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ASHBURN, Va. -- After the Washington Redskins wrap up their minicamp here Wednesday, rehabbing quarterback Robert Griffin III plans to spend another week at the facility before going off to get married and enjoy the "personal life" portion of his offseason. He said after Tuesday's practice that he considers himself a responsible enough person to keep his rehab from reconstructive knee surgery going during his honeymoon, and had a succinct answer when asked how prepared he was for a possible setback in his recovery.

"I'm not," he said. "You just don't think negatively. I think LeBron said, you don't play the game afraid to get hurt. So I don't worry about setbacks. I just worry about my progress moving forward."

There really wasn't any actual "news" on the RG III front Tuesday. He worked on the side in practice with the other injured guys, running, throwing, staying out of team drills. He continues to say he's confident he'll be ready for training camp when that begins in Richmond next month, though he also said he has a month's worth of cutting drills to get through before that can happen. He took one question about Tim Tebow and a couple about his role in the planning of his wedding.

"Sometimes, I actually have a choice," he said. "And sometimes, it doesn't really matter what I say."

But as for the knee, Griffin says it's all about continuing to go through the slow rehab and doing everything right along the way to make sure the ultimate goal of being healthy for the season -- and beyond -- is met.

"I think, on the mental side, I'm okay," he said. "It's just the physical side, teaching my body to re-learn all the movements. That's what we're still working on."

Some other things I saw, heard, asked and learned Tuesday at Redskins minicamp:

The Redskins' offensive players are fine with the idea of backup Kirk Cousins as the starting quarterback while Griffin gets himself healthy. Left tackle Trent Williams chuckled when I asked him how it was going with Cousins taking first-team snaps.

"He's great. He's a stud," Williams said. "He's definitely got that strong pocket presence, that accuracy and he's a great leader, too. We don't worry at all if he's the starter. I just think it's funny -- everybody's looking for "that guy," and we've got two of them."

Griffin quoted Williams when asked about how Brian Orakpo was looking as he works to return from a pectoral muscle injury: "To quote my left tackle, 'Rak's out there pass-rushing like it's the NFC Championship Game." Indeed, Orakpo looks as though nothing ever happened, and he talks and acts like a guy who has missed a lot of time and can't wait until he's allowed to tackle someone again.

Speaking of guys who have been out a while, remember cornerback Chase Minnifield? He was the talk of last year's minicamp before a knee injury knocked him out for the season. He practiced in full Tuesday and says the biggest issue he's facing is getting used to going up against NFL wide receivers in practice. "I've just got to tone up on my technique," he said. "As far as my movement, my speed, my quickness ... that's all good. I feel like my play can stack up against anybody in this league." Minnifield picked off a Rex Grossman pass in team drills and looks like a guy who could help the secondary. The Redskins are just always going to have to worry about a recurrence of injury with him.

In discussing his depth chart heading into training camp, Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said, "If you were a first-teamer last year, you'll start out as a first-teamer this year and then we'll see." This would seem to indicate that the starting right tackle job is Tyler Polumbus' to lose. Shanahan also said Brandon Meriweather, who projects as the starting strong safety, should be medically cleared in time for training camp, according to what the team's doctors are telling him.

Free-agent wide receiver Donte' Stallworth was at practice, and Shanahan said the team expected to sign him in the next couple of days.

Back for a second to Matt Williamson's offseason NFC grades, let's take a look at the Washington Redskins, whom Matt gave a "C-minus." Matt acknowledges that the Redskins had no first-round pick and some significant salary-cap problems that limited their ability to bring in high-impact guys this offseason. And he gives the Redskins credit for retaining as much of their division-champion roster as they did:

But in the end, if you are not going forward in this league, you are going backward. And this roster does not look to be much improved -- if at all -- from the end of last season. With the addition of Griffin, the Redskins took two huge steps forward last year. This year they might have to take a small step backward.

