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Football Outsiders is doing a series of posts called "Red Flags," which take a look at the biggest remaining issue facing each team with the draft behind us and minicamps getting underway. Today's post is on the NFC East teams , and I'm breaking it up into four smaller posts to examine the red flags team-by-team. This one looks at the Philadelphia Eagles, for whom Sean McCormick feels cornerback is the top remaining red flag.

Sean agrees with the Eagles that they needed to move on from 2012 starters Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. He just doesn't think the cornerbacks the Eagles signed to replace them have enough upside:

Bradley Fletcher finished out the year as St. Louis' fourth corner thanks to his penchant for drawing flags. He might be a more natural slot defender, but Brandon Boykin is entrenched as the Eagles' nickelback, so Fletcher will play on the outside. Cary Williams started for the Super Bowl champion Ravens, but he gave up a ton of completions by playing soft on any kind of comeback route. The one thing Williams does exceptionally well, though, is tackle -- he missed a grand total of three tackles in the past two years. And, as noted before, that's a talent that was sorely missing from the Eagles' secondary.

So there's that. But while it's certainly nice to have corners who tackle better than Asomugha does, the corner's primary job is to make plays that prevent him or anyone else from having to make a tackle. I find it hard to believe that the Eagles' defense under new head coach Chip Kelly and coordinator Billy Davis will want to be the kind of defense that allows big pass plays because it can make tackles downfield. But Fletcher and Williams are two guys the Eagles targeted. With their money and cap room, they could have signed anyone they wanted to sign. Their priority was to find younger guys who fit the profiles of players they believed could develop within their system.

The question for 2013 is whether the corners (and the new safeties, who are also addressed here) will be good enough to support a front seven that's transitioning to some sort of hybrid front and will be full of players learning a new system with new terminology taught by new coaches. The defense could be a major work in progress in Philadelphia this year, which would require a lot of patience with the new coach and his new cornerbacks.

The ESPN Stats & Information group has taken a "next-level" numbers look at the draft needs for the teams in the NFL, and we're taking a team-by-team look at what they've come up with in the NFC East. The last team on our list is the Philadelphia Eagles, for whom SIG has identified offensive line and defensive back as the most significant needs in this year's draft.

The issues with the Eagles' offensive line in 2012 were mainly injury-related, as four of the five starters missed significant amounts of time due to injury and one of those four (Danny Watkins) played poorly when healthy. So it comes as little surprise that "the Eagles' most-used offensive line combo played together on 40.9 percent of plays in 2012, 12^th among 16 NFC teams in top-line consistency." And the result was poor performance in both the passing game and the run game. SIG tells us that the Eagles allowed the highest combined total of sacks and tackles for loss in the NFL and ranked 31st in the league in quarterback duress percentage and ballcarrier contact behind the line of scrimmage.

Now, a lot of the offensive line issues could be fixed if the starters all come back healthy. But the lessons of 2012 tell the Eagles that quality depth at those positions is important, and for that reason I would not be surprised to see them take one of the draft's top tackles at No. 4. Right tackle Todd Herremans could then move inside to play guard in place of Watkins, and the draft pick could be the eventual successor to Jason Peters at left tackle.

As for defensive back, SIG's numbers show considerable struggles for the Eagles' defense on passes at least 15 yards downfield. The Eagles allowed a league-high 14 touchdown passes on such throws and intercepted just three. And two of the three interceptions were by cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who's no longer on the team. The Eagles were tied for 25th in completion percentage allowed (46.9) on throws of 15 or more yards downfield, 31st in yards per attempt on such throws (14.6) and of course last in TD-INT ratio. (+11)

They also struggled in particular with outside receivers. Their 15 touchdown catches allowed to receivers lined up closest to the sideline were the second-most in the league, and eight of those 15 came in divisional games. The Eagles added many pieces to their secondary in free agency, including cornerback Cary Williams and safeties Kenny Phillips and Patrick Chung. But there'd be nothing wrong with continuing to add talent there, and Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner remains a possibility for that reason.

The Philadelphia Eagles released Nnamdi Asomugha on Tuesday. And on Wednesday night, free-agent cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie agreed to a one-year deal with the Denver Broncos.

