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You know it was coming. Yes, the draft is a seismic enough offseason event that it's worth shuffling the Power Rankings after it's done, and here they are. Let's see how the NFC East fared.

11. Washington Redskins (Pre-draft: 13). Not bad. A two-spot hop for a team that didn't have a first-round pick? The Redskins addressed needs, took some home run swings and got good value on the safeties they picked. They're a 2012 playoff team that's returning almost its entire roster intact -- assuming Robert Griffin III makes it back from his knee surgery okay. So they hang in a playoff spot in the rankings. I had them at 11. Jamison Hensley had them at 10. Mike Sando and John Clayton ranked them 15th.

12. New York Giants (14). A little bump for the G-men as well, after a standard Giants draft that saw them add pieces to the line that are as likely to help down the road as they are in the coming season. The Giants' offseason has gone well, though they do seem thin at linebacker and a secondary that didn't add much is going to have to play better than it did in 2012. I put the Giants 14th in my rankings, as did Jamison and Ashley Fox. Sando is the highest on Big Blue, ranking them 10th.

20. Dallas Cowboys (18). The near-universal overreaction to the Cowboys' draft continues, as they drop two spots. By now you know that I thought they did well, especially after the first round, and that I'm not as down on the first-round pick as everyone else is. So I have Dallas at 17, which is the highest of any of our voters. Jamison put them at 24, which is the lowest.

25. Philadelphia Eagles (26). We still don't know what to make of the Chip Kelly Eagles, and we likely won't until we see them on the field in real games come September. Their draft appears to have been a good one, and in general they've added some interesting pieces this offseason, not the least interesting of which is Kelly himself. Jamison and I put the Eagles at 23. Clayton has them all the way down at 27, and he is done with his segment.

Thoughts?

» NFC draft analysis: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

The draft started off heavy in the NFC East, as the three teams with first-round picks this year used them on offensive linemen. And while there were a few little surprises and treats along the way, it never really got hot. All four of the division's teams had workmanlike drafts that balanced need and value and didn't stray into any of the juicy storylines. No Manti Te'o, Geno Smith or Tyrann Mathieu for us.

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Chuck Cooperstein, Matt Mosley and Glenn "Stretch" Smith discuss the Cowboys' draft picks and who was influencing Jerry Jones' decisions. Listen

There was a trade-down in the first round, as the Dallas Cowboys moved out of a No. 18 spot they didn't like and still managed to get their first-round offensive lineman, while adding a third-rounder to the mix. There were two trade-ups in the fourth round, as the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants maneuvered to add quarterbacks in surprising moves. And there were the Washington Redskins, without a first-rounder but fine with it because they have Robert Griffin III, who waited it out and got two talented safeties in the late rounds for a secondary that needs rebuilding.

We'll be breaking this all down for days and weeks and months, but here's a quick early look at the way the 2013 draft went in the NFC East.

BEST MOVE

In the absence of any earth-shaking moves in the early rounds by NFC East teams, I'm going to have to go with the Eagles taking tackle Lane Johnson at No. 4. They probably could have traded down and out of the pick, but this was a draft in which six offensive linemen went in the first 11 picks, and the value of the third-best tackle with the fourth pick was worth hanging in there. After what happened to their offensive line with injuries in 2012, the Eagles were wise to load up there, taking an athletic player who can start at right tackle right away and maybe move to left tackle down the road once Jason Peters is done. It also helps that Johnson is the kind of lineman who can move. If Chip Kelly plans to run a lot of read-option, or even a lot of bubble screens, Johnson's ability to get out and block at the second level is going to be a big help.

Also considered: The Eagles' trade-up for quarterback Matt Barkley at the top of the fourth round. ... The Redskins' getting two quality safeties in the fourth and sixth rounds in Phillip Thomas and Bacarri Rambo. ... The Cowboys trading down in the first round and getting wide receiver Terrance Williams with the third-round pick they added in that deal.

