The NFC East has been quite busy during the first two weeks of NFL free agency, we’ve seen a flurry of players signing to join the division and leave the division, along with a few trades that caught everyone off guard. Each team still has holes to fill and as we head into the latter part of free agency the teams are turning their focus toward the draft. College pro days will be ending in about two weeks and teams are going to start working on their draft boards instead of bringing in more free agents.
With that being said the work these teams have done so far can’t be overlooked, but some have done a lot better than others. The teams that have done better have put themselves in a good position to take whoever they want because of the holes they filled in free agency. The others are going to need to hope that the draft falls in a way that helps them if they want to keep up. Here’s an analysis of their moves this offseason, cap space, and if they are a winner or loser so far in free agency.
Grading NFC East moves in 2023 NFL Free Agency
Dallas Cowboys
Franchise Tagged: RB Tony Pollard
Signed: QB Cooper Rush, LB Leighton Vander Esch, S Donovan Wilson, RB Rico Dowdle, CB C.J. Goodwin, OL Chuma Edoga, DE Dante Fowler Jr., RB Ronald Jones
Traded for: WR Brandin Cooks, CB Stephon Gilmore
Players Lost: OL Connor McGovern, LB Luke Gifford, WR Noah Brown, TE Dalton Schultz, LS Jake McQuaide
Released: RB Ezekiel Elliott
Cap Space: $16,208,911 not including the $10 million they will get post-June 1st from the Elliott release.
The Cowboys are the overall winners in free agency in terms of the NFC East moves made so far. They’ve brought back two key pieces on defense in safety Donovan Wilson and linebacker Leighton Vander Esch. That wasn’t good enough for this front office though as they made trades for cornerback Stephon Gilmore and wide receiver Brandin Cooks giving up a fifth-round pick for Gilmore and a fifth-round pick and a 2024 sixth-round pick for Cooks.
Those deals alone make this a win for the Cowboys, trading for players that boost their offense and defense is a huge win for this team. Will McClay who’s been the lead guy for their player personnel department has done a nice job filling holes in the lead-up to the draft.
Jonesing for Depth:
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) March 21, 2023
Ronald Jones joins the #Cowboys depth chart alongside the re-signing of Rico Dowdle — a homecoming for Jones, who also brings the experience of a 2x Super Bowl winner at the age of 25. https://t.co/td6HktMHqQ
He was able to get back other notable role players along with two free agent signings to fill big holes on this roster after losing left guard Connor McGovern in free agency and releasing Ezekiel Elliott. The additions of guard Chuma Edoga and running back Ronald Jones now truly allow the Cowboys to do what they do best in the draft, take the best player available regardless of the position and with $16 million in cap space and another $10 million from the release of Elliott.
That money sets them up to extend the likes of CeeDee Lamb and Trevon Diggs, pay their rookies, and sign players if they have a string of injuries during the season.