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Yes, the start of training camps is two months away, but it’s never too early to consider the coming season. A look at the best-case and worst-case scenarios for the Cowboys in 2012.

Dream scenario (12-4): The issue in Dallas is the extent to which the defense improves. If the improvement remains incremental, they'll lose some games they should win and have to scrap to stay in the division race. But if the defense takes a dramatic step forward in its second year under defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and with Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne having been brought in to upgrade the secondary, the Cowboys become a Super Bowl contender quite quickly. In the Cowboys' dream scenario, Tony Romo has another big year at quarterback, Miles Austin and DeMarco Murray stay healthy and Dez Bryant takes a big developmental step forward of his own, using his considerable physical ability to dominate matchups in other teams' secondaries and the end zone. The new guys on the offensive line tighten things up in the interior, the move back to right tackle makes Doug Free more comfortable and Tyron Smith transitions seamlessly to left tackle. And in the dream scenario, the improvements in the secondary help the defensive front seven get more pressure on the quarterback, with outside linebacker Anthony Spencer playing the way he did in December 2009 and DeMarcus Ware playing like ... well, like he always does.

Nightmare scenario (6-10): The Cowboys' nightmare scenario, as is the case with anyone's, includes injuries. In this scenario, Austin and Bryant struggle to stay healthy, and the team actually does find itself missing the surprisingly effective replacement Laurent Robinson provided in 2011. Murray also gets banged-up, forcing them to rely again on Felix Jones and little else at running back. Claiborne struggles, as young corners often do, to adjust to the speed and intensity of the NFL game, and Spencer muddles along again, content to be a pretty good but not great player opposite Ware. In the nightmare scenario, Romo has a bad year riddled with turnovers and the kind of inconsistency that gives his critics actual evidence for their criticism, and he raises legitimate questions about how much longer the Cowboys will remain committed to him. The nightmare scenario includes a slow start against a very tough-looking early portion of the schedule and sees the Cowboys succumb to the tension and negativity that's always so quick to cling to them in times of trouble. And no, because you're asking, I don't think that even the nightmare scenario puts Jason Garrett on the hot seat. Jerry Jones loves that guy.

We roll on through mid-May, the veritable dog days of the NFL offseason. But as your hunger for NFL news and notes cannot be satiated, I continue each day to come bearing links.

Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray called into "SportsCenter" to talk about a few things. He says his ankle is fully healed and ready to go, that it's fair to label the 2011 Cowboys underachievers, and that Tony Romo is a "great leader" and responsible for the success Murray had in his brief time last year as the Cowboys' starting running back.

Phil Costa knows he needs to play better as the Cowboys' starting center in 2012 than he did in 2011, and as part of his effort to do that he's been studying tape of Jets center Nick Mangold, regarded by many as the best in the league. New Cowboys offensive line coach Bill Callahan was Mangold's offensive line coach in New York prior to taking his current position with Dallas.

New York Giants

Terrell Thomas has a lot going on as he continues to work his way back from the knee injury that cost him the entire 2011 season. He says he'll enjoy getting his Super Bowl ring Wednesday, but that he still won't consider it "his own," and he's intent on winning what he sees as a competition with 2011 first-round pick Prince Amukamara for a starting cornerback spot. The progress of Thomas, who looked to be a star in the making this time last year, will be one of the intriguing stories of the Giants' offseason. Though I'm sure st8prop can come up with a reason why that's technically inaccurate.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin, who works actively with U.S. service personnel and takes every opportunity to honor and thank them in public, is receiving the U.S. Army's Outstanding Civilian Service Award in a ceremony next week in Arlington, Va.

Philadelphia Eagles

You may have seen the report Monday evening that Eagles left tackle Jason Peters re-injured his surgically repaired Achilles tendon when the device he was using to help him move around post-surgery fell apart, and he had to have a second surgery. Really rough break for Peters, and if there was any slim chance of his playing in 2012 you'd have to think that's gone now. At this point, you have to wonder about Peters beyond this year. Two surgeries on the same vital tendon for a guy his size who does what he does for a living ... that sounds like a lot from which to come back.

The hot name out of Eagles rookie camp was that of second-round draft pick Mychal Kendricks. And while this is obviously getting ahead of things, the idea that one or both of their new linebackers might be good enough that they could do different things on defense because of them (rather than just bringing in guys to plug gaping holes and do no harm) is an interesting concept for Eagles fans and certainly their defensive coaches.

Washington Redskins

Mike Jones takes a stab at projecting the starters for the 2012 Redskins, and predicts position battles at left guard, right tackle, running back, wide receiver and of course both safety positions. You can see on Jones' chart the spots at which the Redskins are hoping to attack a deficiency with improved depth.

Tim Hightower looked around and would have liked to find something better than the one-year deal he got to return to the Redskins. But since he's coming off a serious knee injury and running backs didn't exactly break the bank this offseason, he understands. He tells Rich Campbell he's grateful for the chance to prove himself, and maybe he can get that nicer deal a year from now.