Indeed, the Redskins are banking on the idea that the returns from injury of players like Brian Orakpo, Adam Carriker and Brandon Meriweather will improve the defense. They're also hoping Griffin completes a full recovery from offseason knee surgery and can play as well as he did as a rookie. And if those things happen, the Redskins have reason to believe that the same basic group that went 10-6 and won the NFC East last year can win it again in 2013. But Matt's question about the additions to the secondary -- guys like second-round pick David Amerson and free-agent cornerback E.J. Biggers -- is whether they're ready to help right away or will need time to develop as useful pieces. Matt likes the additions they made on offense through the draft, he's just not convinced they've sufficiently fixed a secondary that they held together with chewing gum over the final two months of last season. And it's a fair concern, to be sure.

Each week, we take questions for our Saturday mailbag via Twitter. Anyone who posts a question that includes the hashtag #nfceastmail has a chance to get his or her question answered right here. Like these.

Got this on Twitter today from @bvsnizzle91:

@espn_nfceast Can we get any information on the Skins that's NOT about RG3's knee? There's 50 some other people on the team! #nfceastmail

— Brian Lowery (@bvsnizzle91) May 24, 2013

Sure thing, snizzle. Here's something from Mark Maske on the health of Washington Redskins strong safety Brandon Meriweather, who signed as a free agent last offseason, missed the first nine games of the season due to a variety of knee issues, tore his ACL in his first game back and missed the final six games of the season because of that. Mike Shanahan says he believes Meriweather will be ready in time for training camp in July:

“I think Brandon will be fine once we get to camp. … He did a good job in his drill work,” Shanahan said following Thursday’s offseason practice at Redskins Park. “The one thing you don’t want to do when somebody hurts his knee is get him going too quickly — just let it heal and strengthen the muscles around the knee. Right now he looks pretty good.”

This would help, obviously. Meriweather's signing was panned at the time, but Shanahan targeted him specifically because he believed he was the kind of player he and Jim Haslett needed for the strong safety position in their defense. Meriweather's not a traditional "center fielder" type of safety who thrives in coverage, but when Shanahan watched him on tape he saw a guy he could use in a variety of ways, including run support and blitz packages. Meriweather played brilliantly in the portion of that Week 11 game before he tore his ACL, and the Redskins believe they got a glimpse of how much better their secondary could be if he were playing in it.

Ideally for Washington, whose free safety position is a complete question mark at this point, Meriweather can provide some level of reliability at the strong safety spot this year.

Have a good weekend, everybody. This is dgrizzle72, signing off.

As this Washington Redskins offseason unfolds, the former first-round pick on whom everyone will be focused will be Robert Griffin III, the dazzling young quarterback who followed up his rookie season with reconstructive knee surgery in January. But there are two other former first-rounders who hold the key for the Redskins on the defensive side of the ball. If the Redskins are to defend their NFC East title, Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan could be just as important to the effort as Griffin and his recovering right knee.

Ever since Mike Shanahan and Jim Haslett arrived in 2010 and changed the Redskins to a 3-4 defense, the outside linebacker position has taken on increased importance. Orakpo and Kerrigan are the starters at outside linebacker, and as such are tasked with the pass rush. The team has invested a first-round pick in each of them and constructed a defense designed to maximize their ability to get to the opposing quarterback. This means the plan is not simply to have a good pass rush, but a dominant one. Haslett's scheme calls for Orakpo and Kerrigan to be speedy, relentless predators who harass quarterbacks on every play and roll up the sacks. And 2013 is the year for them to flourish in that scheme.

Orakpo, the 13th overall pick in the 2009 draft, turns 27 in July, and as of now is heading into the final year of his contract. He could, conceivably, get an extension from the Redskins prior to the start of the season, but that's no sure thing. Drafted to be a dominant pass-rusher, Orakpo has flashed that ability during his career, averaging 9.5 sacks in his first three seasons before last season was cut short by a Week 2 pectoral muscle injury.

Prior to last season, the questions about Orakpo were whether he could elevate his game from very good to to great -- joining the elite pass-rushers in the league with a double-digit sack total. He hasn't had that since his rookie season, when he was a defensive end in a 4-3 scheme. Though Pro Football Focus ranked him as the No. 4 rush linebacker in the league in 2011 (behind only Aldon Smith, DeMarcus Ware and Cameron Wake), nine sacks didn't feel like enough for a player drafted that high and playing in a defense designed to make stars out of outside linebackers.