This means that the two high-profile cornerbacks the Eagles acquired as part of their 2011 offseason spending spree are both gone from the organization and they will, as many had expected, need to find two new starting corners in 2013. Bradley Fletcher, who signed Tuesday, is a candidate for one of those two starting spots. It remains to be seen if the Eagles view second-year man Brandon Boykin as another at this point.

But it does seem clear that the people running the Eagles -- old and new -- are fine with distancing themselves as much as possible from what went on in Philadelphia for the past two seasons. Asomugha the free agent and Rodgers-Cromartie the trade acquisition (as part of the Kevin Kolb deal) were, as much as anyone, the symbols of how much the Eagles expected of the team they assembled in 2011, and how far short of expectations they fell. Neither was awful, but neither was great or consistent, and too many of the failures on defense over the past two years were the fault of blown coverages on which Asomugha or Rodgers-Cromartie either looked bad, bore responsibility or both.

The fact that the Eagles let Rodgers-Cromartie, who won't turn 27 until next month, leave on a one-year deal means they didn't want him back. And while there are some high-profile holdovers (see: Vick, Michael) from the mess of Andy Reid's final two seasons in Philadelphia, holdover GM Howie Roseman and new coach Chip Kelly don't seem to want any more of them around than is absolutely necessary.

In the final minutes before the start of NFL free agency, the Philadelphia Eagles announced that they released veteran cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha.

The move was expected for a long time, as Asomugha was scheduled to make $15 million this year and has been a disappointment during his two years in Philadelphia. The Eagles still have to pay him $4 million of that money, which will count against the salary cap, but the $11 million savings puts the Eagles about $44 million under the salary cap with free agency about to begin.

There was a chance the Eagles could have restructured Asomugha's deal or negotiated a pay cut, but it never seemed as though that was their preferred course of action. And in truth, it's probably for the best. Asomugha wasn't a bad player for the Eagles, but he was brought in to be an excellent one -- one of the very best cornerbacks in the entire league -- and he was not that. Moreover, he stands as the No. 1 symbol of a two-year period in Eagles franchise history gone very wrong.

Asomugha, Cullen Jenkins and Jason Babin were the headline free agents of the Eagles' 2011 offseason, and all are gone after a two-year stretch in which the Eagles went 12-20 and fired longtime head coach Andy Reid. Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, a high-profile trade acquisition that same offseason, is an unrestricted free agent and looks unlikely to return. Under new head coach Chip Kelly, the Eagles are better off distancing themselves from all of the disappointment and bad feelings of the past two years, and starting as fresh as possible. The one hiccup in that effort is the retention of quarterback Michael Vick, but Kelly appears to have determined that he didn't have any better 2013 options at quarterback.

Don't cry for Asomugha. He's getting the $4 million from the Eagles free and clear, plus whatever he gets from whatever new team signs him. His reputation as an elite cornerback may have been tarnished by what went on in Philadelphia, but he's still a good player, and some team is likely to view him as someone who can be had as a bargain in the belief that things can only get better from here.

Washington Redskins

Could Fred Davis' injury, combined with his ... um ... quirky off-field history combine to make him cheap enough for the Redskins to keep their dynamic tight end? John Keim examines the issue from many different angles. The one-year deal with incentives is one I hadn't heard yet, but it's certainly interesting.

The Redskins made official the hiring of former Chargers GM A.J. Smith as a senior executive. I don't see how it can hurt. Smith just adds another experienced and successful voice to a front office in which everyone understands that Mike Shanahan is the man in charge.

New York Giants

Ed Valentine has a name for you if the Giants decide to go sign a free-agent right tackle: Gosder Cherilus. Interesting, to be sure, but I kind of think the Giants are going to address right tackle internally. Just my hunch. We'll know more in a week.

We were joking Wednesday about how much press Tom Coughlin is doing for his new book, but we really haven't talked here about the book itself, which is not a book about football but rather an effort by a successful manager of people to impart some wisdom applicable to any discipline.

Dallas Cowboys

Defensive tackle is an area at which the Cowboys appear set with starters, but it's one at which everyone always needs depth -- especially when you're running a 4-3 defense, as the Cowboys will be now. Calvin's latest free agency analysis looks at where the Cowboys stand with regard to that part of their defensive line. Obviously, Josh Brent's situation limits their internal options. And Jay Ratliff hasn't been super-reliable of late. I imagine they'll beef up there.