I have been writing for some time that there's no need to panic about the Dallas Cowboys' No. 3 wide receiver position just because Laurent Robinson caught 11 touchdowns last year and signed with Jacksonville. But ever since the first night of the draft, I have detected a burgeoning opinion among Cowboys fans that I am a moron who has no idea what he's talking about. You guys are subtle about it, but I can detect these things, in large part because I have not (to answer to several of your very polite mailbag questions) had a lobotomy.

So if you won’t take my word for it, I present the word of Mr. Todd Archer, the esteemed Cowboys writer for ESPNDallas.com, who made the case in a detailed piece Wednesday morning that the Cowboys can replace Robinson without having to find a guy to replace Robinson:

The No. 3 wide receiver on the Cowboys is really Tony Romo's fifth option offensively behind Jason Witten, Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and either DeMarco Murray or Felix Jones.

The Cowboys did not dial up a ton of plays specifically for Robinson last year.

His biggest plays came when coverage filtered to the other wideouts or to Witten (hello, 70-yard touchdown versus Philadelphia) or plays broke down. This isn't meant as a knock on Robinson, because he was terrific last year. He and Romo were simpatico when plays went haywire, and that takes skill, not time.

Just ask Roy Williams that.

The Cowboys don't need to replace Robinson's numbers with one guy.

This is a fine summary of the way the Cowboys were thinking about their No. 3 wideout situation last summer, after they cut Williams and before they found Robinson on the free-agent scrap heap. And it is because of the way things worked out last year that the Cowboys remain convinced they can approach the situation the same way this year. Had Robinson not come along and did what he did in 2011, the Cowboys' offense would have found a way to replicate his production. His most significant contribution, as Todd points out, was his stint as a reliable fill-in during the times Austin had to miss due to hamstring injuries. If they can keep Austin's hamstrings healthier this year, then they won't have a need for someone to do what Robinson did last year. And if they can't, they feel decent enough about their ability to fill in, even if they need more than one player to do it this time.

So every Tuesday at noon ET we open up a SportsNation chat room and we do this thing where you guys ask me questions and I answer them. We call it the weekly NFC East chat, and it's oodles of fun. Those who don't come and join in... well, they're beyond hope at this point. So rather than fill them in with the highlights, I present these chat highlights for those of you were there, so you can relive all the fun we had together.

Wesley from Woodstock, Va. believes that, due to his lofty draft position and the attendant hype, Robert Griffin III will be targeted by defensive players in 2012 for "welcome to the NFL" hits. Considering this, Wesley wanted to know if I thought the Washington Redskins' current backup plan of Rex Grossman and Kirk Cousins was sufficient.

Dan Graziano: I don't know how much better a backup QB situation can get, actually. Grossman is the exact right guy to be backing up RG3 right away -- a QB who knows the offense and can help with the new guy's education (as long as the rookie ignores the parts about throwing it to the other team 20 times a year). And Cousins is a well-regarded young guy who'll be learning along with the starter. I think they've backed him up just fine.

St8prop from Atlanta saw a rumor that the Baltimore Ravens had offered the New York Giants a third-round draft pick for disgruntled defensive end Osi Umenyiora and wondered, if the Giants don't trade him, whether it would be because they believed they could do better in compensation picks for losing him to free agency next year.

DG: I think if they don't move him it's because they determined the value of keeping him on their roster outweighed what was offered. They don't NEED to move him. They're not worried about his discontent affecting what they do, and he showed last year that he can still make a major impact when he does play. And he's cheap.

(Ed. note: Please also remember that, if the Giants lose Umenyiora in free agency next year, their compensation pick wouldn't come until the 2014 draft, and it would depend on who else they lost in 2013 free agency and which players they signed as well.)

DAN FAN from Florida asked who would lead the division in touchdowns in 2012 and offered Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo as a guess.

DG: You mean passing TDs? I'd go with Eli Manning there, taking everything into consideration including his weapons and the relative states of the Giants' and Cowboys' running games.

So then Talon from Muncie, Ind. asked me to "elaborate on the state of NYG & DAL running games."

DG: Well, the Giants were last in the league, Ahmad Bradshaw has chronic foot injuries and Brandon Jacobs had 40 percent of their carries and is now gone. I think it's fair to say the state of the Giants' run game is questionable.

Mark from Los Angeles said he thought Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick "started getting a little lazy" after signing his big contract last offseason and wondered what his state of mind is going into this season.

DG: I don't agree with "lazy" as a characterization of Vick from what I saw last year. I felt all along that the Eagles needed to see some development and maturation from him as a leader, and while he showed some of it late in the year, I don't think he showed enough of it early. I do not ascribe that to laziness, though. I think he works very hard. I just didn't feel that he showed enough improvement in his specific areas of weakness. That could be because he doesn't identify those areas correctly, or because more work needs to be done in them than he or we are willing to admit, or any number of reasons.

