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Well, you know what they say about the best-laid plans of would-be holiday weekend slackers...

Just as I thought we were done for the day, Adam Schefter reports that the Indianapolis Colts are working hard to try and acquire disgruntled cornerback Mike Jenkins from the Dallas Cowboys:

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said this week that Dallas would not trade Jenkins. But another NFL source familiar with the situation said he believed a trade could be worked out for the right price.

...

A Colts official declined comment, yet a person connected to the team said Indianapolis has been trying to pry loose Jenkins with an offer that one source said "many teams would think is compelling."

Of course, what many teams would think doesn't matter much here, does it? The Cowboys must find it compelling, or they will not be compelled to do it.

As I've written at length, I don't see what the Cowboys' incentive is to trade Jenkins. Teams need to be deep at cornerback these days. Jenkins has proven to be a very good cornerback when healthy. One of the Cowboys' projected starters is a rookie, first-round pick Morris Claiborne. Unless they really get blown away by an offer, I would be very surprised to see the Cowboys deal Jenkins just because he doesn't want to be there anymore. Just because the Colts want him doesn't mean the Colts can get him.

But of course, I have been wrong before. My wife just brought a pineapple home from the grocery store, and this reminds me of one of the more egregious such instances from this past NFL season. So we'll keep our eyes peeled, ears to the ground, etc., and if there's movement on this over the weekend I promise I will hop on the blog and let you know what I think. Meantime, carry on with your long weekends.

Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Wednesday the team isn't going to trade disgruntled cornerback Mike Jenkins. We didn't post on it here because we already knew this. Everybody already knew it. Even Jenkins, though he's let it be known he's unhappy with his contract and his new role as the team's No. 3 cornerback and would like to be traded, probably knew it too. He'd have to be blind not to.

Jenkins isn't making so much money that the Cowboys would want to dump him like the Eagles did with Asante Samuel. He's too good for them to trade for a late-round draft pick and not quite good enough to convince a team to offer an early-round pick. The result is that the team, as it tends to in NFL contract situations, holds all of the cards and is required to make no move at all in response to Jenkins' decision to skip offseason workouts. If he wants to stay home, he stays home. If he wants to skip mandatory workouts next month or part of training camp, they can fine him. If he wanted to sit out a whole season, they'd just run Brandon Carr, Morris Claiborne and Orlando Scandrick out there and take their chances. They're better with Jenkins in that mix and would like to have him, but they're not desperate enough to even consider granting him his wish.

Jenkins finds himself in NFL contract limbo, and if he's looking for a sympathetic shoulder on which to cry he doesn't even have to look outside his own division. The New York Giants' Osi Umenyiora is basically in the same situation -- he's unhappy with his contract, he isn't thrilled to be the No. 3 defensive end on his team, and he would rather play elsewhere. But he isn't getting traded either, because (stop me if this sounds familiar) he's affordable, he's too good to trade for peanuts, and he isn't going to bring back a first-round or second-round pick in a deal. The Giants are better off keeping an unhappy Umenyiora around than trading him for pennies on the dollar. It's the decision they made when he raised the same fuss a year ago, and they got 12.5 sacks out of him in 13 games (counting postseason) for their patience.

If either Jenkins or Umenyiora really wanted to push this, there are two somewhat extreme ways they could go. The first is that they could sit out the meaningful stuff, like training camp and regular-season games. If they prove that they're willing to do that, then circumstances could, theoretically, improve their leverage. Say Jenkins is sitting at home in late August and Claiborne gets hurt, or Umenyiora is sitting at home Week 2 and Justin Tuck gets hurt. In cases like those, the need for the player may become great enough to warrant a new deal. But that's a big risk to take because injuries are unpredictable, and in the meantime the player has allowed the team the chance to get used to life without him.

The second option in this case is to make a nuisance of yourself -- to show up, but put your contract situation into the spotlight in an annoying and disruptive way. The all-time visual symbol of this may well be Terrell Owens doing pushups in his driveway. Jenkins or Umenyiora could choose to simply continue being a pain, in the hope that the annoyance might prod the team into trading him for less than they think he's worth. But this carries risk, as well -- the basic one being the risk of giving the outside world (and potential future employers) reason to believe you're a jerk.

The Giants don't fear this from Umenyiora, because they trust their coaching staff and their veteran locker room to effectively ignore potential disruptions. And the Cowboys know Jenkins, and I think they're betting on the idea that he's not the pushups-in-the-driveway sort.