RISKIEST MOVE

There weren't any real big risks taken by NFC East teams with their most valuable picks in the first and second rounds, I didn't think. So I'm going with defensive end Damontre Moore, who went to the Giants in the third round. Moore is a big-time talent with big-time production numbers in college -- 12.5 sacks last year, 26.5 over the past three. But there are good reasons a player as good as he is was still there at pick No. 81, and in Moore's case those reasons include a marijuana bust and a reputation as a young man who struggles with attitude and work ethic.

Now, Moore is just 20 years old, and it's wrong to assume anyone that age will always be what he has been so far. But Moore is the player from this draft whose job it is to bolster the future of the Giants' pass rush with Osi Umenyiora gone and Justin Tuck aging. If he's a solid citizen and produces the way he did at Texas A&M, he's going to be a steal. If he's an attitude case who doesn't take to coaching and causes problems, the Giants are going to have to keep looking for long-term solutions at defensive end in the next several drafts. A third-round pick isn't too much to risk on a player with Moore's potential, but it's a pick with which the Giants could have found help elsewhere. So if he does flop, they will regret it.

MOST SURPRISING MOVE

The Eagles pulled the surprise of Day 3, moving up three spots to the top of the fourth round, where they selected USC quarterback Matt Barkley. Most analysts were convinced Kelly would seek a fast, athletic, running quarterback when he finally pulled the trigger on that position, but Barkley was a pro-style pocket passer at USC and doesn't fit the "system" everyone seems to be assuming Kelly is determined to run now that he's in the pros. As you know if you read this blog regularly, I think that's hogwash and that Kelly is smart enough to know that the best way to coach is to find talented players and figure out the best way to coach them -- not come wading in with your own "system" and only look for players who fit it.

Kelly knows Barkley from coaching against him in college, and Barkley is a guy who a year ago was thought of as a possible No. 1 overall pick. If 2012 was just a bad year for him and he ends up being a good NFL quarterback, nobody's going to care that he can't run the read-option. For a fourth-round pick and a seventh-round pick, which is what it cost the Eagles to move up and take him, it's a worthwhile risk. And it leaves Kelly with a lot of options at the most important position on his team as he begins his first offseason as an NFL coach.

The Giants pulled a surprise of their own later in the round, trading up six picks to select Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib to develop behind Eli Manning. The 32-year-old Manning hasn't missed a game since 2004, so it's unlikely Nassib sees the field anytime soon. But the Giants decided it was time to start thinking down the road at the position.

FILE IT AWAY

I liked the Cowboys' first round more than most people did, because I thought they absolutely needed to come out of that round with an offensive lineman, and they did. And while Travis Frederick may have been a reach at 31, reaching for an offensive lineman wasn't a bad move for this particular team in a draft in which eight offensive linemen went in the top 20 picks. They traded down from 18 and got the pick that netted Frederick and the third-round pick that netted wide receiver Terrance Williams, and they like that pair better than they liked what was available to them at 18.

But they won't have to look far to remember what might have been. The Giants took Syracuse offensive lineman Justin Pugh at 19, which means the Cowboys could have stayed put and picked up a better-regarded lineman than Frederick (though, obviously, not also get Williams in the third). If Pugh turns out to be a great player for the Giants and Frederick flops in Dallas, the Cowboys could end up regretting the Day 1 trade-down in the long run.

Mel Kiper Jr.'s draft grades are in. Let's take a look at his assessments of the NFC East's teams.

Philadelphia Eagles: B+

Mel gives the Eagles a B for needs and an A for value, especially liking top pick Lane Johnson and second-rounder Zach Ertz.

New York Giants: C+

They get a C for needs and a B for value, with Mel downgrading them for failing to address cornerback or linebacker.

Dallas Cowboys: C+

He gave them a B for needs and a C-minus for value. He's consistent with the popular opinion that they could have had first-rounder Travis Frederick much later, but he likes the middle- and late-round picks, especially running back Joseph Randle and safety J.J. Wilcox.

Washington Redskins: C+

They got a B-minus for needs and a C for value, and Mel says he bumped them up a bit because last year's Robert Griffin III trade included this year's first-round pick.

My take: I might have graded the Cowboys and Redskins a bit better -- Dallas because I'm not as down on the Frederick pick as a lot of people are. But I agree on the Eagles and Giants. We'll discuss these in much greater depth in the coming days.