On the other side is Kerrigan, the No. 16 overall pick in the 2011 draft. The night the Redskins picked Kerrigan, their vision was of a hyper-athletic, two-pronged pass-rush that would force teams to pick their poison. Commit extra blockers to Orakpo, Kerrigan and his incredible raw pass-rushing instincts would get you. Commit extra blockers to Kerrigan, and Orakpo feasts. Kerrigan collected 7.5 sacks as a rookie and 8.5 more last season, in spite of having to play without Orakpo in the final 14 games. With the fear of Orakpo removed, teams were able to commit those extra blockers to Kerrigan all season long. Though he flashed his playmaking ability, the Redskins didn't get the consistent, week-to-week quarterback pressure on which their defense is designed to rely.

Washington finished the 2012 season with 32 sacks, more than only eight other teams in the league. The Redskins' pass defense ranked 30th in the NFL for the season, and during the seven-game win streak that delivered the division title it relied on the ability of the coaches and defensive backs to design and adjust to game plans that would change from week to week or even, sometimes, from quarter to quarter. They were able to play well enough against the pass to win games, though they all admit they would rather give up fewer yards this season through the air than 4,511.

That will have to start up front. The Redskins return basically the same secondary they had last season. They hope Brandon Meriweather can be healthy and give them what they need at strong safety, and it's possible that one or more of the mid-round rookies they drafted could help, but those are not sure things. That's why they need Orakpo back healthy (as well as defensive lineman Adam Carriker, who suffered a season-ending injury in that same game) and they need Orakpo and Kerrigan to play to their draft pedigrees -- i.e., dominate.

The NFC East has long been known for its pass-rushers, and even in recent seasons it has boasted some of the top pass-rush performances in the league. Everyone knows about the way the Giants sacked quarterbacks en route to two Super Bowl titles in five years. Everyone knows Ware is one of the best. The Eagles led the league in sacks two years ago.

It's time for the Redskins to take their place in that pass-rush hierarchy. With Kerrigan and a healthy Orakpo starting at outside linebacker, they have the talent to be the best pass rush in the division, and one of the best in the league. In 2013, if the Redskins want to remain a playoff team, Orakpo and Kerrigan are going to have to make the leap from good to elite.

You don't even have to wait for an invitation, though I do tend to tweet a few out toward the end of the week. You can always submit a question for the Twitter mailbag just by posting it on Twitter with the hashtag #nfceastmail. Once a week I sort through them and come up with something a little bit like this.

Good morning and welcome to another offseason week here on the NFC East blog. The regular season begins four months from yesterday. That's a lot of links. Including these.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys' right tackle situation remains unresolved, and one of the more attractive remaining free-agent options left the market Sunday when Tyson Clabo signed with the Miami Dolphins. There are other options still available to the Cowboys if and when they decide to replace Doug Free, including free agent Eric Winston. But I imagine some Cowboys fans had been hoping for Clabo and are disappointed this morning.

Tim Cowlishaw says you can't look at the Cowboys' current roster and say they're better than they were a year ago. But he takes some solace in the fact that it doesn't appear you can say that about the other teams in the NFC East either.

New York Giants

The reason the Giants are looking at running back Tim Hightower is that, with Ahmad Bradshaw gone, they need to make sure they have a running back who can block. Hightower is surely that. The question is whether he's healthy.

Art Stapleton thinks the idea that the Giants need to address the linebacker position is a myth, because he thinks they'll be running less of their base 4-3 this year than ever.

Philadelphia Eagles

Zach Berman muses on the question of which Matt Barkley the Eagles drafted -- the one who was thought to be a very early pick in the 2012 draft or the one who was still there in the fourth round of the 2013 draft.

The struggles of the Eagles' offensive line in 2012 notwithstanding, Pro Football Focus still ranked Evan Mathis as the best offensive lineman and one of the top six players in the entire league.