Brandon Carr says he and the other Cowboys cornerbacks have been told they'll need to be more physical -- than they ever have been before, he says -- in the Cowboys' new defensive scheme.

Philadelphia Eagles

Just because the 2011 free-agent blitz turned out to be a bust doesn't mean the Eagles won't be aggressive with their (so far) $33 million in salary cap room once free agency opens next week. And this is good. I don't know why fans are so convinced that just because Nnamdi Asomugha was a disappointment they should never sign another free agent again. You learn from your mistakes and try not to repeat them. You don't run scared.

Here is Zach Berman's case for why the Eagles should keep free-agent cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. And it's a good one. If you take away the bad taste Eagles fans have in their mouths about the last two years and actually size Rodgers-Cromartie up against the rest of the cornerback market, he looks pretty good. And if they cut Asomugha, as they seem certain to do, they'll need to find two starting corners. Just sayin, don't rule it out, is all.

I never feel comfortable predicting with any certainty what the Dallas Cowboys are going to do, but I consider it unlikely that they designate Anthony Spencer as their franchise player before today's 4 p.m. ET deadline. Franchising Spencer would cost the Cowboys $10.6 million this year, since it'd be the second year in a row in which he played under the franchise player designation, and they'd have to clear about $6 million more in cap room in the next six hours just to do it. And if they did it (say, by finalizing a Tony Romo contract extension), they really wouldn't be able to do much else once free agency started next Tuesday. So I do not expect the Cowboys to franchise Spencer or anyone else by the deadline.

In fact, I don't expect any team in the NFC East to use the franchise tag this year. To wit:

New York Giants: They could use it on safety Kenny Phillips ($6.916 million) or tight end Martellus Bennett ($6.066 million), but I doubt they'll do it for either. They simply don't value the tight end position enough to pay Bennett that much money this season. They like him and could bring him back on a deal that features a lower 2013 base salary, but they don't have the cap room or the inclination to lock him in for a year at the franchise number. As for Phillips, you know I think they should keep him. And they might, but again, on a longer deal at their price. I think they'll let the franchise deadline go by and continue to try and use Phillips' knee problems and Stevie Brown's high 2012 interception total as leverage against Phillips in their negotiations -- and let him walk if he's determined to get more than they want to give him.

Philadelphia Eagles: No way they're using a $10.854 million franchise tag on cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Even if they want him back, they'll be able to get him for less. And he's not a guy they can't afford to lose. The Eagles have the cap room to do whatever they want, but they don't have many free agents, and the ones they do have aren't so essential as to merit a franchise designation.

Washington Redskins: I think they'd like to tag tight end Fred Davis but can't afford it because of their cap problems. Linebacker/special teams ace Lorenzo Alexander ($9.619 million), guard Kory Lichtensteiger ($9.828 million) and cornerback Cedric Griffin are all guys they'd like to have back, but not at those prices.

The Philadelphia Eagles announced Monday that they have released defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins, who was one of the significant free agents they signed in their famous 2011 offseason spending spree. Jenkins was set to cost $5.5 million against the salary cap this year and leaves just $1.5 million in "dead money," so he clears some room for the Eagles under the cap. But the Eagles already were projected to be under the cap, so the move likely is about not wanting to pay a 32-year-old defensive lineman that much money at a time when a new coach and defensive coordinator are coming in and changing the plan drastically on defense.

It also is not likely the last such move the Eagles will make. Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, who was thought to be the prize of that year's free-agent class, is carrying a huge cap number for 2013 after two mostly disappointing seasons in Philadelphia. If he doesn't agree to a pay cut, Asomugha is likely to be released as well. Whether the Eagles need cap room or not, the Jenkins move shows they're willing to make veteran cuts for other reasons.

Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who was acquired via trade that same offseason, is an unrestricted free agent, and it remains to be seen whether the Eagles will try to bring him back. It's unlikely they'll get themselves into a bidding war to keep him if he hits the open market.

Perhaps the least heralded of the 2011 acquisitions has been the best. Guard Evan Mathis, who signed a new free-agent contract with the Eagles last offseason after a superb first season in Philadelphia, was an afterthought amid the big signings and trades in August of '11, but it's entirely possible that when the dust settles on this offseason's moves, he'll be the only one left standing. Defensive end Jason Babin was released during the 2012 season.