And Gavin from Maryland asked how much of an upgrade new Dallas Cowboys fullback Lawrence Vickers would be over Tony Fiammetta, who got a lot of press last year for his role in the run game once DeMarco Murray got hot.

DG: The folks I talked to around the time of that signing all liked Vickers a lot better than they liked Fiammetta. I think by the end of the year, the consensus was that the midseason success of the Dallas' run game was much more Murray than it was Fiammetta, in spite of what some believed while it was happening.

Enjoyed it, as always. Though we didn't hear back from our old buddy Jack from Raleigh. I hope we didn't scare him off.

Good rainy Wednesday morning to you here in the East. Let's have some links, shall we?

Dallas Cowboys

Second-year running back DeMarco Murray says he's "back 100 percent" and is enjoying the voluntary offseason program he's on with the Cowboys. All good news for Cowboys fans, as the offense functioned at a considerably higher level in 2011 after Murray got the starting running back job and before he broke his ankle in the first Giants game.

Calvin Watkins ponders whether the Cowboys have more work to do yet in free agency -- specifically at running back, wide receiver and punter. I do think they could stand to add depth at those first two positions and that they probably will, but I don't think they need to do anything splashy or spectacular at either spot. And they claimed punter Jake Rogers off waivers Tuesday, and I guess it's still possible that Mat McBriar could prove himself healthy and return. So, time to work on these things.

New York Giants

Somebody pointed out on the chat Tuesday this story about Hakeem Nicks saying he was looking forward to helping second-round pick Rueben Randle develop as an NFL wide receiver. It's not lip-service. First of all, it's the Giants' way. Second of all, NFL wide receivers don't come much cooler, more selfless or more self-assured than Nicks. I have no doubt that his words are sincere and that he will make good on them.

The Giants are mourning the loss of former wide receiver Stacy Robinson, who was a star of Super Bowl XXI and a member of each of the franchise's first two Super Bowl championship teams. Sad. Robinson was only 50 years old.

Philadelphia Eagles

Draft pick signings are less dramatic than they used to be, here in the second year of the rookie wage scale, and the Eagles somewhat easily got second-round pick Mychal Kendricks locked up on a four-year deal Tuesday. Not that it matters much, since unsigned rookies can still participate in this weekend's rookie minicamp, but it's an opportunity once again point out that Kendricks is in position to be a starting linebacker for the Eagles this season if he looks at all good in the preseason.

I like to joke with the Cowboys fans about how much they enjoy the offseason updates on Tony Romo's golf game, so it's only fair that I offer Eagles fans an update on Michael Vick's offseason efforts at chess. Here's a story in which Vick has his butt whipped by some high schoolers in the game he took up while in prison.

Washington Redskins

The first hearing in the grievance by the Redskins and Cowboys against the league and the NFLPA over the salary cap penalties is scheduled for Thursday, but don't expect much in the way of resolution. This is a hearing to determine jurisdiction -- i.e., whether those teams have the right to grieve this in front of the arbitrator and whether the NFL management council had the right to impose the penalties in the first place. More hearings are likely down the road.

Aldrick Robinson hopes his speed can set him apart in the Redskins' crowded wide receiver corps. The Redskins did promote him from the practice squad when other teams showed interest, so it's not as though the second-year wideout is off their radar. But the competition at those spots is going to be serious.

We are in the eighth week of NFL free agency, and the position to which it has been most unkind is running back. Due to the ever-increasing emphasis on passing offense and the punishing nature of the running back position, teams see less and less value in investing big money in the position. So as the calender flipped to May, a number of veteran running backs with pretty good résumés remained on the open market.

All four teams in our division could conceivably still be in the market for a veteran running back. The Washington Redskins continue to negotiate with Tim Hightower, who was last year's starter before he tore his ACL, and would like him to come back to front an otherwise young running back corps that leaned on 2011 draft picks Roy Helu and Evan Royster over the final weeks of the season. The New York Giants, having lost Brandon Jacobs to free agency, picked David Wilson in this year's first round, but given the youth of their backup plans behind starter Ahmad Bradshaw, it wouldn't be ridiculous for them to bring a veteran back into camp.

The Philadelphia Eagles whiffed on Ronnie Brown as LeSean McCoy's backup last year and have plenty of intriguing youngsters at the position now, but they don't know what to expect from Dion Lewis or Bryce Brown or Chris Polk. And even the Dallas Cowboys, with DeMarco Murray as the starter and veteran Felix Jones as the backup, could stand to add some depth.

So here's a look at the top 10 remaining free-agent running backs and what they might bring if one of our division's teams were to sign them.

Ryan Grant. Rushed for a total of 2,456 yards in 2008 and 2009 as the Packers' starting running back, but an injury in the 2010 season opener cost him that whole season. Showed flashes of his old form in 2011, averaging 4.2 yards on his 134 carries, and he's 29 years old. Might be looking to start somewhere. He was talking to the Lions this week.