The Dallas Cowboys lost both games to the Washington Redskins in 2012, and Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III let his fans know about it during an after party for the White House correspondence dinner that was attended by Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz on Saturday.

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Did Jerry Jones call out Tony Romo? Fitzsimmons & Durrett react to exclusive audio of Jones talking about the quarterback's increased role, who will be calling plays for the Cowboys and the Peyton Manning-like time he anticipates Romo putting in. Listen

"We made Cowboys Stadium our home," he told the crowd, according to Associated Press. "And that's what we want to continue to do. ... Rehab's going great. We're having a great draft right now, and I'm all in for Week 1 -- just like you guys are."

In the first meeting between the teams, Griffin threw for 311 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-31 victory on Thanksgiving Day.

Griffin is recovering from reconstructive knee surgery and played with a brace in the regular season finale against the Cowboys at FedEx Field.

During the rally Griffin ran in place and did some jumping jacks.

"I'm good. You guys saw me jumping. I mean, I can run a little bit," he said, running in place some more. "I'll be good. No worries. I'll take it slow, but at the same time, I'll be ready to go."

IRVING, Texas -- Since Art Briles took over Baylor’s football program, the Bears have had some of the most explosive offenses in college football.

The Cowboys hope Terrance Williams continues this recent trend.

While Robert Griffin III receives most of the attention, Baylor has had some pretty good wide receivers the past two years.

Tennessee took Kendall Wright in the first round last year (No. 20 overall), and Cleveland used a second-round pick in the supplemental draft on Josh Gordon.

The Cowboys considered using a pick in the supplemental draft on Gordon last year but did not want to use a second-rounder like the Browns.

Wright caught 64 passes for 626 yards with four touchdowns. Gordon caught 50 passes for 805 yards and five touchdowns.

“When players like Josh and Kendall continue to make plays and plays, that just lets me know that we can fit right in, too,” Williams said. “When they call my number, that’s my chance to make plays.”

NEW YORK -- Three NFC East teams picked in the first round of the NFL draft Thursday night, and the combined weight of the three players they picked is 922 pounds. Finally, they're paying attention to what's important.

Yes, the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys each picked an offensive lineman in this year's first round. And while that had something to do with the oddity of a first round that included one quarterback, no running backs and nine offensive lineman, it also says a lot about how badly this division as a whole needs to address this long-neglected need.

Tackle Lane Johnson, tackle/guard Justin Pugh and center/guard Travis Frederick, the 2013 first-round picks of the Eagles, Giants and Cowboys, are no cosmic coincidence. They are medicine, ordered with a purpose by teams that have figured out where they're lacking and that they all need to muscle up in the short-term and long-term.

I am of the belief -- and have written at length on this blog -- that one of the main reasons the NFC East is in a down cycle is division-wide offensive line decay. And yes, the division is down. Over the past three seasons, the division's combined record is 97-101 (yes, counting postseason and the Super Bowl). No NFC East team has won 11 games since 2009, which was also the last year in which it fielded more than one playoff team. Two years ago, the Giants won the division with a 9-7 record. This past year, the Washington Redskins won it at 10-6. Bleh.

The NFC East has superstar talent at quarterback and running back and wide receiver and pass-rusher. But with the exception of a magical six-game run the Giants made at the end of the 2011 season, excellence has eluded its once-feared teams. And the consistent issue that seems to be holding them back is the offensive line. To wit:

The Giants have basically been getting by with an aging, patchwork group. Former second-round pick Will Beatty emerged as a star last year when finally healthy, but veterans Chris Snee and David Diehl are fading and Kevin Boothe and David Baas aren't special. Until Thursday night, the Giants hadn't taken a first-round lineman since Luke Petitgout in 1999. You can try and hit on free agents and second- and third-rounders for a while, but eventually you need to add some top-end talent to the mix. Enter Pugh, a college tackle who may project as a pro guard and offers versatility in the short-term and a possible long-term answer at any one of several positions.