Jenkins likely could have made the switch from 4-3 defensive tackle to 3-4 defensive end in the scheme the Eagles appear to be installing. He had experience playing in a 3-4 in Green Bay prior to his time in Philadelphia. But the Eagles have other options for those spots, including Mike Patterson and 2012 first-round pick Fletcher Cox, and likely decided Jenkins was a luxury.

Because I know people will ask, yes, I think Jenkins is still a good player who can help someone. And I think he'd be a fine fit for the New York Giants or the Dallas Cowboys, who run 4-3 defenses and could use someone of Jenkins' versatility and pass-rush ability. Whether those teams will agree with me remains to be seen, but, yes, I think he could help either of them.

UPDATE (4:32 p.m. ET): The Eagles announced later Monday that they also have released Patterson, which saves another $3 million in cap room and obviously eliminates him as a replacement option for Jenkins. The Eagles' starting defensive line at this point projects to be Cox, Cedric Thornton and Antonio Dixon, although they're likely to look for upgrades in free agency and in the draft.

As we have discussed on here a few times, it's entirely possible that the Philadelphia Eagles could feature four new starters in the secondary in 2013. Not certain, but possible. None of last year's starters -- cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and safeties Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman -- showed enough that the Eagles will strain to bring them back. And as the one NFC East team with salary-cap room to spare, the Eagles enter the offseason with both the need and the ability to add quality pieces to their secondary.

Zach Berman has a look at the depth of talent at safety and cornerback in this year's draft and some names to watch for as the Eagles pick in the second and third rounds. You can't rule out Alabama corner Dee Milliner as the Eagles' first-round pick, but assuming they go elsewhere at No. 4, they should be able to find good options on Day 2.

If taking Milliner with the fourth overall pick is too high for the Eagles, they will have options in the second or third rounds. Mississippi State's Jonathan Banks, Rutgers' Logan Ryan (Eastern High School), and Oregon State's Jordan Poyer are likely to be options at No. 35, and each is at least 6-feet tall.

Another intriguing option later on is North Carolina State's David Amerson, a heralded cornerback before the season who admitted Sunday he misplaced his focus on trying to break the NCAA interception record after recording 13 picks in 2011. He finished with five in 2012, and his performance also declined.

The Eagles could try to find a safety in the second or third round. The key will be identifying one versatile enough to cover and play in the box. General manager Howie Roseman has said on numerous occasions that the position is evolving and challenging to evaluate.

This is an issue division wide. While secondary help is the top need for the last-place Eagles, it's also the top need for the division-champion Washington Redskins, who have major cap problems and no first-round pick. Each of the other NFC East teams will have picked twice before the Redskins' first pick (No. 51 overall) rolls around. And while that's the residue of the very positive acts of (a) trading for Robert Griffin III and (b) winning the division, it does hamstring Washington a bit as it looks for help at cornerback and safety. Depending on what they can find in free agency among guys like Louis Delmas, Ryan Mundy and maybe Kenny Phillips, the Redskins will be looking for starting-caliber players at safety in the second and third rounds. And with DeAngelo Hall's contract situation, they're likely to be looking for cornerback help, too.

The New York Giants took cornerback Prince Amukamara in the first round two years ago, but they have a contract issue with their other starting cornerback, Corey Webster, whose play declined sharply in 2012. With no obvious replacement on the roster, the Giants may look to pick a corner early to help shore up the back end of their defense. And with Phillips likely to depart as a free agent, they have to assess whether Stevie Brown is the answer as his replacement or whether they need to find a better long-term solution. Brown had a lot of interceptions, of course, but he didn't bring the same kind of all-around game Phillips does when healthy. The Giants, like the Eagles and the Redskins, will be looking for defensive backs who can start right away or very soon.

Even the Dallas Cowboys, who spent a truckload of free-agent money and draft picks on cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne a year ago, will be on the hunt for help in the secondary. They'll lose cornerback Mike Jenkins to free agency, which will hit at their depth at corner, but the bigger issue is at safety. The switch to Monte Kiffin's 'Tampa 2' style defense puts greater emphasis on safety play, and after Gerald Sensabaugh the Cowboys have a lot of question marks at the position. Barry Church was a training camp star last year, but he got hurt early in the season and they really can't know his value as a starter. Even if he comes back healthy and fits well into Kiffin's scheme (two big question marks), the Cowboys will need to add depth at safety. And while they have bigger needs on both lines, don't be surprised if they look to the early rounds of the draft for help at that position.