Thomas Jones. The graybeard of this group, Jones will turn 34 in August, and his days as a full-time starter are behind him. Might still be able to help in the passing game, but as a runner he'd be well down the depth chart. Well-regarded veteran locker room presence who might help the development of the younger guys who are getting the carries in a place like Washington.

Joseph Addai. Another 29-year-old who's struggled with injuries and probably needs a part-time role to better his chances of staying healthy. Even in his prime as an Indianapolis Colt, Addai was never a 20-carry-per-game guy. His value there was mainly as a receiver and as a blocker in the passing game. But there are some teams in this division that might be looking for a part-time guy who's good at that stuff.

Cedric Benson. He topped 1,000 yards in each of the past three seasons as the workhorse back in Cincinnati. Some say he chafed at the part-time role that developed for him as the 2011 season wore on, but at this point in the market he must see that a part-time role is his only option. Has had off-field issues that could scare teams away, but aside from that he might be a nice fit with Bradshaw in New York.

Tim Hightower. The Redskins loved him as a runner, receiver and pass-blocker, and would have him back in a second as their starter if they were sure about his knee. But he hasn't signed yet, and a recent visit to New England indicates he's looking for more than the Redskins are willing to offer.

LaDainian Tomlinson. One of the best ever at the position and a possible Hall of Famer, Tomlinson could be looking at retirement as he comes up on his 33rd birthday next month. But if he wants to play and can approach the level he showcased in 2010 with the Jets, he's the kind of guy who'd get a young running back's attention.

Cadillac Williams. Another 30-year-old for whom injuries have been the dominant story in recent years. He can be a more than productive backup with starter potential if he can stay on the field, but he generally can't.

Ronnie Brown. Only twice in the past five years has the 30-year-old Brown had 200 carries in a season. He was never able to assert himself as the starter in Miami, and as the Eagles' backup last year he was pretty much a complete disaster. It's going to be tough for Brown to sell himself as a reliable backup with what he showed in 2011.

Justin Forsett. He's small and quick and doesn't have a lot of miles on him. He won't turn 27 until October. The question is how much you can get out of him, and in what role. He's not a power runner, but he's good at finding holes. He accelerates well but doesn't have great top-end speed. He catches the ball well but isn't much help as a blocker in the passing game. Someone will sign him, and if they find the right role he could be a good change-up back for someone. It just feels as though each NFC East team already has someone like him.

Maurice Morris. Morris is 32 but has never been a regular feature back. He's been under 100 carries in each of the past three years, and of all of the backs on this list he has the most experience in the kind of part-time role we're talking about. He can catch the ball out of the backfield and doesn't mind playing special teams. He will find a home.

Todd Archer's column on ESPNDallas.com notes that the Dallas Cowboys' focus during the draft, as it has been for much of the offseason, was on the defensive side of the ball, and that it's an unusual thing for a team whose head coach is also the offensive coordinator. I would argue that the reason is because defense was clearly the Cowboys' biggest problem last season, and surely even an offensive-minded head coach like Jason Garrett would be able to see that, with or without a Princeton education.

But Archer's point is that the willingness of Garrett to allow this offseason to be taken over by defense speaks to his own confidence about his ability to lead the offense. He has reason to believe in skill-position players such as Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Miles Austin and, if healthy, DeMarco Murray. And the addition of new offensive line coach Bill Callahan as well as a couple of free-agent offensive linemen should help address the biggest problem the offense had last season -- the line. Archer reaches the following conclusion:

With a healthy Romo (he played six games needing a painkilling injection for a broken rib), a healthy Bryant and healthy Austin (they suffered through quadriceps and hamstring injuries) and perhaps most important a healthy Murray, who had 789 yards in seven full games as the every-down back before suffering an ankle injury, the Cowboys' offense should be better in 2012.

That's what's Garrett is betting on. Those players … and himself.

I think this is a perfectly reasonable conclusion. If they get give Romo enough time to operate the offense, he has more than enough weapons at his disposal to do it at a high level. When Murray was healthy last year and running as the every-down back, it was one of the better offenses in the league. If the line play is improved (and it really only had one direction to go), then the offense is the least of Dallas' 2012 problems, and it's completely sensible for them to operate this way. That's why the big money this offseason has been spent on the defense (specifically cornerback), which is where the major improvement needs to happen.

My issue with the Cowboys' draft had nothing to do with its heavy focus on defense but rather what I consider a failure to maximize the value of the picks. I wrote plenty on this over the weekend and I'm sure I'll do so again. But at bottom, the standpoint that defense was a priority this offseason and in this draft was the appropriate one from which to approach things for the Cowboys. They correctly identified their problem. What remains to be seen is how well they did to address it.