The Eagles had a fine line in 2011, but four of their five starters missed significant time due to injury in 2012, and they finished 4-12 and changed head coaches. Enter Johnson, this year's No. 4 overall pick, who likely starts at right tackle right away, moving Todd Herremans inside to guard and serving as an eventual replacement for left tackle Jason Peters.

The Cowboys' neglect of the offensive line had reached epidemic proportions before they took tackle Tyron Smith in the first round in 2011, and if you watched them last year you came away thinking they needed to upgrade every one of the starting line positions but his. Enter Frederick, who was a surprise first-rounder, but not as much of a reach as he initially looked. With four tackles and the top two guards gone in the top 11 picks, the Cowboys decided to trade down from 18 and get the guy they wanted at the tail end of the first round. Quibble if you want with the return they got on their trade. And sure, maybe Frederick would have been there when they picked again Friday night at 47. But (a) maybe not, since offensive lineman are going faster than ever and (b) so what? The Cowboys' short-term and long-term needs at offensive line were significant enough that they needed to come away from this year's first round with an upgrade. Frederick is almost certain to be an upgrade over one or more of Phil Costa, Nate Livings and Mackenzy Bernadeau, and the Cowboys were absolutely right to make this need a priority on this night.

The Redskins' line played fine in 2012 and has a superstar in left tackle Trent Williams. But a lot of its success has to do with the help it gets from its mobile quarterback. The Redskins remain unsettled at right tackle. They didn't have a first-round pick this year as a result of last year's deal for Robert Griffin III, but don't be surprised if they too look to address the line once they start picking Friday and Saturday.

This seems obvious, of course. It's a long-held NFL adage that the best way to build teams is through the lines. Consistent, reliable offensive line play helps you control games and maximize your skill-position talent. Deficient line play helps you squander your skill-position talent, or worse, make it more susceptible to injury. But while it may seem obvious from the outside, the NFC East's teams have let the line play lapse. Thursday was a clear sign that they have realized this and plan to address it moving forward. I don't think these three will be the last offensive linemen taken by NFC East teams in this year's draft, but each is vital to the division's effort to regain its status as one of the toughest in the NFL. Because thanks to the decay of its offensive lines over the past few years, the fact is that it has not been.

Our man Todd McShay has re-worked his latest mock draft to reflect Sunday's Darrelle Revis trade, and there are changes throughout. This is a first-round-only update, so sorry, Redskins fans. We'll catch up with you a little bit later in the day. As for the fans of the other three NFC East teams, here are Todd's latest picks and my thoughts. Which I know is why you're here, after all. Right? Right????

4. Philadelphia Eagles: Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma.

In this mock, the top two tackles (Luke Joeckel and Eric Fisher) go to Kansas City and Jacksonville with the first two picks and the Raiders take defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd at No. 4. So Todd gives the Eagles Johnson, who seems to be a fast riser and has been identified by draft analysts as a good fit with Chip Kelly's offense due to his athleticism. (Never gets old, right?) And while I have no issue with the Eagles going offensive tackle at No. 4, this feels high for Johnson with defensive guys like Dion Jordan and Star Lotulelei still on the board. If Fisher or Joeckel is there, I think they'll bite. But if those guys are gone, I'm thinking defense for the Eagles at No. 4.

18. Dallas Cowboys: Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri.

Look. Basically, I've decided I'm not going to believe in this historic first-round run on offensive linemen until I see it. Todd has six offensive linemen being taken in the top 15, which has not happened since 1966. And while I acknowledge that this is a somewhat unique draft devoid of Andrew Luck/Robert Griffin III/Trent Richardson-type skill position talent at the top, I still feel like somebody's going to draft a quarterback or two earlier than we think they should. Three days before the 2011 NFL draft, you couldn't find a mock that had Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert and Christian Ponder all going in the top 12, and yet there they all went.

Some of the teams drafting in the first half of the first round are doing so every year, and you don't become one of those teams by making good decisions on draft day. The Cowboys need an offensive lineman badly in the first round, and while I respect the heck out of Todd's work and Mel Kiper's work, I'm leaning on history for my belief that one of the top six offensive linemen will be there for Dallas to take at 18. If not, absolutely a three-technique defensive lineman is a great pick here as long as they're going to grab a guard in Round 2. I just don't think it comes to that.