Washington Redskins

Rich Campbell writes that the Redskins want the free safety and the strong safety in their defense to be interchangeable, and that's the reason they were comfortable drafting both Philip Thomas and Bacarri Rambo. I'm sure Campbell is right, but I think they're thinking beyond the immediate here. I know that they brought in Brandon Meriweather last year specifically for the strong safety role, and I don't think they see him as a good fit for the other spot. So if he's healthy, my belief is that it's just the one spot that's open.

One of the attendees at Redskins rookie minicamp was Shawn Morris, whose brother is Alfred Morris, who went from sixth-round pick to one of the top running backs in the league last season.

 

We had our weekly chat Tuesday, and if your morning meeting is running late you can read the whole thing here. If not, here are a few highlights:

Ken (Pa): Dan, realistically, what are the odds that Michael Vick is even on the Eagles roster come opening day? Not saying Matt Barkley is going to be the savior, but Chip Kelly does not require a "mobile QB" and why not see what you have in the younger guys, aka Nick Foles and/or Barkley?

Dan Graziano: I think right now, Vick is the clear favorite to be the Week 1 starting QB. The most experience and highest ceiling of any QB they have on the roster. Could he perform badly enough in the preseason to lose that job? Yes. If he does, could he be released? Sure. But I wouldn't bet on that happening.

Bill (Virginia): Dan, the Redskins seem to have gotten a lot of guys who can win turnover battles but also give up the homerun hit in this draft. Coupled with the current starters (Brandon Meriweather, DeAngelo Hall, Josh Wilson), are the Redskins going to have the most feared AND laughable Defensive backfield in the league next year? Seems like they're the epitome of feast or famine.

DG: Yeah, I see where you're coming from. I guess the theory is that you can coach technique and disciplined coverage, but not the instincts required to make plays on the ball. So you get the guys with the instincts and you try and fix their deficiencies so they're not too costly.

Gene (DC): Draft is over. Most of the free agents are signed. What do you see as the biggest remaining hole on each roster?

DG: Cowboys: Right tackle. Giants: Linebacker. Redskins: Safety. Eagles: Quarterback.

tim (toledo, oh): why did the cowboys take a center and not a guard? I thought that Phil Costa did a good job when he played and Ryan Cook filled in well. was guard a more pressing need? or center?

DG: See, this is one of the reasons I like the pick. Travis Frederick can play center or guard, as can Costa. So you take a guy in Frederick who is now putting pressure on three players -- Costa, Nate Livings and Mackenzy Bernadeau -- to beat him out. If he outplays any one of them in camp, he can take his position. Gives them options.

Martin (NY): Have you seen enough of David Wilson and Rueben Randle to believe that they're ready to be major contributors this year?

DG: No, I don't think anyone has. But that's not to say they can't. And just because they're not major contributors Week 1 doesn't mean they won't be in Week 10. The Giants believe in development, and different players take different amounts of time.

Thanks to all who attended and the many who asked questions. We'll do it again next week.

Good morning. It's Wednesday. It's May. Minicamps are around the corner. Links are hot and ready.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles worked to overhaul their secondary early in the offseason. This was expected, since it was their most significant area of weakness. But it doesn't sound as though they're convinced they've done all they needed to do there.

Jeffrey Lurie's attendance at Geno Smith's workout before the draft was not a smokescreen, Chip Kelly insists. Their interest in Smith was genuine and serious -- they just decided he wasn't worth one of their first two picks. But Kelly says the reason Lurie was at the workout was that they had a meeting scheduled with him that day and he just decided, as billionaires are wont to do, to hop on a plane and take the trip with them and have the meeting that way.

Washington Redskins

The Redskins appear to be getting the secondary help they want most, as strong safety Brandon Meriweather says he's on track to return from ACL surgery in time for the start of training camp. The Redskins believe Meriweather would have been an impact player for them had he been able to get on the field last year at that strong safety position.

Rich Tandler looks at the ways in which the Redskins still need to balance their roster before camp. He expects to see them add bodies at wide receiver, linebacker and offensive line, maybe subtract at running back.

Dallas Cowboys

Calvin Watkins has a bit more on why the Cowboys liked undrafted linebacker Brandon Magee so much that they were willing to give him $70,000 to sign and ignore concerns that he might want to play baseball instead.