The inimitable Calvin Watkins, who spends his summer nights at baseball games but still writes about the Dallas Cowboys by day, has a piece on ESPNDallas.com about five Cowboys players whose roster spots could be negatively affected by the draft. One of those players is running back Felix Jones, who lost the starter's job to rookie DeMarco Murray last year and, Calvin thinks, could lose his spot on the team to another rookie depending on how the draft goes:

The Cowboys were interested in Boise State running back Doug Martin, but the storms of last week prevented him from visiting Valley Ranch for a predraft visit. Jones isn't an elite running back, or that matter a No. 1 back. His coach, Jason Garrett, continues to call him a complementary running back, and the team had internal discussions about trading him. If the Cowboys find a younger version, it wouldn't surprise anyone if he's let go. DeMarco Murray, Phillip Tanner and quite possibly a draft doesn't make the Cowboys younger, but gives them some fresh legs.

Would be quite a fall for Jones, from starter in September 2011 to looking for a job in the summer of 2012. But it gives you some idea what the Cowboys think about him. He did an okay job filling in for Murray after Murray got hurt last year, but the offense tailed off considerably with Jones as the lead back. It may be that they believe they need someone or something different in that role -- or that they'd like to give Tanner more carries. Certainly, if you see them draft a running back in the top half of the draft, you have to think Jones is at least in trouble.

The other four players Calvin lists are defensive ends Kenyon Coleman and Marcus Spears, center Phil Costa and receiver Kevin Ogletree, though I don't think it comes as any kind of surprise to think their spots could be in danger. The Cowboys still have a number of areas they can reasonably address in the draft, and veterans do tend to hold their breath until all seven rounds are complete.

Call me Pineapple.

I don't think they're trying to rub anything in, but the Power Rankings voters have convened for an offseason edition of our popular feature, and four of the five have the New York Giants ranked at the top. Their reasoning, I have discovered after an unscientific poll, is that the Giants are the defending Super Bowl champs, and barring any major personnel losses, you're always supposed to rank the defending champs No. 1 in the first poll of the new year. I'll buy that, and truthfully there's not another team that I believe has a completely convincing claim on the spot. Sure, they only won nine regular-season games while the Patriots won 13 and the Packers won 15. But there's no reason to think the Giants won't be contenders again for the Super Bowl next season, along with several of the teams in this poll's top 10, and probably a couple in the bottom 10. (Who saw the 49ers coming last year?)

Anyway, as usual, Power Rankings are a harmless debate point, intended to spark discussion, and so I'll let you know what I think and you can take it from there.

1. Giants: As I said, sure, they could be great again. They have the quarterback, and the receivers, and the pass rush. And while there are issues to address on the offensive line and in the running game, they feel good about their ability to address them. And who am I to doubt but a humbled pineapple?

12. Philadelphia Eagles: Obviously, the hopes in Philadelphia are that the 2012 version of the Eagles will finish much higher in the rankings than this. And there's reason to consider them the Giants' strongest challenger in the NFC East. But we've all been burned before, by basically this same group, so it's perfectly understandable for the voters to wait for the Eagles to prove themselves.

14. Dallas Cowboys: They finished in the middle of the 2011 pack, so they start 2012 in the middle as well. It's far too early to know what to expect from the Cowboys, who have made great strides in free agency, but have work to do before they convince us the defense can hold it together for a full season this time. The offense should be fine, especially as long as DeMarco Murray returns. But it's that defense that we just never know about in Dallas these days.

25. Washington Redskins. Optimism in Washington is much higher than such a ranking reflects, and I'm sure Redskins fans are looking as far as 10 spots up the list and thinking their team, behind Robert Griffin III, has a chance to be better than a lot of the teams in front of them. And it does. But the guy's still going to be a rookie quarterback, and that can go either way. Again, it's hard to blame the voters for wanting to see it first.

The first full day of the new NFL year dawns with the Redskins piling up receivers and the rest of our division still at work on the early part of free agency. Tuesday was a crazy, action-filled day, and the links offer us an opportunity to summarize, analyze or catch up on some things that maybe didn't get as much attention as they otherwise would have. Love the links.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys did not tender any of their restricted free agents, including fullback Tony Fiammetta, who performed well last year as the lead blocker for breakout star running back DeMarco Murray. This of course makes it less likely that they'll be able to bring back Fiammetta, and as Todd Archer speculates, it's likely the result of the salary-cap penalty issued by the league Monday for the Cowboys having the audacity to spend whatever they wanted to spend during a season that had no salary cap. Fiammetta says they're still talking, but that the non-tender was a "game-changer."

There's a prevalent assumption that, since their in-person talks wore on deep into the night, the Cowboys will succeed in signing free-agent cornerback Brandon Carr. Even if they do, however, it wouldn't be a bad idea for them to look at a cornerback with their first-round pick in next month's draft. To that end, and as part of its draft preview series, ESPNDallas.com looks at North Alabama's Janoris Jenkins and what he offers as a first-round option.