What these guys are doing now -- skipping voluntary workouts and letting it be known through third-party sources that they're upset -- is the simplest way to make their particular point. It costs them nothing right now to stand up for themselves, and they should.

If you're unhappy at work and you feel your bosses aren't treating you fairly, it's important to find a proper and effective way to let them know. That goes for you, me, NFL players and everyone else. But in the end, in the cases of Jenkins and Umenyiora, there's not going to be anything either one can do.

This is the nature of their profession, and the working conditions under which NFL players operate. It's not fair, because teams can end contracts on a whim and the risk of injury is incredibly high, but a history of players crossing picket lines and caving in on labor negotiations has constructed a system in which the teams hold all the cards and the player rarely finds himself in the position of strength. Unfortunately for NFL players, this isn't Major League Baseball.

Jenkins and Umenyiora are both eligible to be free agents next year, and I don't think either has to fear the franchise-player designation. The franchise numbers for cornerbacks and defensive ends are over $10 million, and it's unlikely that either the Cowboys or Giants would want to commit so much to their No. 3 player at those positions.

It's too far into the future to predict for certain, but the odds are they won't be in limbo again this time next year. Right now, all these guys can do is decide how much fine money (if any) they're willing to spend to make their point, and once they reach that number, show up, practice, hope they don't get hurt and play well enough to convince some other team to give them big contracts in 2013.

It may not be great. May not be fair. But for Jenkins, Umenyiora and so many others like them in the NFL, they unfortunately don't have much choice.

The Dallas Cowboys' organized team activities began Tuesday, but they aren't open to the media yet. Still, some information trickles out, like this bit of disappointing news about fifth-round pick Danny Coale needing surgery to repair a broken foot.

The Cowboys spent the middle and late rounds of the draft picking project players unlikely to help in 2012, but they have been hoping Coale was a guy who could be the exception. Assuming his adjustment to the professional game went quickly, the Cowboys believed Coale had an opportunity to work his way into the mix at that No. 3 wide receiver spot left open by Laurent Robinson's free-agent defection. But Coale's foot injury will make that more difficult for him to pull off.

Otherwise, not much big news from Cowboys Land. The only two players who weren't at Tuesday's voluntary workout were linebacker DeMarcus Ware, who had a personal matter to attend to and expects to be there Wednesday, and cornerback Mike Jenkins, who's demanding a trade and not planning to show for offseason activities.

As I've said, it's fine by me if a guy wants to skip voluntary workouts. But I don't think Jenkins has a shot at getting what he wants, and I don't think staying home is going to help him change the Cowboys' minds. So they'll go ahead and work without him and wait for him to cave in, which he ultimately will.

And we're back. Another Tuesday on the NFC East blog, which means I need to stretch my chat muscles so I don't pull anything. Let's get right to the links.

Dallas Cowboys

I wrote Monday about Mike Jenkins staying away from OTAs and assumed he was doing that to make some sort of statement. I was right, as it came out later in the day that he wants to be traded. As Tim MacMahon says, good luck with that, Mike. This isn't like the Asante Samuel situation in Philadelphia, where the Eagles just wanted to dump Samuel's salary and took a seventh-round pick for him. The Cowboys can still use Jenkins, even if he is now the No. 3 corner behind Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne. And given his health issues of the past year and where we are on the 2012 calendar (i.e., after the end of the draft), it's impossible to imagine any team offering them enough to make it worth their while to trade him.

In the ongoing quest to say sillier and sillier things about Tony Romo, the latest apparently is that the Cowboys don't go to the Super Bowl because Romo is not enough like Michael Young, which I guess means he needs to get on base more.

New York Giants

On the topic of Giants players "under pressure" in 2012 -- a topic we discussed here on the blog last week -- Ed Valentine picks wide receiver Ramses Barden, for whom opportunity looms large. Barden will have to hold off Domenik Hixon, Jerrel Jernigan and second-round pick Rueben Randle if he wants that No. 3 wide receiver spot created by the free-agent departure of Mario Manningham. The Giants drafted him thinking he had the tools to do it. The question now is whether he can stay healthy enough and play well enough to take advantage of his chance.

Tom Coughlin is still big in Jacksonville, where he coached the Jaguars before coaching the Giants and where he still holds his annual charity golf tournament. While in town for that, he once again answered questions about his possible retirement by saying it's not even something he's remotely considering.