19. New York Giants: D.J. Hayden, CB, Houston.

Well, here's a new name for the Giants. I like what Todd's doing here, applying a big pile of history that tells us the Giants don't like to take linebackers and offensive linemen in the first round and identifying a position they do, historically, consider worthy of a first-round pick. In this mock, Hayden is the third defensive back off the board, following Alabama corner Dee Milliner (to Tennessee at 10) and Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro (to St. Louis at 16). I don't know how the Giants have him rated vis-a-vis guys like Desmond Trufant and Xavier Rhodes, but in no way should anyone be surprised if they take a cornerback here.

» NFC Eight in the Box: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

What would be the ideal first-round scenario for the Cowboys in next week's NFL draft?

Dallas Cowboys

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Arlington and Texas A&M product Luke Joeckel, the potential No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, joins Ian Fitzsimmons and Richard Durrett to discuss the draft, coaches and advice from his dad. Listen

Because of the perceived lack of top-level skill-position talent in this year's draft, a lot of the mock drafts and projections have the top offensive linemen going off the board early. Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest mock , for example, has six offensive linemen going in the top 12 picks, which means well before the Cowboys pick at 18 and probably too early for them to make a sensible trade-up to grab someone like Alabama guard Chance Warmack or North Carolina guard Jonathan Cooper. This would be unfortunate and far from ideal for the Cowboys, but history offers hope. The last time six of the first 17 picks in the draft were offensive linemen was 1966, when there were only 15 teams in the league. Only three times since then -- 1977, 1985 and 2008 -- have as many as five offensive linemen been picked in the top 17. The Cowboys probably can't expect any of the top three tackles to fall to them, but their ideal first-round situation would be for Warmack, Cooper or even Alabama tackle D.J. Fluker to fall to 18 and allow them to shore up their most significant area of short-term and long-term need. If only one of those guys is still available by 14, the Cowboys should look into trading up to get him.

To see the ideal first-round scenario for the other NFC East teams, click here.

» NFC schedule analysis: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Breakdown: Consecutive 8-8 finishes haven't dulled the TV networks' interest in the Dallas Cowboys, who are scheduled for four prime-time appearances in 2013. The Cowboys open the season at home on a Sunday night against the division-rival New York Giants. They host the Washington Redskins on Sunday night in Week 6, by which time it's possible Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III will be back up to speed following offseason knee surgery. They travel to New Orleans to play the Saints on Sunday night in Week 10, right before their bye. And then they play the Bears in chilly Chicago on ESPN's "Monday Night Football" in Week 14.

One interesting change is the placement of the Cowboys' bye week, which has been early in recent seasons, but this year won't come until Week 11. Some had speculated (and the league had denied) that the Cowboys had been getting an early bye week because they play on Thanksgiving every year and are guaranteed extra rest later in the year. This year, though, the bye comes two weeks before the Thanksgiving Day game, in which the Cowboys will host the Oakland Raiders.

The rematches against the Redskins, who knocked the Cowboys out of the playoffs with a Week 17 victory in Washington last year, come in Dallas in Week 6 and in Washington in Week 16. And if the Cowboys are playing in an elimination game for the NFC East title for the third year in a row, they'll be playing at home against Chip Kelly's Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17.

Complaint department: Other than the relatively late bye week, there's not much for the Cowboys to complain about. They open at home. They close at home. They have road games on consecutive weeks only once -- Week 7 in Philadelphia and Week 8 in Detroit. Playing the Bears outdoors at Soldier Field in December isn't the best break, but even that comes with the benefit of extra rest as that is the game that follows their Thanksgiving game.

You could make the argument that you'd rather play the Redskins early in the season instead of late in the season because of the uncertainty about Griffin's injury. Even if he struggles to return in time for the start of the season, he should be rocking and rolling by Week 16 when the Cowboys return to Landover, Md. But again, there's little about the way this schedule lays out that doesn't look beneficial to the Cowboys.

