency), Jalen Reeves-Maybin(day 3 of the draft), Josh Forrest(day 3 of the draft).
Quarterback: If the Redskins were as sold on Kirk Cousins as their long term starter as some of the DC area pundits and fans are, the extension for Cousins would almost certainly be done already. It’s not and according to Adam Schefter, the talks “aren’t close.”
The odds are that Cousins will be back as the starter for the Redskins in 2016. Whether he has a contract longer than for 2016(or 2017) is a fair question. And considering Cousins’ inconsistency throughout his career, the Redskins under Scot McCloughan will hedge their bed and draft a potential replacement much earlier than pundits are expecting.
Three names to consider: Paxton Lynch(day 1 of the draft), Nate Sudfeld(day 2 of the draft), Connor Cook(day 2 of the draft).
Next: New York Giants