Philadelphia Eagles

You can blame Juan Castillo and the defense all you like, but the Eagles' coaching staff thinks the biggest problem last year was their 38 turnovers (second most in the league), and they're determined to work with Michael Vick to cut that number down in 2012. Reading this, it sounds as though part of the problem is getting Vick to understand that there is one.

Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg talked about the fine line between leaning on the franchise running back to whom the Eagles just gave a five-year contract and overworking him. LeSean McCoy will only be 28 years old at the end of his new deal, and the Eagles surely can get five good years out of him even if they don't worry about limiting his touches. It will be interesting to see which way they lean.

Washington Redskins

You have to pay attention when you stand on an NFL sideline during practice, and Redskins coach Mike Shanahan unfortunately was looking at the wrong set of drills Monday when a couple of his players slammed into him and knocked him to the ground. "A little woozy" seemed to be the diagnosis, as Shanahan's "toughness" after his knockdown impressed some of his players. Sheesh. It's only the first day of OTAs and already the coach is down. Take it a little slower down there, fellas.

In spite of all he's done as a Redskin, Chris Cooley knows he's in a position this offseason of having to show something. Specifically, he needs to show he's healthy enough to play effectively in a two-tight end formation with Fred Davis. The reports after the first day of OTA practices were encouraging on Cooley.

While pondering whether there's a decent blog post to be made out of this, I noticed this, which is an ESPNDallas.com story about Dallas Cowboys' cornerback Mike Jenkins not planning to show for the team's organized team activities that begin this week. Calvin Watkins' source is telling him that Jenkins, who wants a long-term contract but has likely become the team's No. 3 cornerback after the free-agent signing of Brandon Carr and the draft night trade-up for Morris Claiborne, isn't going to be there:

Jenkins, recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, has attended only a handful of voluntary workouts, and while team officials wish he would come to Valley Ranch to work out, they have said it's not a requirement.

Now, I debated whether to post on this at all. On principle, I'm not a believer in ripping guys -- even suggestively -- for skipping voluntary workouts. They're voluntary, and if a guy wants to skip them because his shoulder hurts or because his niece is graduating high school or because the flight's too long or because he's behind on "Game of Thrones" and wants to stay home and catch up, that's his perfect right. Coaches (and those occasional media members) who get on a guy's case for skipping voluntary workouts are out of line and should stop. So that's not what I'm doing here.

However, on the off chance that Jenkins is skipping the workouts as some sort of protest over his contract situation or his tumble down the depth chart, I'm going to offer him some advice: Not the best idea, Mike. If the coaches have asked you to show up and you're not going because you're trying to prove some sort of point, I think it's got a pretty good chance to backfire.

The Cowboys have no incentive to give Jenkins a contract extension right now, not with all they've sunk into Carr and Claiborne, and even Orlando Scandrick. And skipping workouts isn't going to change that. Claiborne is recovering from wrist surgery and isn't even likely to see the field before July, so it's not as though the rookie's going to be out there struggling while Jenkins sits home and says, "See what I'm talking about? You need me." The Cowboys are going to make it through June on the assumption that Claiborne will play and play well for them in 2012, and they're probably right. Barring an injury to Claiborne or Carr (and even then assuming health from Jenkins, which is a big assumption), Jenkins isn't going to be a starting corner for Dallas this year. While that might hurt his chances to get a new deal from the Cowboys or some other team next year, pouting would hurt worse.

Again, it's entirely possible that Jenkins has a good reason for not showing up this week. But if -- and I mean if -- his reason is some kind of protest about his current situation vis-a-vis the team, I don't think he's making a wise decision. The best thing for Jenkins' market value is to prove he's healthy and look like a team-oriented guy. He's good, and if he's healthy, they'll find ways to get him on the field. But he's not in a very strong position right now, and upsetting team management isn't going to make it any better.

When things are slow, I can count on Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com to help fill the void. So I wasn't surprised to find his piece this morning on Dallas Cowboys cornerback Mike Jenkins. Todd believes Jenkins is doing himself a disservice by working out on his own this offseason instead of joining in the Cowboys' voluntary offseason workout program:

Is Jenkins, who was the Cowboys' best cornerback last season -- and that is not meant as faint praise -- upset that he does not have a new contract? Is he upset the team signed Brandon Carr to a $50 million deal and Orlando Scandrick to a $27 million deal before he could cash in? Is he upset the Cowboys traded up to get Morris Claiborne in the first round in the draft?