Why did the Cowboys pass on defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd in the first round? It sounds as though the scouts liked him but the coaches didn't think he was a fit for what they're trying to do in their new 4-3 defense. There were a few people who told me before the draft that Floyd was a very specific type of player who would only fit certain schemes and roles, and it appears the Cowboys agreed.

New York Giants

Tom Coughlin hoped that things would move fast with the Victor Cruz contract situation once the restricted free-agent signing period ended, but they have not, and the Giants coach says that's become something of a concern.

It's been 14 years since the Giants had a first-round rookie offensive lineman, and it sounds as though the veterans have some fun plans for Justin Pugh.

As they continue to work to free up the cap space they'll need to sign their draft picks, the Washington Redskins continue to get help in that effort from players already on their roster. Zac Boyer reports that Redskins cornerback Josh Wilson has agreed to a contract restructure that will reduce his 2013 base salary to $2 million with a chance to make another $1.3 million in incentives, and that the team will save roughly $2 million in cap space with the move. No new years are added to Wilson's deal, no cap hit dumped into future years.

So far this offseason, the Redskins have released and re-signed DeAngelo Hall, signed E.J. Biggers and openly pursued other cornerback help, most recently bringing in veteran Quentin Jammer for a visit. With the second and third rounds of the draft tonight and cornerback a deep position group from which the Redskins should be able to select, it's certainly conceivable that Wilson became convinced a pay cut now was preferable to being cut in the next few days or weeks. But he's one of many Redskins players to reduce their salaries and stay with the team this offseason, including Hall, Santana Moss, Adam Carriker and Brandon Meriweather.

The Redskins are dealing this offseason with $18 million worth of salary-cap penalties left over from last year's league-imposed discipline for their spending behavior during the uncapped 2010 season. But they've managed to keep almost everyone they wanted to keep from their 2012 division-champion roster. Linebacker and special-teams captain Lorenzo Alexander has been their only significant defection to this point.

The ESPN Stats & Information group has compiled some "next-level" numbers to help illustrate the most significant draft needs for NFL teams. We're taking a team-by-team look at their information on the NFC East's teams, and this post deals with the defending division champion Washington Redskins, whose top needs have been identified as cornerback/safety and offensive line.

Now, the notes we got from Stats & Info were based on the fact that two of the Redskins' starting offensive linemen, Kory Lichtensteiger and Tyler Polumbus, were free agents. Both have re-signed, which reduces the importance of offensive line as a need for a Redskins team that has no first-round draft pick. I expect them to focus on the secondary when they finally get to picking in the second round 11 days from now.

Stats & Info points out that the Redskins have allowed the most touchdown passes in the league (29) over the past two seasons on throws of 15 or more yards downfield. They also rank 23rd in the league in completion percentage allowed on such throws (46.6 percent) and 30th in yards per attempt on such throws (13.8). They hope to have starting strong safety Brandon Meriweather back from his season-ending injury, but they will need to replace disappointing free safety Madieu Williams, and that's likely to be a focus of theirs in the early rounds of the draft.

The Redskins also could be looking for a cornerback in the second or third round. They were able to re-sign DeAngelo Hall, but they lost out to Seattle in their pursuit of free-agent cornerback Antoine Winfield and are clearly looking to add depth at that position.

Mike Jones of the Washington Post takes a look at Washington Redskins safety Brandon Meriweather and wonders whether the Redskins can count on him for a return to full health and productivity in 2013.

Meriweather was the team's big defensive free agent last year, but injuries cost him all but one game and he never got to show the kind of impact he could have on the defense. Mike Shanahan looked at Meriweather as a player whose physical abilities would allow him to play multiple parts in his defense, including run support and blitz packages. The question now is whether Shanahan can reasonably make the same assessment of Meriweather one injury-riddled year later:

It remains to be seen what kind of player Meriweather will be when he recovers. Will he still have the same speed and explosiveness that made him a playmaker in New England? Or, will he struggle with consistency as he did in Chicago, where he wound up benched after only four games?