New York Giants

Mike Garafolo has the full breakdown of the contract Terrell Thomas signed Tuesday. While Thomas announced it as a $28.4 million deal over four years, Mike points out that the base value of the deal is $17.4 million and that $28.4 million is the maximum value. But Mike also points out that the extra money is easily attainable if Thomas is recovered from his injury and able to rack up the playing time that a starting NFL cornerback would normally get. In other words, if Thomas hits all of the incentives that max out the contract, the Giants would have no problem compensating him for it. But if he doesn't, they're covered. Fine deal both ways.

Perhaps in part because of reports that Brandon Jacobs visited the Giants' team facility on Tuesday, Justin Tuck is holding out hope that Jacobs might still be able to return to the Giants. I do not think Tuck should hold out this hope. A Jacobs return at this point is a serious long shot that would require him to receive almost no interest from other teams and for the Giants to sign no replacement while he looks. These are two unlikely scenarios, and the combination of the two is nearly inconceivable. Jacobs will play elsewhere in 2012.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles didn't go out on the free-agent market the first day. They stayed in-house and took care of extensions for two of their own players -- tackle Todd Herremans and defensive end Trent Cole. Jeff McLane explains the thinking behind this. But don't worry, Eagles fans. It was only the first day. They didn't do anything on the first day last year either, if I recall correctly, but they eventually caught up.

If you're looking for linebacker-target names, there's a report that the Eagles are bringing in Ben Leber for a workout. Leber is a former Vikings and Chargers linebacker who was cut by the Rams last year. It's entirely possible that this is the depth of the free-agent pool in which the Eagles plan to play this year, and that the big-splash signing doesn't happen. Not certain, but possible.

Washington Redskins

It seemed, for a time Tuesday, that the Redskins had signed wide receiver Eddie Royal to go along with wide receivers Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan. But we got a Lee Corso-style "not so fast, my friend" on that Tuesday night when we learned that the Royal deal was not done and that he was, in fact, still talking to other teams. I wonder if Royal got cold feet when he saw that he was one of three being signed on the first day and might be looking for better playing-time options. If the Redskins do succeed in signing him, he could upgrade their return game as well as their wide receiving corps.

Sally Jenkins thinks there's a personal element to what the NFL did to Dan Snyder (and, to a lesser extent, Jerry Jones) with the salary-cap sanctions -- that Snyder is paying the price for making enemies around the league and not toeing the establishment line. I have no problem with this theory. What the NFL did is wrong and ridiculous, and smacks of something petty. Yes, Snyder spent more than anyone else did in the uncapped year after the owners supposedly all got together and secretly agreed not to do that. But that doesn't make him the crook -- just the guy who wouldn't go along with all the rest of the crooks.

Friday. Links. You know what to do.

New York Giants

Ahmad Bradshaw has had some sort of (non-surgical) procedure done on his foot, according to The Star-Ledger. Bradshaw played through December and January with a stress fracture in his foot, and the issue does not appear to be one that's going away anytime soon. It was the second year in a row Bradshaw played while managing the injury, and 2012 is likely to be the third. Bradshaw is a tough dude, and the Giants are fortunate to have him. But if Brandon Jacobs isn't back next year, they'll need to make sure they have someone reliable to play behind Bradshaw or to spell him when he inevitably needs a rest.

Justin Tuck says he doesn't care where Eli Manning's brother plays next year, as long as it's not in the NFC East. Justin thinks highly of Eli's big brother and would rather not have to play against him twice.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia takeaway from Mel Kiper's national conference call Thursday was that the Eagles will have to move up from No. 15 if they want to draft Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly. Mel has them taking at defensive tackle if they stay in that spot. Someone told me on Twitter yesterday that it'd be "boring" for the Eagles to pick a DT in the first round. I laughed a little. Just because the NFL has successfully sold the draft as entertainment for fans doesn't mean the teams see it that way, right? The Eagles will pick the guy they think most helps their team. Even if it's a boring pick.

Nick Fierro thinks acquiring Peyton Manning would be "worth the risk" for the Eagles. He's not the first to raise this. I think we had a Jeff McLane link on this today, and both seem to be largely based on a conclusion people in Philadelphia have reached that Michael Vick can't lead them to a Super Bowl. I'll just say that nobody's ever proven they have what it takes to lead a team to the Super Bowl until they actually led a team to the Super Bowl. Oh, and I don't think the Eagles are getting Manning.

Dallas Cowboys

Blogging the Boys ponders DeMarco Murray as the possible next Cowboys superstar, not a ridiculous idea if he continues to get the opportunity he got last year and is able to keep himself healthy. Hard to see a long career for the young man, given the way he runs, but he could be very, very good for a short time.

And we'll stick with the blogs and link to The Landry Hat's free-agent rundown, in part because they seem to agree with me on the Mario Williams issue. I've heard the chatter about how franchising Anthony Spencer doesn't necessarily eliminate them from Williams, but given their other needs I actually think it does. We'll see, though, come Tuesday night.