Maybe it's yes to all three, but staying home is not the right answer.

Todd goes on to cite the past cases of Ken Hamlin and Marion Barber as examples of players who made similar decisions that didn't work out too well. But I think the more central and present point here is that the Cowboys are investing a lot of their 2012 hope in this offseason conditioning program they've had strength coach Mike Woicik install. We've heard several Cowboys players rave about it already, and the team believes that if it had been in place last year they could have avoided some of their more serious injury problems. Miles Austin's hamstrings, for example.

Now, it may be that what Jenkins ultimately wants is not something he can get. With Carr signed, Claiborne drafted No. 6 overall and Scandrick signed long-term, there doesn't seem to be much hope of Jenkins getting a long-term deal with the Cowboys. But if he plans to test the free-agent waters next year, the best way for him to succeed is to have as healthy and productive a 2012 season as possible. And if he's not going to go along with the Cowboys' program while others are, he might not end up getting the chance to play as much or be as productive as he can be.

Jenkins showed a lot last year -- toughness while playing hurt and high-level ability when healthy. He could help someone in 2013, even if it's not the Cowboys. But I tend to agree with Todd here that the best way for him to cash in next year is to play the good soldier this year. You never know. Claiborne's a rookie and coming off wrist surgery. Jenkins might get to play a lot more -- especially early in the season -- than people are assuming he will. Best bet is to be as prepared for that chance as possible.

Good morning, denizens of the NFC East blog. We roll on into another offseason Thursday, mining quotes and notes from charity golf tournaments and rookie minicamps for discussion points. And links, of course. Can't forget the links.

Dallas Cowboys

Jerry Jones says the team is not planning to trade Mike Jenkins and that he actually hopes Dallas can sign him long term. I believe the first part, but I believe that it's a result of a realization that there isn't much of a market for Jenkins right now. I don't believe the second part one bit. Not with as much as they've committed to Brandon Carr and are about to commit to Morris Claiborne. I mean, I'm sure they'd keep Jenkins long term for the right price, but not for what Jenkins likely believes he's worth on the open market. I think they're wise to keep Jenkins for this year, because depth at that position is a good thing. But I don't see how it works beyond this year unless he continues to struggle with injuries and they can get him at a big discount.

Jones also says he's confident about the Cowboys' and Redskins' chances in the hearings that begin today on the salary-cap penalties. I know I wrote in the original Wednesday breakfast links that the hearing was scheduled for Wednesday, and I apologize for the mistake. I wish I had a better excuse than the fact that I didn't know what day it was. I'm caught up now, though. So don't worry.

New York Giants

Chad Jones had hoped to be on the field with Giants players at this weekend's rookie minicamp, but he still hasn't been cleared to do so. Jones' comeback from his car accident remains an admirable story for which everyone's rooting, but this is a reminder that the road back isn't easy and remains long.

As the rookie signings continue to roll in, the Giants have locked up tight end Adrien Robinson, their fourth-round pick. Ohm's rookie preview touched on Robinson recently. He's a high-upside project the Giants hope can achieve his considerable athletic potential under the tutelage of their tight ends coach, Mike Pope.

Philadelphia Eagles

Jeremy Maclin turns 24 years old Friday, and a year ago he was dealing with worrisome medical issues that limited his offseason conditioning work. Maclin and the Eagles hope that this offseason goes more smoothly and that the result is the kind of exciting, productive and fully healthy season he was hoping to have in 2011.

Here's Greg Cosell of NFL Films writing about Eagles quarterback Michael Vick and the steps he needs to take as a quarterback if he and the Eagles are to accomplish their goals in 2012. It's similar to some of the stuff we've been discussing on here about Vick lately -- about how he needs to better devote himself to the quarterback position as a "highly disciplined craft."

Washington Redskins

The Redskins are looking for almost anyone who can play tight end. A couple of weeks back, we learned that second-year wide receiver Niles Paul was taking reps at tight end. Now, it seems linebacker Lorenzo Alexander has been doing some work there. Got to think the Alexander stuff is just in-case-of-emergency stuff, but none of this portends wonderful things for Chris Cooley, whose position on the team was already wobbly to begin with due to his salary and recent history of injuries.