Meriweather has said repeatedly that the style and philosophy of Jim Haslett’s defense more closely resembles those of the Patriots, and he doesn’t believe his Chicago struggles will repeat themselves in D.C. But a knee that is slow to heal, or one that reduces Meriweather to a lesser player, will prolong the Redskins’ long-standing issues at safety.

As Mike points out later, the Redskins are already on the hunt for a free safety to replace the disappointing Madieu Williams. Tanard Jackson's drug suspension runs at least through August, so they can't expect to have him. My guess is that they will keep Meriweather in the hopes that he makes a full recovery and can be the player they believed he would be. He's costing them about $2.9 million against the salary cap in 2013, and with their salary-cap problems having to find two safeties on the free-agent market might be too expensive. I imagine they'll find Williams' replacement on the open market and then hope Meriweather makes it back. They also could target safety with their second-round draft pick (they don't have a first-rounder), since there appears to be many good options in the draft this year.

But if I'm the Redskins, I'm looking for free safety and operating as though I have my strong safety on the team already. Not an ideal situation given the concerns Mike laid out about Meriweather, but when you're out $18 million in cap room you don't get your ideal situations. I imagine Shanahan will hope he gets Meriweather back, but if he finds someone in the late rounds who reminds him of Meriweather, don't be surprised if Shanahan takes him.

On Tuesday, we held our weekly NFC East chat. This is a link to the full transcript. These are some of the questions and some of the answers. Enjoy.

Gary (New York City): Dan, the one thing the Giants will REALLY miss about Ahmad Bradshaw was his ability to pass block. David Wilson and Andre Brown are both sorely lacking in that department. Do you think that convinces Jerry Reese to make the OL more of a priority high in the draft?

Dan Graziano: Possible, but I think the more likely scenario is that they bring running backs to camp who can pick up the blitz, and running back playing time is in large part determined by the backs' relative ability to do so. David Wilson is a lot of fun to watch run, but if the Giants think giving Wilson the bulk of the snaps is going to get Manning killed, they're not going to do it.

Weech (SoCal): You're of mindset that Doug Free falls under the addition by subtraction, which I agree with. I would argue that with the change to a 4-3, the DL goes ahead of the OL as need #1. Looking at it purely from a football x's and o's standpoint, do you think Ratliff gets out of "addition by subtraction" umbrella? It seems like Dallas needs him more than vice versa.

DG: I hear what you're saying, and if they can't keep Anthony Spencer you are probably right about the change in priorities. To me, though, the really tricky part happens if they lose Spencer AND cut Jay Ratliff. Because if they keep Ratliff, they can play Jason Hatcher at end and look for a tackle. And if they keep Spencer, they can play Hatcher at tackle and look for an end. But if they end up losing both, they have too many holes. So I think Ratliff becomes more important to keep if Spencer leaves.

Jason (Philadelphia, PA): Dan, hate to be the bearer of bad news (or reality), but the NFL has proven throughout its history that "innovative" coaches (college or NFL) fail without great players - the Eagles currently lack great players on defense, so "hoping for the best" aint going to cut it.

DG: Well, I think they lack defensive backs, but I think there's some pretty major talent in the front seven. Cole, Graham, Kendricks, Ryans, Cox. Jenkins if they keep him. There's a lot to work with on defense, in my opinion. They just need to figure out how to fit it all together, and build a secondary behind it.

GM (Miami): Dan, you have expressed the opinion that northern superbowls are bad ideas because it isn't just about the superbowl but about the week of events before the superbowl. Does New York turn into a ghost town in the winter? People still are out and about during the week, they just need heavier clothes. The only useful thing about having the superbowl in warm climates is that it renders teams that can play well in the snow and cold at a disadvantage - we might as well move all the teams to the south so that every single NFL operation is conducted in nice weather.

DG: My point is this, and it's actually pretty simple: Super Bowl week is the NFL's biggest week of the year. People come from all over the world, literally, and many of them are people the NFL wants/needs to impress or spoil. Yes, you can get around here in the winter, but the possibility also exists for a weekend like the one we just had, when you really could not. Why would the NFL want to increase the possibility of such a problem with its most important week? To me, not worth the risk.