Washington Redskins

During the afternoon Thursday, Chris Russell of ESPN 980 in Washington reported that "a couple of different sources inside the organization" told him that Peyton Manning had made it clear he didn't want to go to the Redskins. I have no doubt Chris's sources told him that, but I find it hard to believe that Manning's camp would have communicated such a message so early in the process. Even if Manning doesn't want to go to Washington, there's no point in eliminating suitors until he's secured the best possible deal in his most desirable landing spot. I imagine there'll be be some spin coming out in the next day or so that disputes Chris's report, which may ultimately turn out to have been true all along.

While the possibility is still alive, I figured John Keim's thoughts on Manning-to-Redskins would be worth reading, and they are. In particular, I like how John makes his first point about Manning's relationship with Mike Shanahan and then a second, common-sense point about how the Redskins would obviously be willing to adapt their offense to Peyton Manning because who in their right mind wouldn't?

With the offseason in full swing, let’s take a look at one major question facing each NFC East team as they begin preparations for the 2012 season:

DALLAS COWBOYS

Do they have too much work to do?

It's possible that we expect too much from the Cowboys. Their skill-position talent on offense makes them an easy team to like going into the season. Few teams are as good as they are at quarterback and wide receiver, and if DeMarco Murray comes back healthy, they look pretty good at running back, too.

But the offseason needs for the Cowboys are myriad. They need guards and a center. They need cornerbacks and safeties. They need a pass-rushing outside linebacker to complement DeMarcus Ware. They could stand to beef up on the defensive line.

That's a lot of needs, and it's fair to wonder whether they'll be able to fill them all adequately and construct a 2012 contender. That they were a contender (heck, a leader) in the NFC East right up until the end of the 2011 season leads one to believe they necessarily should be thought of as one again for 2012. But the division was, for the first time ever, won with only nine wins. And the way the Cowboys played defense and protected Tony Romo during their 1-4 finish was more alarming than the 7-4 record was encouraging.

NEW YORK GIANTS

What to do with Osi Umenyiora?

The Giants have other issues, sure. They need to work on the offensive line. They need to find a tight end. They need to make individual decisions on players like Brandon Jacobs and Mario Manningham. But for a team that believes the pass rush is the cornerstone of good defense, the Osi question is a fair one on which to focus right now.

Last summer, when he had two years left on his contract, Umenyiora was obviously unhappy. He sat out training camp practices. He sought (and received) permission to find a team willing to trade for him. He called GM Jerry Reese a liar in a sworn affidavit as part of one of the lockout lawsuits. The Giants never blinked, and in the end Umenyiora returned and became a major contributor to their Super Bowl run.

Now, he has one year left on the contract he hates, and the Giants must decide what to do. Sign him long term, as he wants? Trade him now, while his value is high coming off the Super Bowl and his postseason performance? Or stand pat again and force him to play out his contract, running the risk that he'll be more resolute in his protests and holdouts this time around?

The emergence of Jason Pierre-Paul at defensive end opposite Justin Tuck gives the Giants leverage, but at the same time, they were much better when all three of those guys were healthy and in the lineup together.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Is a full offseason really what they need?

Last August, after the lockout ended, the Eagles signed a bunch of free agents to play for a revamped coaching staff with a lot of new ideas about how to play defense and offensive line. The party line in Philadelphia now is that this was all too much too soon, and that the Eagles' 3-6 start was due in large part to the inability of all of these new pieces to get on the same page in the absence of an offseason program.

They played well at the end of the season, they point out. Heck, they played well at the beginning of the season, too -- they just couldn't hold a lead. So we'll see whether a real offseason of OTAs and minicamps all spring and summer helps everyone relax and get the most out of a talented roster.

We'll see whether it helps quarterback Michael Vick better handle the new responsibilities he took on in 2011, such as changing the protection at the line of scrimmage. We'll see whether the sting of 2011's disappointment can propel the Eagles to great things in 2012, or if it's all a bunch of hooey and they were never that good in the first place.

WASHINGTON REDSKINS

Who's the quarterback?

Rex Grossman can't come back as anything other than the backup, and John Beck ... well, just ... no.

The Redskins have many needs, but none as big as this one. Picking sixth in the draft, they'll need to trade up (and outbid other teams to do so) if they want Robert Griffin III, who's the best all-around option and a potential franchise quarterback.

But if trading up means dealing away multiple first-round picks and making it difficult for them to address areas such as wide receiver, offensive line and the secondary, it might not be the wisest course of action. That would necessitate a free-agent pursuit of someone like Kyle Orton, Matt Flynn or -- if they can be convinced he's fully healthy -- Peyton Manning.

Redskins fans aren't likely to be happy with an imperfect, short-term solution. But only one team is going to get Griffin, and if the Redskins are not that team, they need to spend their resources on a No. 1 receiver and help for the line.