What else, what else ... Oh, John Beck found work. The Houston Texans signed him. Yeah, I know, but it's a slow day and I know Redskins fans have a soft spot in their heart for Beck and the promise he showed in ... which preseason game was that again last year? Jeez, that seems like a while ago.

Have the Dallas Cowboys really fixed their defense?

I'll give them cornerback. With the free-agent signing of Brandon Carr and the surprising trade up in the first round of the draft to pick Morris Claiborne, the Cowboys have worked hard to make sure that this year's starting cornerbacks will be much more difficult for Giants fullbacks to jump over. Assuming Claiborne is the instant-impact guy he was drafted to be, he, Carr, Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick make one of Dallas' weakest 2011 units a 2012 strength.

But questions remain at other places on a defense whose total system failure was the sole reason the Cowboys lost four of their last five games and the division title. Is Brodney Pool an upgrade over Abram Elam at safety? Can they get reliable production from that other inside linebacker spot from the combination of Dan Connor and Bruce Carter? Will Anthony Spencer be a more effective pass-rusher? Do they have a plan for limiting the wear and tear on nose tackle Jay Ratliff, to help him maintain a high level of performance throughout the second half of the season?

The Cowboys' active and productive offseason has done nothing to directly address the pass rush. There is a theory that the improvements at cornerback will help the pass rush, since better coverage of receivers could give the men up front more time to get to the passer. And that may well be true. But any and all improvements the Cowboys have made on defense remain theoretical until we see that defense on the field. Last year, the party line in Dallas was that the defensive personnel were good and had underachieved and would improve in the first year under new coordinator Rob Ryan. That turned out not to be the case, and now some of the personnel have been changed. But it remains up to Ryan to put it together as a cohesive unit more capable of stopping opponents than the 2011 version was. Right now, we're taking the Cowboys' word that the new faces are dramatic enough upgrades to pull that off. But aside from the money spent on Carr and the high draft position of Claiborne, there's little outside evidence to support it. More could have been done to improve at safety, outside linebacker and defensive line, and it was not. Although Ryan may be able to make it all work, it's hard to feel too certain about it on May 3.

We had our regular weekly chat Tuesday, and it was awesome as always. But I'm kind of done selling the chat after almost a full year of doing it. If you don't come chat with us on Tuesdays, I'm not sure what hope there still is for you. Here are some highlights of what you missed this week.

Damien from Philadelphia asked which of the NFC East first-round picks I believe will have the most 2012 impact.

Dan Graziano: Morris Claiborne, because I think the learning curve is less steep for a cornerback at this level than it is for a quarterback.

Well, this really upset Jack from Raleigh, who called it "a ridiculous answer," said something along the lines of "learning curve, shmurning curve" and insisted that it's completely impossible for a cornerback to affect a football game to the same extent that a quarterback (presumably he's suggesting Robert Griffin III) does.

DG: Ok then.

But Jack from Raleigh wasn't done. He came back with this bit of furious grammatical genius: "Who impacts a game more Revis or Brady, Brees, Mannings, Big Ben, etc..... its just ridiculous, the Eagles had the best collection of corners in the league and because Vick got hurt there season was a whiff....if you want to say RGIII is overrated fine, but don't tell me a corner can have a bigger impact than a QB...so is that what your saying? that RGIII is going to bust?"

DG: Holy hell, Jack. Calm down. The question was, "Which first-round pick do you think has the biggest impact next year?" I think, given how much harder it is to learn QB at the NFL level than it is to learn CB, Claiborne is the right answer. That's no insult to Griffin, who I believe will be great as I have written many times. But to think Griffin won't struggle this year, or that they won't lean on the run to help him out, is kind of silly.

Honey Badger from DC later asked what was up with Jack from Raleigh.

DG: He seems very upset. I felt like giving him a Snickers bar. Jack from Raleigh, you're not you when you're hungry.

Anyway, I think Claiborne's going to be great. And I think Griffin probably will too, but that it'll take longer. And we did talk about other things Tuesday. On the rookie-impact topic, Kyle from Lock Haven, PA asked whether the Giants' Rueben Randle could be the best rookie receiver in the league this year with the help of the Giants' outstanding quarterback.

DG: Don't underestimate the impact Eli Manning has on Randle's chances to develop quickly. He's certainly a better quarterback than that of any WR who was drafted ahead of Randle. Only one who has a case, for me, is Ryan Broyles' QB in Detroit.