Ryan (VA): The Skins spent a lot of money on the offense last year to get RGIII some help. Even though the defense played better as the year when on, which players do you see them targeting? The really need some help @ safety.

DG: I think they will target safeties in free agency and the draft, but Brandon Meriweather is definitely part of their plan at strong safety. They will hope for a healthy return from him, since they believe he can do many things in the defensive scheme they want to run. They'll still need someone at free safety, and I wonder if this George Wilson who just got released from Buffalo works as a veteran leader type. Though they tried the vet-leader direction last year with Madieu Williams and he kind of couldn't play.

As always, I enjoyed it. See you next week.

Hey, we didn't do a Twitter mailbag last week because I was taking a long weekend. That's on me. But we're back up and running this week. Remember, you can send in a question at any time of the week on Twitter just by using the hashtag #nfceastmail. You do not have to wait until I ask. Here are some examples from this week.

@ourfamily385: Dan, which should the Cowboys concentrate on first and more often in the draft, OL or DL?

@ESPN_NFCEast: Two weeks ago, if asked this question about the Dallas Cowboys, I'd have said offensive line without hesitating. However, with the hiring of Monte Kiffin as defensive coordinator signaling a change to a 4-3 defensive alignment, there are circumstances brewing that could make defensive line the correct answer. Anthony Spencer is going to be a difficult re-sign for the Cowboys given their salary-cap issues, and if he goes elsewhere, a pass-rushing defensive end to play on the side opposite DeMarcus Ware becomes the biggest need on the entire team. There are some who worry that Ware won't be as dominant a player with his hand on the ground as he was as a 3-4 outside linebacker, and he's shown serious signs of wear each of the past two seasons. If defenses don't have anyone to worry about on the other side, it's hard to see how Kiffin could get the pressure he needs to get on opposing quarterbacks from his down linemen. Now, none of this means the Cowboys don't have serious needs at guard, tackle and center. They do. But in terms of a first-round pick, losing Spencer might force them to focus on a pass-rushing lineman.

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@paulzuk_81: Ideas on how the redskins can rebuild their mediocre secondary?

@ESPN_NFCEast: We discussed this on the blog the other day, and I think the biggest need for the Washington Redskins is at safety. They like the way Brandon Meriweather fits the strong safety spot in their system, but he's coming off a season's worth of knee injuries, and they might not be able to count on him. And they need to upgrade from Madieu Williams at free safety. So I think they need to get a safety in free agency (Pittsburgh's Ryan Mundy feels like a realistic name who'd be a fit) and seriously think about one with one of their first couple of draft picks. They could find a starting-caliber safety in the second or third round, especially if they think Meriweather's going to come back healthy and the pick has time to develop. We also raised the idea of cornerback DeAngelo Hall moving to free safety, which I think could work if he's up for it and will take a pay cut. That would create a need at cornerback, but they kind of need to upgrade from Hall there anyway.

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@EricLB52: Do you think the eagles will do the switch to a 3-4 D-front? If so, you think they have the right personnel to do it?

@ESPN_NFCEast: Other than what new Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly said in his introductory news conference, everything I have heard since he got hired has said he wants to run a 3-4 defense. And since the things coaches say in news conferences are not always true, I am inclined to believe the other sources. However, I do not think in any way that they have the right personnel to do it. Trent Cole and Brandon Graham would become stand-up outside linebackers, and we have no proof either could make that transition smoothly. Fletcher Cox and Cullen Jenkins would become 3-4 defensive ends, which would probably be fine, but they'd need a nose tackle. Middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans, who was the best defensive player the Eagles had in 2012, was a poor fit in the 3-4 in Houston, which is why the Eagles were able to get him so cheaply. Basically I don't see how anyone in the Eagles' front seven would benefit from the change. Some might surprise and make it smoothly, but I don't think it makes any of them better. Also, a change like this likely would take at least two years before it worked effectively, as recent examples in places like Green Bay and Washington have shown. Do the Eagles and their fans have the patience to wait and suffer through the inevitable first-year struggles?

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@EAZY41: What is the single biggest area that the Giants must shore up going into next season?