Peacock darlings: Man, NBC loves them some Cowboys-Giants games, don't they? They flexed the Week 17 division title game into prime time two seasons ago, opened with Giants-Cowboys on a Wednesday night last year, and have picked the NFC East rivalry as their first Sunday night game of 2013. It's hard to blame them, as every time they do it they put out ratings saying it was among their highest-rated games ever. And Tony Romo and Eli Manning should be able to deliver on the anticipation this time around, as each team will emerge from a disappointing 2012 season hungry.

PODCAST
Ian Fitzsimmons and Richard Durrett examine the recently-released NFL schedule and agree that the Cowboys don't have any reason to complain. Listen

Cowboys Regular Season Schedule (All times Eastern)
Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 8, NY Giants, 8:30 p.m.
Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 15, at Kansas City, 1 p.m.
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 22, St. Louis, 1 p.m.
Week 4: Sunday, Sept. 29, at San Diego, 4:25 p.m.
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 6, Denver, 4:25 p.m.
Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 13, Washington, 8:30 p.m.
Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 20, at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.
Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 27, at Detroit, 1 p.m.
Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 3, Minnesota, 1 p.m.
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 10, at New Orleans, 8:30 p.m.
Week 11: BYE
Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 24, at NY Giants, 4:25 p.m.
Week 13: Thursday, Nov. 28, Oakland, 4:30 p.m.
Week 14: Monday, Dec. 9, at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 15, Green Bay, 4:25 p.m.
Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 22, at Washington, 1 p.m.
Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 29, Philadelphia, 1 p.m.

IRVING, Texas – Until the Cowboys win in December, the closing month will always be the toughest stretch of games.

Three of the Cowboys’ December opponents had winning records in 2012 (Chicago, Green Bay, Washington) and two made the playoffs (Packers, Redskins). The Bears finished 10-6 in 2012 and lost out on a wild-card spot due to tiebreakers.

Winning at Chicago in December is a difficult challenge, but the Bears have changed coaches and have parted ways with future Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher. The Cowboys will also look to avenge a 34-18 drubbing last season at Cowboys Stadium in which Tony Romo was intercepted five times.

The first time Green Bay played in Cowboys Stadium, it won Super Bowl XLV. Aaron Rodgers is at the top of the quarterback charts in the NFL and Clay Matthews signed an extension this week. The last time the Cowboys played the Packers happened to be Wade Phillips last game as coach, a 45-7 thrashing at Lambeau Field on Nov. 7, 2010.

PODCAST
Ian Fitzsimmons and Richard Durrett examine the recently-released NFL schedule and agree that the Cowboys don't have any reason to complain. Listen

Every Cowboys fan should remember what happened when their team visited Washington to close the 2012 season. Romo was intercepted three times and the Cowboys limped home with a 28-18 loss to finish 8-8 for the second straight year. Any trip to FedEx Field has been a grind for the Cowboys. Robert Griffin III makes it that much harder.

Closing the year at home against Philadelphia will be nice after the Cowboys failed to win de facto NFC East championship games at MetLife Stadium to the Giants and FedEx Field to the Redskins in 2011 and ’12. In fact, the last time the Cowboys made the playoffs was in 2009 when they ended the year by beating the Eagles and beat them again a week later in the wild-card round.

What could help the Cowboys entering December is a late bye (Nov. 17) and the 10-day break after the Thanksgiving Day game. That time off could benefit the team’s health.

Mike Sando passed this item along, and I thought you might find it interesting. It includes a chart that shows all 32 NFL teams ranked by how much salary cap room they have committed to the quarterback position in 2013. Here's where the Cowboys come in:

4. Dallas Cowboys ($19.6 million). This does not count the nearly $400,000 they saved Wednesday by restructuring the contract of backup Kyle Orton, but it does include a $16.8 million cap number for starter Tony Romo that can't be reduced unless the sides agree to an extension. They have had talks on this and continue to work on it, but as yet they have not reached the agreement that both sides ultimately hope will keep Romo in Dallas for the rest of his career. Once they do, this number is likely to drop.

To see where the rest of the NFC East teams rank, click here.