Garrett from Wilmington asked how much longer the Eagles will stick with Michael Vick at quarterback, given the way in which his annual injury issues limit how far his rare talent can taken them.

DG: This is the proverbial make-or-break year for Vick in Philly. They can get out of his contract after this year with very little pain, I believe. If it all bottoms out, I imagine they'll look elsewhere.

Scott from VB, VA noted that Mel Kiper says he'd have given the Washington Redskins an "A" for their draft if they'd picked Zebrie Sanders in the third round instead of Josh LeRibeus and wondered what I thought about that.

DG: I'm sure the case can be made for Sanders as a better offensive lineman than Josh LeRibeus. But it's important to remember that the Redskins lean hard on a zone-blocking run game and draft and sign linemen they believe are well suited to that scheme. They likely see something in LeRibeus that they believe fits the unique kind of blocking schemes they like to run, so it's not as simple as saying, "This guy was rated better, so he'd have been a better pick there."

And finally, Z from P, SD (feel like I'm watching Sesame Street there) wonders whether we're safe to assume the Cowboys' Claiborne pick automatically means Mike Jenkins can't be a starting cornerback anymore, since Jason Garrett is always preaching the value of competition at every spot.

DG: Sure, but moving up to pick Claiborne certainly indicates that Jenkins isn't beginning the competition from an especially strong position in the minds of the coaching staff.

So yeah. Fun chat, as always. If you weren't there, drop by next week.

A new week dawns. The NFL draft is behind us. And while the Cowboys fans have risen up against me in defense of the draft acumen of a man who charges them $75 to park at home games, I think we can all agree to move on to more worthwhile, forward-thinking pursuits. To do so, we will unquestionably require links.

Dallas Cowboys

Calvin's notebook indicates that the Cowboys would still move cornerback Mike Jenkins in the right deal, but that they haven't been able to drum up much interest. I wouldn't trade Jenkins just to trade him -- even with Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne on the roster now. Depth is important at that spot, and Jenkins played well last year when healthy. That last part is, of course, the concern, and for that reason, Calvin also writes, the Cowboys would like to have Jenkins around more than he's been.

Jason Garrett says that fifth-round pick Danny Coale is "in the mix" at the No. 3 receiver spot, though I think that says more about the other candidates than it says about Danny. I don't believe that Coale's presence will deter the Cowboys from continue to hunt for a nice bargain candidate or two from among the remaining veteran wide receivers on the market. Coale likely will need some adjustment time to the NFL, and his size could make that adjustment difficult. Real good college player with a chance to make it as a pro, but don't be sold on him as the Laurent Robinson replacement just yet.

New York Giants

Well, Osi Umenyiora's mad. Says Jerry Reese going out and telling everyone that he's offered him a contract extension without providing the details of those offers has had the effect of making Osi look like "a greedy pig." And he's got a point. Umenyiora says he was offered half of what Mathias Kiwanuka just got, and the tone of this e-mail he sent to some beat writers indicates that his claims last weekend about how happy he was for Kiwanuka might have been somewhat disingenuous. You know where I am on this. I think they missed a good chance to trade Umenyiora while his value was high. When phrases like "greedy pig" start getting tossed around, you're generally not near a solution.

Six of the Giants' 10 undrafted free agents play offense, according to this list. I think it's worth paying attention to the offensive linemen on the list especially, given the Giants' need to build depth and a future there. But seeing a UMass wide receiver among the Giants' undrafteds has to give Giants fans -- not to mention Victor Cruz -- a smile.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles needed to shore up their run defense, yes. But at the top of the draft, the defensive players they selected were picked mainly for their ability to help keep the pass defense strong, as Paul Domowitch writes, because that's the most important thing you can do on defense in today's NFL.

This report says that undrafted free-agent running back Chris Polk chose the Eagles over the Redskins. Indeed, Polk's college tape (not to mention his college numbers) indicate that he could be a steal, and the Eagles have two intriguing high-upside running back prospects in him and seventh-round pick Bryce Brown. Sure, it's possible neither will ever see the field. But worth taking a shot on both, given the price.

Washington Redskins

After their first pick, the Redskins focused their draft on depth, which has been Mike Shanahan's buzz word for this offseason since before it began.