@ESPN_NFCEast: The New York Giants have a lot of areas to address this offseason, including the offensive line, running back, safety and cornerback. They have contract issues with several of their current players at those positions that must be resolved before they can determine what they need to do in free agency and the draft. But in a vacuum, I think their biggest position of need is linebacker. This is not an area the Giants have made a high priority in recent years, and if you asked them they might tell you cornerback and defensive line are more important areas of current concern. But inconsistent linebacker play was a problem this season, Chase Blackburn and Keith Rivers are unrestricted free agents and Michael Boley could be a salary-cap casualty. The three guys who were rookies during the Super Bowl season -- Mark Herzlich, Jacquian Williams and Spencer Paysinger, each have shown flashes, but might not be ready to start. Mathias Kiwanuka could have to move back up to defensive end full-time with the presumed free-agent departure of Osi Umenyiora. I think they need a leader and a thumper at the middle linebacker spot, and in limited duty so far Herzlich has not shown the ability to be that at the NFL level. Maybe he will, but if I were the Giants I'd be on the lookout for some proven help for at least one of my three starting linebacker spots.

Thanks for all of the questions.

Safety is a significant position of need this offseason for the Washington Redskins, who lost one projected starter (Tanard Jackson) to a drug suspension in late August and another (Brandon Meriweather) to recurring knee injuries. Assuming he comes back healthy, there's a reasonable chance the Redskins keep Meriweather as their strong safety, since Washington's coaching staff sees him as a perfect fit for that role in their defense. But assuming is bad business, so you have to believe the Redskins will look to cover themselves at that position, as well as replace Madieu Williams as the starting free safety, once free agency begins.

To that end, here's a partial list of some potential free-agent solutions, keeping in mind the Redskins currently project to be about $4 million over the salary cap because of the league-imposed penalty from last year.

Jairus Byrd. Probably a pipe dream, given (a) that Buffalo wants to keep him and can use the franchise player designation to do so and (b) what he'd cost if he hit the open market. But Byrd fits the Mike Shanahan free agency profile in terms of age (he's 26) and along with San Francisco's Dashon Goldson and Atlanta's William Moore, is one of the top safeties in free agency this year if he makes it there.

Kenny Phillips. Would the Giants let him go? They have cap concerns too, and Stevie Brown (also a free agent, by the way) did pretty well as a playmaking fill-in while Phillips was injured this year. If New York made the tough decision to part with Phillips, he'd be in high demand at age 26, and the Redskins know him well. I think his skills in run support make him a better fit at the strong safety spot in the Redskins' 3-4, so he could be a potential Meriweather replacement if they let Meriweather go, but I'm sure he could play the free safety spot as well.

Louis Delmas. His 2012 injury likely increases the Lions' ability to keep him, but he fits the profile as a guy who'll turn 26 in April and has the abilities as a leader and a thumper that the Redskins need on the back end.

Ryan Mundy. He turns 28 next month, which doesn't push him out of Shanahan's age window for free-agent targets, and the system in which he's played in Pittsburgh is similar enough to what the Redskins run that he could be a good fit. Another guy who probably profiles more as a strong safety in Washington, Mundy might be a cheaper and more reliable alternative if they decide they can't count on Meriweather.

LaRon Landry. Hey, he got through the season healthy with the Jets! That was the Redskins' concern about him. The odds that he and they will both want a reunion seem pretty slim, but I guess stranger things have happened, no?

DeAngelo Hall. The Redskins have a tough decision on Hall, who was one of their starting cornerbacks this year and may need to take a pay cut to return in 2013. It may also be worth exploring the idea of moving Hall to free safety, where his inconsistencies in coverage wouldn't be as much of a liability. Is he up for such a move and the pay cut that likely comes with it? Remains to be seen. His name value could help him get a cornerback job somewhere else. But for all of his quirks, he's well-liked in the Redskins' locker room and by the coaching staff, and he knows the system. Maybe they could convince him to make the switch.

Again, a partial list there, and the Redskins are going to need help at cornerback, too, no matter what happens with Hall. That's a different post for a different time. But I hope this gives Redskins fans something on which to chew for a little while.