The Eagles aren't the only NFC East team looking for help in the secondary this spring. The good thing for all four of our division's teams is that there appears to be plenty of such help out there.

Hey, it's Tuesday, so don't forget we have our weekly chat at noon ET. What else will happen today? There is no way for us to know. We can only be as prepared as possible. And that starts with links.

Washington Redskins

The Redskins' first pick in this year's draft is the 19th pick of the second round -- the 51st overall pick in the draft. This makes it impossible to project a player for them, but it's going to happen anyway, so here's the hot name about which you'll be hearing for the next few days at least: Florida International safety Johnathan Cyprien. In general, yes, I think safety is a good way for them to go with that pick. Can't speak to Cyprien or whether he'll still be there. Still more than three months and 50 picks before that selection.

Rick Snider doesn't think it's too early to think about where the Redskins' next stadium will be, even if it's an issue that's 14 years down the road. He has some interesting possibilities.

New York Giants

Here's a mock draft that has the Giants taking a tackle -- Alabama's D.J. Fluker -- in the first round. Tackle would not be a bad way for them to go at all, but everyone's going to justifiably assume they're thinking pass-rusher there until we all see otherwise.

If Terrell Thomas completes this comeback from a third ACL reconstruction, the Giants have suggested the possibility of moving him from cornerback to safety. The gang playing "Fact or Fiction" at Giants.com has several reasons it believes he can make this move.

Dallas Cowboys

You may have seen the item over the weekend about how the Cowboys passed on running back LeSean McCoy in the 2009 draft. Startling. Headline-grabbing. But McCoy was the 53rd pick in that draft. Everybody passed on him, at least once. Of greater concern to the Cowboys, as Calvin Watkins writes in his look back, was the fact that that year's draft was a train wreck for the Cowboys on every possible level. I remember covering that draft and wondering what on earth they were doing, and ultimately being told (by Calvin, I think) that they were looking for players who could help on special teams immediately, since they felt their roster was pretty well stocked with talent already. And they did win the division that year ...

Uh oh. Looks like Dez Bryant is hanging around with undesirables again in the offseason. I kid, I kid. Bryant got to meet his hero, Michael Jordan, at a 50th birthday party for Jordan over the weekend. Fun stuff.

Philadelphia Eagles

Dennis Dixon, whose final year as Oregon's quarterback was Chip Kelly's first as Oregon's offensive coordinator, thinks "the sky's the limit" for what can be accomplished with Kelly in Philadelphia.

The Eagles won't be using their franchise player designation on cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, which as we discussed here yesterday is no surprise. The Eagles will be hunting for cornerbacks, and Rodgers-Cromartie will be an option for them in free agency. They may well bring him back. Just not for one year and $10.7 million.

Today is the first day teams can use their franchise player designations. They have until March 4 to do so. My prediction right now is that no team in the NFC East will use their franchise player designation this year, and here's a team-by-team look at why:

Dallas Cowboys: Their only real candidate is DE/LB Anthony Spencer, and we have discussed his situation here at length. Since they made him their franchise player last year, the Cowboys would have to pay Spencer more than $12 million if they did that again this year. Considering their current issues with the salary cap, that is impossible. The only way Spencer gets tagged is if, come March 4, he and the team have made enough meaningful progress on a long-term deal that the team is certain it will get done and they tag him to keep him off the market while they dot I's and cross T's. All of that seems extremely unlikely.

New York Giants: Top candidates here include tackle Will Beatty, tight end Martellus Bennett and safety Kenny Phillips. I don't think they're going to tag Bennett or Phillips, even though their positions carry the second-lowest and third-lowest franchise numbers. They like both players, but the Giants tend to see tight ends as interchangeable and they have concerns about the long-term health of Phillips' knee. They'll try to bring both back on team-friendly deals and wish them well if it doesn't work out. Beatty, however, was the 12th-rated tackle in the league by Pro Football Focus in 2012 and turns 28 in a couple of weeks. He's a high priority for the Giants in free agency, and they will work to get a long-term deal done with him in the coming weeks. They're not likely able to pay him the approximately $9.66 million franchise number for tackles, but that thing I talked about with Spencer in the last paragraph is a good description of the way in which the Giants have used the franchise tag in the past. If they're close but not yet there on a long-term deal with Beatty come March 4, they could tag him just to hold onto him while they finish. I doubt he plays under the franchise tag in 2013. And truth be told, it shouldn't be a tough negotiation for the Giants after sticking with Beatty through his early-career injury problems.

Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles have very few free agents and none of them are essential. I cannot imagine them, for instance, using an approximately $10.7 million franchise tag on cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. They might bring him back, sure, but they don't have to.

Washington Redskins: The tight end number is low, but they tagged Fred Davis last year, so his number would exceed $7 million -- for a guy coming off a torn Achilles. And as you may have heard, the Redskins are missing $18 million in cap space again this year as a result of the penalties imposed a year ago. A long-term deal with Davis for a lower 2013 base is more likely, and if they can't afford to tag him, how can they afford to tag anyone?

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

Welcome to “Eight in the Box,” a new NFL Nation feature that will appear each Friday during the offseason. This week’s topic: Which free agent is essential for each team to keep from its 2012 roster?

Dallas Cowboys: Linebacker/defensive end Anthony Spencer. He is especially important because Dallas is switching to a 4-3 defense. If the Cowboys lose Spencer, finding a pass-rushing defensive end becomes their top priority, and that won't be easy. The Cowboys' cap issues give them little hope of outbidding anyone for Spencer, but they're going to have to try.

New York Giants: Left tackle Will Beatty. Protecting quarterback Eli Manning is the top priority, and Beatty emerged in 2012 as a top left tackle. I considered wide receiver Victor Cruz here, but he's restricted, so they can tender him and still get by. If they lose Beatty, they'll need to hunt for a new left tackle. That's no fun.

Philadelphia Eagles: Safety Colt Anderson. The Eagles have only eight free agents, and the seven unrestricted guys are either dead weight or non-essential. Argue cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie if you like, but is he a "must-keep?" Anderson is a special-teams ace and a decent backup safety.

Washington Redskins: Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander. Another Pro Bowl-caliber special-teamer, Alexander is a valuable utility man and a heart-and-soul guy on the field and in the locker room. Fullback Darrel Young and tight end Fred Davis also were considered here. The Redskins have some tough decisions.

Paul Domowitch is looking into the Philadelphia Eagles' future. And while he acknowledges that the biggest offseason decisions the team faces are at head coach and quarterback, there are obviously other big decisions beyond that. So Paul today is looking at the issue of what to do with starting cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who have had their moments but have, overall, been disappointing.

As Paul points out, it's not as simple as just ditching them both and starting over, since it's tough to find good corners, and each of these guys has had enough success in his career to make them worth keeping around just in case they get better. And Rodgers-Cromartie is still quite young. The key, as always, is money. Asomugha hasn't played up to his contract and likely would need to take a pay cut to stay. And Rodgers-Cromartie is free-agent eligible and likely to get overpaid on a market in which, as we've already discussed, it's tough to find good corners. Paul's take:

I suspect the Eagles will approach Asomugha about restructuring his deal. I think Asomugha will be willing to take a paycut. But how much of one? Judging by his play, I'm not sure I'd be willing to give him more than $6 million next year. Just $4 million of the remaining money on his deal is guaranteed, so releasing him wouldn't be too painful.

Rodgers-Cromartie has a lot of talent. Maybe as much as any corner in the league. But the kid's a flake who often seems more into his pink wardrobe than playing football.

He made the Pro Bowl with the Cardinals 3 years ago in just his second season in the league, intercepting six passes. But he hasn't played anywhere close to that level on a consistent basis since.

Should the Eagles overpay him, bring him back and hope the next head coach and defensive coordinator can figure out the secret to lighting a fire under him? Easy for us to say. It's not our money.

Indeed it is not, and the man whose money it is has bigger decisions to make before he gets to this one. But the secondary is a major offseason focal point for the Eagles, who could use some upgrades at safety as well. The offensive line is probably going to be okay once everyone gets healthy. And quarterback ... who knows? Maybe it's Nick Foles, maybe it's someone else not currently on the roster. But the Eagles are 4-9 and clearly have more than one problem. This is one about which you can expect to hear much more in the coming months.