They have about $47 million in cap room and the ability to fill enough holes that plugging in a healthy Manning could make them a 2012 contender. And if that's the way they go, there's always a Matt Barkley or Landry Jones-type option next year.

Part 2 of ESPNDallas.com's position-by-position series is on running backs. Bryan Broaddus assumes that DeMarco Murray comes back from his ankle injury and regains the starter's role in which he thrived, and that fullback Tony Fiammetta recovers from his own health issues and is re-signed for the fullback role in which he thrived. But Bryan raises this interesting question regarding Felix Jones, who opened the 2011 season as the starter but lost the job to injury and Murray:

Should the Cowboys consider trading Jones this offseason? It's hard to accomplish a trade with Jones entering the final year of his contract. The Cowboys should explore whether a fourth-or fifth-round pick is available for the former first-round pick. The team doesn't trust Jones to become a 20-down back in the NFL. He's a solid backup, which leads us to Phillip Tanner. He should compete with Jones for more playing time. If he makes the roster, he should get more game-day carries and special teams snaps.

Personally, I'm kind of with Broaddus in that I don't see how much value Jones is going to have. If you're saying he's not good enough to be an every-down starter, and that's the reason you're dealing him, you can't really expect another team to decide you're wrong and that he can. So you're basically offering a change-of-pace back and hoping to get a fourth- or fifth-round pick for him. If a team's in the market for a back like that, why wouldn't they just draft one with that fourth- or fifth-round pick and develop him themselves?

Jones is, at this point, a nice luxury for the Cowboys -- a starting-quality back who can sub in for a short time if Murray gets hurt but isn't likely to be able to hold up over long stretches. With one year left on Jones' deal, the Cowboys would do well to give Tanner more time next year and see what they have with him. That'd be easier with Jones out of the picture, but he's worth too much to just cut or give away for nothing. If the Cowboys can find a team willing to part with a mid-round pick for Jones, it'd be a wise deal to make. But if not, he's worth hanging onto in the role in which he finished the 2011 season.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Hey, how about a Dallas Cowboys post? Calvin Watkins texted me yesterday to give me grief for finding a baseball angle at the Super Bowl, and this reminded me that Calvin is still alive out there somewhere and covering the Cowboys. He has a post about the Cowboys and players 25 years old and younger, and about how many more of them they have than they had a year ago.

The premise is that this is a good thing, and that it represents the shedding of older players who are less productive than they once were. The question of course is whether the young players the Cowboys have can be major contributors to an organizational turnaround next season.

Calvin ranks the top 25-and-under players on the Cowboys' roster thusly:

1. Dez Bryant

2. Tyron Smith

3. DeMarco Murray

4. Bruce Carter

5. Dan Bailey

I think it's safe to say that if all of those guys take big steps forward and emerge as major contributors in 2012, the Cowboys will be much improved as a result. Carter is the wild card, as the other four have demonstrated the ability to excel, at least in stretches. Carter should get the chance to become a more significant part of the linebacking corps beginning next year, assuming he shows he can handle it.

The Cowboys need to have a good draft and continue to look for contributors in this age group, and more importantly they need to find ways to develop them into contributors at the NFL level.

It may well be that Bill Callahan was looking to escape an organizational fiasco with the New York Jets, but last week when asked what drew the Dallas Cowboys' new offensive coordinator to Dallas, Callahan had several answers. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Callahan listed the commitment of owner Jerry Jones, Cowboys Stadium and the reputation he says the Cowboys have around the league as a good organization for which to work. But the most important thing he talked about was the pieces that are already in place to make a great offense:

"We had a chance to see them throughout the year because of the AFC East and the crossover with the NFC East," he said. "It was great to see this team roll and see their receivers and Austin and Dez and Witt, all those guys did great. That's the exciting aspect of this job. All those pieces are in place. You're always trying to get better. Now it's just a matter of shoring up the offensive line, continuing to improve that aspect of these young players and their development and again, get in this playoff and try to take a run at it."

In addition to receivers Miles Austin and Dez Bryant and tight end Jason Witten, Callahan specifically mentioned quarterback Tony Romo and "the two young backs," meaning DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones. What he's speaking to is really the defining aspect of the Cowboys' offense over the past couple of seasons. They have as strong a skill-position core as any team in the league -- talent all over the field at positions from which people score points. But maybe the reason they pursued Callahan, who's an offensive line coach, is because those last couple of years have proven that the skill-position excellence can be undone by shoddy line play.

We'll go back and forth here over the next three months on whether the Cowboys should use their first-round pick on a cornerback or a pass-rushing linebacker, and it's possible they will go defense at No. 14. But unless they do something like sign Carl Nicks or otherwise address the line in free agency, it's going to remain possible that they draft an interior lineman at that spot. It's just become too obvious, over and over again, how important that is for them. Offensive line will and must be one of the Cowboys' areas of offseason focus. And that's probably, more than any other reason, why Callahan is now on the coaching staff.