Over at our NFL Draft blog, Steve Muench is taking a look at the way the offseason activity so far in the NFC East has affected the way each team may approach next month's draft. Let's take a team-by-team spin through Steve's evaluation along with a list of each team's draft picks, per the official draft order the league released Thursday.

DALLAS COWBOYS (6 picks -- Nos. 18, 47, 80, 114, 151, 185)

Steve's take: "Dallas taking Alabama G Chance Warmack or North Carolina G Jonathan Cooper with the 18th overall pick makes sense from both a value and need standpoint... But don't be surprised to see the Cowboys go in another direction and take a different Tar Heel at No. 18. They need talent and depth at defensive tackle to make a successful transition to a base four-man front, and North Carolina DT Sylvester Williams can provide both with his quick feet and hands, agility and range."

My take: By now I'm kind of all-in on this. I think not coming out of the first round with a new starter on the offensive line would be franchise negligence by the Cowboys. And the way their offseason has gone so far, with pretty much all of their available resources committed to franchising defensive end Anthony Spencer, only strengthens that belief.

» NFC Free Agency: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

If the Dallas Cowboys don't pick an offensive lineman in the first round of next month's NFL draft, their fans officially have permission to quit.

PODCAST
Ed Werder joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss Tony Romo's potential contract extension, the Cowboys' plans for Anthony Spencer and how Joe Flacco's final month of the season impacted the Cowboys' offseason. Listen

Seriously, this would be last-straw territory, folks. It's an excuse to follow through on all those threats you've made over the years while pulling out your hair and wondering what Jerry Jones was thinking. You would be free to exercise any form of peaceful fan revolt. Boycott the season. Picket the games. Throw out all of your blue-and-silver gear and go be a Redskins fan. Robert Griffin III played college ball in Texas. You could sell it to your friends and family. And they'd have to understand. You just can't keep throwing your heart and soul and disposable income behind a team that insists on refusing to get it.

The decision earlier this week to designate defensive lineman Anthony Spencer as their franchise player crystallized the Cowboys' most significant need at this point. Before that, you could have made the case for a pass-rushing defensive end, or even a defensive tackle, at No. 18 of the first round. I'd have disagreed with you, believing that the offensive line was the more pressing of the two lines for Dallas to address, but I'd have had to acknowledge that you had a case.

Not anymore.

Offensive line is the No. 1, 2 and 3 need for the Cowboys right now. Heck, you can make a strong argument that they need to upgrade at four of the five starting spots; 2011 first-round draft pick Tyron Smith at left tackle is the only one about whom you feel good for the present or the future. And that's the key thing to remember here -- that picking an offensive lineman in the first round is vital not just for the 2013 season but for the long-term health of the Cowboys.

What you see on the Cowboys' line now is decay, a result of years of neglect. Smith was the first offensive lineman they picked in the first round since 1981. I did the math on that. That's 30 flippin' years. If you go 30 years without drafting an offensive lineman in the first round and offensive line is consistently one of your most crippling weaknesses, eventually the light bulb's going to go on, right? This is not something the Cowboys can keep patching together without eventually adding some elite talent. If you do that, you end up having to give Phil Costa a two-year deal and deciding whether it's worth giving Mackenzy Bernadeau another season to show you something. That's not a pleasant situation.

Adding another first-round-caliber talent on the line, be it at guard or right tackle, would be a critical step in an important new direction for the Cowboys. They have, for several years now, boasted elite-level skill-position players on offense but have been unable to get the most out of them because of poor line play. They are squandering the prime years of players like Tony Romo, Miles Austin and Jason Witten -- and so far at least one otherworldly year from Dez Bryant -- by persistently failing to address this glaring need. The Smith pick in 2011 showed that maybe some things are changing, and that maybe this is becoming the priority it needs to be. Picking an offensive lineman again on April 25 would go a long way toward backing up Cowboys fans' hope that such is the case.

The opposing argument right now appears to be safety, because they also cut Gerald Sensabaugh the day they franchised Spencer, and because it looks as though Texas' Kenny Vaccaro might be there at No. 18. But come on. They aren't using four substandard players at safety on every defensive play. They are using four substandard offensive linemen on every offensive play. It's the far greater need, and again -- not just for this season, but for the long term. You build through the draft and you build through the lines. The Cowboys have to do both, and they have a good chance this year to do so.