For a while, the quarterback position on the All-NFC East team has looked like a boat race, with Redskins rookie Robert Griffin III the clear winner of the spot. But Griffin hurt his knee Sunday, and if he has to miss a few games, he could be caught. Both Tony Romo and Eli Manning are hot and have big numbers (though Griffin's remarkably small number in the interception category is a big part of his lead.)

The disclaimer that no one will read: This is an All-Division Team based on overall season performance to date. It is not -- repeat, NOT -- simply a list of the players who performed the best in this past week. That's why Nick Foles isn't on it.

Just a few changes this week -- one on the offensive line, a couple at kicker and punter and the rest in the secondary, where I admit I'm at a loss. More explanation after the list itself.

Quarterback: Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins (Last week: Griffin)

Running back: Alfred Morris, Redskins (Morris)

Wide receiver: Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys; Victor Cruz, New York Giants; (Bryant, Cruz)

Tight end: Jason Witten, Cowboys (Witten)

Fullback: Henry Hynoski, Giants (Hynoski)

Tackle: Trent Williams, Redskins; Will Beatty, Giants (Williams, Beatty)

Guard: Evan Mathis, Philadelphia Eagles; Chris Chester, Redskins (Mathis, Chris Snee)

Center: Will Montgomery, Redskins (Montgomery)

Defensive end: Jason Pierre-Paul, Giants; Jason Hatcher, Cowboys (Pierre-Paul, Hatcher)

Defensive tackle: Barry Cofield, Redskins; Fletcher Cox, Eagles (Cofield, Cox)

Outside linebacker: DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer, Cowboys (Ware, Spencer)

Inside linebacker: DeMeco Ryans, Eagles; Perry Riley, Redskins (Ryans, Riley)

Cornerback: Prince Amukamara, Giants; Brandon Carr, Cowboys (Amukamara, Morris Claiborne)

Safety: Antrel Rolle, Stevie Brown, Giants (Rolle, Kenny Phillips)

Kicker: Dan Bailey, Cowboys (Lawrence Tynes)

Punter: Sav Rocca, Redskins (Brian Moorman)

Kick returner: David Wilson, Giants (Wilson)

Punt returner: Dwayne Harris, Cowboys (Harris)

• Did you know this division doesn't have one single cornerback ranked in Pro Football Focus' top 50 for the season? This is what I'm working with, folks. Their highest-ranked NFC East corners are Orlando Scandrick (52), Brandon Boykin (54) and Cedric Griffin (63). So you tell me. I gave Claiborne's spot to Carr this week because I think they're pretty close and Carr's had a couple of game-changing plays the last couple of weeks. But these spots could belong to guys like Josh Wilson and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie just as easily. This is two years now, and no one in this division plays this position consistently well.
• Safety's a problem, too, and with the best one in the division (Phillips) in and out due to injury, his spot goes to his real-life replacement, who has seven interceptions.
• That second guard spot is a mishmash, with Chester, Snee, Nate Livings and Kevin Boothe all getting consideration. Snee has the track record, Chester's had the more consistent season. Slightly.
• And no, Redskins fans, I'm not "ignoring" Darrel Young at fullback. For the millionth time, both Young and Hynoski are having excellent seasons. It's a tough call, every week. But Hynoski's on the field more, and while he doesn't catch or carry the ball once or twice a week like Young does, he's been the slightly better blocker. And that's the important part of their jobs. I'd love to see both guys go to the Pro Bowl. I can't put them both on this team, though. Maybe if one of them learned to play cornerback. There are spots open there.
• Tynes is out at kicker. The only question was his replacement, and Bailey, Alex Henery and Kai Forbath all made good cases. I went with Bailey, who hasn't missed from inside 50 and has made more (2) from 50-plus than any of the others have. Forbath is perfect since joining the Redskins, and he's made some huge kicks, including this week and on Thanksgiving. But he's got 14 field goals to Bailey's 25 (and Tynes' 33 and Henery's 23). Didn't seem right. Henery is the best of the bunch on kickoffs, statistically. Good year for kickers in the NFC East.
• Moorman's also out at punter after that debacle Sunday. Our old friend Rocca returns, though you know Steve Weatherford got a long look.
• And yes, David Wilson's kick return for a touchdown would have won him the kick-returner spot for the rest of the season, but he already had it.

