NFC East news: Eagles blowback for Reddick trade, Giants and Commanders needs

The NFC East has seen a bit of activity as of late.

Howie Roseman Made 1 Massive Mistake By Trading Haason Reddick – Dylan MacKinnon, 97.5 Fanatic

The Eagles trade of edge rusher Hasson Reddick has some of the Philly fanbase upset.

Things were going so well for the Eagles and Howie Roseman this off-season. The mood around the team almost fully bounced back. Signing Saquon Barkley, and bringing back CJ Gardner Johnson, had people feeling good about this team again. Then Howie Roseman had to go and ruin it by being the smartest man in the room. He traded Haason Reddick, getting only a 2026 conditional 3rd round pick back.

It is a terrible move. Haason Reddick was one of the only sure things you had on defense. The secondary, even with CJ, is still full of question marks. We still have no clear answers at linebacker. And the rest of the defensive line, apart from maybe Jalen Carter, still have a lot to prove.

As soon as Haason Reddick asked for a raise, Howie seemed determined to move him. But Reddick was right to ask for one. Despite being 1 of only 2 players to have 4 straight seasons with double-digit sacks last season, Reddick was outside the top 15 for highest-paid Edge-Rushers.

Last season he was the good soldier. We heard nothing from him publicly. Despite being unhappy with his pay, he did not cause problems during the season. He waited until the off-season and then asked for a pay raise. Howie rewarded him by leaking that they gave him permission to seek a trade. Making it look like it was Reddick who wanted out. In reality, it was the other way around. Reddick confirmed he wanted to stay here, he just wanted a pay raise.

Cover 4: Ranking potential targets for Giants’ 6 draft picks – John Shmeelk, Dan Salomone, et. al, Giants.com

One position in particular seems to be a top priority for Big Blue.

John Schmeelk

1. Wide Receiver. A game-changer would make Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson, and Jalin Hyatt even better. It would move safeties away from their side of the field, opening opportunities for those other receivers. Especially after losing Saquon Barkley, the Giants need a weapon on offense that teams have to plan against.

Dan Salomone

I think now is a good time to drop in this recent quote from general manager Joe Schoen at the NFL Annual Meeting: “There are very few people that know what we’re thinking or what direction we’re going. Anything that is out there is likely not true.” With that said, here are the top six potential targets to think about:

2. Receiver. The offensive woes were well documented last season, and not one player or position will fix them all. But this is NFL in 2024. The Giants need to get the ball in the end zone through the air.

Lance Medow

With less than a month to go till the draft and the free agency process slowing down, here’s how I would rank the top six needs for the Giants:

1. Offensive Game-Changer. New York averaged just under 16 points per game in 2023, third to last in the NFL. To put things in perspective, the Cowboys were first in the league and averaged nearly 30 points per contest. If you want to stay competitive, you need to score points. With Saquon Barkley and the team parting ways and Darren Waller’s status a question mark, New York needs an offensive weapon, a player that will give the defense something to think about and force coordinators to lose a bit of sleep.

Matt Citak

We still have over three weeks to go before the start of the draft, which means some of these positions could still be addressed by signing a veteran in free agency. But barring any big moves on that front, here are the Giants’ top six needs.

1. Wide Receiver. While the wide receiver corps has a solid foundation with the likes of Slayton, Robinson, Hyatt and Hodgins, the group could still use that big X receiver. The Giants are in a prime position to secure this type of player with the No. 6 pick between Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze.

3 overlooked questions preventing Commanders growth in 2024 – Nolan Morgenstern, RiggosRag.com

It’ll take more than a QB to fix all of Washington’s problems.

Will Terry McLaurin get help?

What if Drake Maye comes in and starts zipping passes into tight windows? What if Jayden Daniels gives the Washington Commanders a dual threat that keeps defenses guessing? Either one of those is possible. But so is the counterpoint that the team’s chosen signal-caller won’t hit the ground running.

Without a second stellar wide receiver on the roster – or until Jahan Dotson proves himself further than 1,000 receiving yards in two seasons – whoever comes in is going to struggle unless the Commanders find some help for Terry McLaurin.

As of now, the Commanders have McLaurin and Dotson as genuine pass-catching options. An aging Austin Ekeler, a bulldog in Brian Robinson Jr., and a wild card in Chris Rodriguez Jr. are the team’s backfield trio.

Some changes to the offensive line should help, but it’s not as if the Commanders have brought in world-beaters, either. Unless they mesh quickly, it’s not hard to see where the problems could emerge.

What is the Commanders plan at CB?

According to Pro Football Focus, Kendall Fuller graded out as a top-five cornerback in 2023. The new regime let him walk.

They also didn’t give Kamren Curl a new deal. Though that is more understandable seeing as he never truly built upon his stellar rookie campaign, one can’t help but imagine what he would look like outside of a team coached by Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio.

The Washington Commanders are left with Emmanuel Forbes and Benjamin St-Juste. They also brought in Michael Davis from the Los Angeles Chargers. James Pierre and Noah Igbinoghene are backup pieces at best. This is a group that needs work.

Even if Forbes becomes a legitimate No. 1 option, a modern-day NFL team requires a congregation of players capable of shutting down any number of offensive weapons. While Davis is not a bad player, replacing Fuller with him is a regression.