People have been asking me all week, as I've preached this first-round-lineman gospel, why the Cowboys should "reach" for an offensive lineman if one isn't there at 18. My answer is that they won't have to. There are five offensive linemen -- three tackles and two guards -- in the top 10 on Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest Big Board . Only once in the past 15 years -- 2008 -- have five offensive linemen been taken in the first 17 picks. One of these guys will fall to 18, or far enough that the Cowboys can move up a spot or two without sacrificing their second-round pick this time. And if not, Mel's got Alabama tackle D.J. Fluker at 21. Not exactly a "reach," especially considering how vital is the need.

The Cowboys probably won't be in a position to get tackles Luke Joeckel or Eric Fisher, or even Lane Johnson. But wouldn't a guard like Chance Warmack or Jonathan Cooper look good on that line next year? And for the next 10 years? Pick that guy, plug him in and cross one gigantic worry off your list. It's a no-brainer at this point.

The Cowboys have gone 8-8 in each of the past two seasons. They have a lot of needs. And no, they can't address all of them with this year's first-round pick. But they can and must address the biggest. If they don't, it will be impossible to defend their decision.

» NFC Eight in the Box: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Welcome to Eight in the Box, an NFL Nation feature that will appear each Friday during the offseason. This week’s topic: How each NFC East team needs to address the quarterback position.

Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys would like to sign starting quarterback Tony Romo to a long-term contract extension. Romo's deal expires at the end of 2013, and the Cowboys know there won't be any quarterbacks on next offseason's market who are as good as Romo is. They also would benefit from reducing his 2013 salary-cap number (about $16.8 million), and an extension beyond this year would allow them to do that by spreading signing bonus money out over future seasons. Romo will be 33 in April, and the backup quarterback is Kyle Orton, who's not a long-term solution. So there is a chance the Cowboys could try to find a quarterback in the middle rounds of the draft and start grooming him.

New York Giants: The Giants have one of the most stable quarterback situations in the entire league, as Eli Manning has not missed a game since becoming the starter during his 2004 rookie season. The Giants' plan for each season is founded in large part on Manning's durability and reliability. If he were to get hurt, they'd be more or less lost. Their preferred backup, David Carr, is an unrestricted free agent, and right now the only other quarterback on the roster is Curtis Painter (who coincidentally used to back up Manning's brother in Indianapolis). The Giants could stand to improve their backup quarterback situation, but unlike the Cowboys, they don't like to spend to do so.

Philadelphia Eagles: On the other end of the spectrum, once they add Arena Leaguer G.J. Kinne to the mix as they're reported to be doing, the Eagles will have five quarterbacks on their roster. The favorite to start is Michael Vick, though second-year man Nick Foles and career backup Dennis Dixon could factor into a training-camp competition. (Trent Edwards is likely the odd man out.) If Vick is to be the starter, the backup quarterback position becomes very important, as Vick obviously has a history of injuries. So the Eagles must figure out whether Foles or Dixon (or I guess Kinne) is the best option. The Eagles also could draft a quarterback with the No. 4 pick in April if they fall in love with someone like Geno Smith or Matt Barkley. New coach Chip Kelly is keeping his options open, which is a smart way to go in a market that presents him with few outstanding options.

Washington Redskins: All of the focus in Washington is on the recovery of starter Robert Griffin III from reconstructive knee surgery. In spite of his new adidas ad campaign that proclaims him "All in for Week 1," there is no way to project whether Griffin will be ready for the start of the season. If he's not, the starter's role will fall to Kirk Cousins, last year's fourth-round pick, who relieved Griffin three times and started one game for the Redskins in 2012. Look for Mike Shanahan to add a quarterback or two to the bench mix before training camp and the preseason arrive, as the Redskins will need depth while Griffin heals. Veteran Rex Grossman is someone the Redskins like having around and could factor into that depth mix if he doesn't find work somewhere else.