Your thoughts?

A few thoughts on the Philadelphia Eagles' last-second comeback victory Sunday over the Buccaneers in Tampa, Fla.

What it means: In the 2012 picture, not a lot for the Eagles, whose season was already lost. But it means the end of an eight-game winning streak, the team's first victory since September and a chance for the Eagles and their fans to feel good for a few days. (They play again Thursday.) It also showed the kind of toughness a lot of people have been accusing the Eagles of not having, as they recovered from a 21-10 deficit in the final four minutes to win.

The kid: This was the chance for rookie quarterback Nick Foles to look his best against the worst pass defense in the league, and Foles looked very good indeed. He was 32-for-51 for 381 yards and two touchdowns, including the last-second game winner to Jeremy Maclin, and he also ran for a 10-yard touchdown. He was sacked six times, but he did not throw an interception, and he looked especially in control in the waning minutes as the team was moving the ball down the field in its comeback effort. As the Eagles use this final month to evaluate Foles as the potential answer for them at quarterback next season and beyond, this game stands as his best tape to date.

The defense: In the first game since the firing of defensive line coach Jim Washburn, the Eagles got sacks from defensive tackles Fletcher Cox and Cullen Jenkins, seemed to ditch the much-maligned "Wide 9" alignment Washburn instituted last year and held Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman to 189 yards on 14-of-34 passing. They didn't create any turnovers, and it was their seventh game in a row without an interception, but the big guys up front and cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie did a much better job this week of limiting the opposing team's passing attack. And even once the Bucs appeared to figure things out in the second half, they couldn't get far enough ahead to hold off the comeback.

What's next: The Eagles host the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night. Cincinnati's playoff hopes took a hit Sunday with a last-second loss to the Dallas Cowboys, but they come into the game with a 7-6 record and one of the best defenses in the league.

New York Giants

What would a week with the Giants be without a little back-and-forth trash talk with or about the other team? This week, the Bengals' A.J. Green said something about the Giants' defense having "a lot of holes in it," and Giants safety Antrel Rolle fired back with some profanities and a bit of a threat. "I'll talk with my pads come Sunday. That's how I approach the game. That's how we always approach the game," Rolle said. "If he sees me, he'd better duck. That's it." We'll miss the chatty Giants next week when they're off, won't we?

Hakeem Nicks says he did not have a setback with his knee and that he'll play Sunday. He also said "stats is for girls" when asked about his disappointing numbers, then later clarified his comments to make sure everybody knew he wasn't being sexist but rather repeating something a youth coach of his used to say about guys who just want to compile stats for the purpose of impressing girls. Nicks is a good, unassuming guy, and I believe that he wasn't trying to be defiant or, certainly, offensive.

Philadelphia Eagles

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie says the rest of the league looks at the Eagles' defense as "pretty," and that the impression other players have is that "y'all guys are talented but y'all don't want to hit nobody." Looks that way the last few weeks, sure. The Eagles' defense was a tough-tackling unit in September but has looked lost lately.

One aspect of the Eagles that's not at risk of being called "pretty" is the offensive line, which is down four starters and a complete mess. But line coach Howard Mudd says the problems can be fixed.

Dallas Cowboys

If the Cowboys' DeMarcus Ware can tear through that soft Eagles line on Sunday and get at least one sack, he'll have his seventh straight season with at least 10 sacks. That would put him on a list with Reggie White, John Randle, Bruce Smith and Lawrence Taylor, which if you sack quarterbacks for a living is the kind of list on which you dream to find yourself.

Jason Garrett says he doesn't like the word "desperate" because it suggests that the team might start to do things it's not supposed to do. But Jean-Jacques Taylor writes that the Cowboys' situation is indeed desperate, because the loser of Sunday's game in Philadelphia can kiss its season goodbye.

Washington Redskins

One of the most disappointing aspects of this year's Redskins team for Mike Shanahan has been an excess of penalties. The Redskins have played and lost a lot of close games, and if you're a coach who thought your team would be better than 3-6, that's an obvious place to look.

Brian Burke looks at the numbers during the bye week and concludes that the Redskins do indeed still have a chance to reach this year's playoffs. Certainly, the fact that they have five division games among their final seven offers some degree of opportunity.