Among those surprised that the Redskins drafted quarterback Kirk Cousins in the fourth round after taking Robert Griffin III in the first was Cousins himself. This is an example of the depth thing again -- specifically the Redskins' effort to get better and deeper at a position at which they were season-sinkingly awful last year. Cousins is saying all of the right things, and at this point a Griffin injury is the only way Cousins is going to see the field.

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


The only NFC East team that didn't trade up in the first round is the one that just won the Super Bowl. That gives you a sense of how hungry the division's other three teams are to catch the New York Giants and take their shot at the Lombardi Trophy they were holding up in Indianapolis a few months ago.

The Washington Redskins made their trade-up a month early, dealing away three first-round picks and this year's second-rounder in order to secure the man they believe will be their franchise quarterback. The Dallas Cowboys made theirs Thursday night, when they decided it was worth spending their first- and second-round picks this year to secure the best defensive player in the draft. And the Eagles made theirs a short time later, when the defensive tackle they wanted, Fletcher Cox, fell further than they expected him to fall and the price to move up and get him became reasonable.

But after the top half of the first round, the NFC East teams' drafts went very different ways. The Cowboys, in need of 2012 help at various places on the roster, oddly began picking project players and unknown safeties. The Redskins made some head-scratchers in the middle rounds before getting workmanlike about their offensive line late. And the Eagles had one of those drafts where everything seemed to be falling their way. Time will tell, of course, and there's no way right now to know how any of these players will perform. But here are some thoughts on how it looks in the very early post-draft light.

BEST MOVE

Washington's trade to get quarterback Robert Griffin III and Dallas' trade to get Morris Claiborne were the headline-grabbers, and I believe that each team will be happy with its first-round pick. But the four high picks the Redskins gave up and the two high picks the Cowboys gave up keep me from labeling either of these the division's "best move" from this year's draft. Washington doesn't have another first-rounder until 2015. And Dallas, which needed help at multiple positions, spent its first two picks on a position they'd already addressed at great cost in free agency. Not enough value in either deal for it to be called a shrewd move.

So I'm giving this to the Eagles' deal to move up and get Cox. Philadelphia arrived at the draft Thursday convinced Cox was the player they wanted, and they believed they might have to move up to No. 6 or 7 to get him. To do that, they likely would have had to surrender at least one of their second-round picks, and they didn't want to pay either of those or their third. Once Cox fell to No. 12, the Eagles were able to move up by surrendering their first-rounder, a fourth-rounder and a seventh-rounder, securing the player they felt was their top target without giving up the picks they wanted to preserve. So while, yes, of course, I consider Griffin and Claiborne better players, I think the Eagles made the best first-round move of any NFC East team -- getting a player who can make a difference for them in the short-term as well as the long-term without handicapping themselves for the draft's second night.

On Friday, the Eagles converted their two second-round picks into a speedy outside linebacker (Mychal Kendricks) and a pass-rushing defensive end (Vinny Curry) and took the quarterback prospect they wanted (Nick Foles) in the third round. That Day 2 haul, compared with what the Cowboys and Redskins were able to get with their Day 2 picks, is what made the Eagles' trade-up the best overall move of the draft in the NFC East.

RISKIEST MOVE

This is a close contest between the two moves that lost out in the first category. It'd be easy to say Griffin, because he cost so much more. But I'm giving this to the Cowboys' trade-up to get Claiborne. It's a tough call, because I think Claiborne may be the best player any NFC East team got in this draft (barely, if at all, ahead of Griffin) and he cost less than Griffin did. But I'm basing this call on the circumstances specific to each team.

The Redskins are taking a big risk, sure, by picking a kid to be their franchise quarterback and telling him they don't have a first-round pick in either of the next two years with which to build around him. But the Redskins had no choice. Their need for Griffin was overwhelming, and they were right to let it overwhelm their priority list for this draft and the next two. Washington hasn't had a franchise quarterback in 20 years, and once they were convinced Griffin could be one, this was a risk worth taking for them.

I do not think, however, that Dallas' need for Claiborne was nearly as great as Washington's need for Griffin. Yes, the Cowboys' secondary was the obvious weak spot of their team last year -- the main reason they fell one game short of the Giants in the division race. But they'd already spent their big free-agent bucks on Brandon Carr and had Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick at cornerback. Does Claiborne have a good chance to be better than any of them? Yes. Could that happen as early as this year? You betcha. But with needs at safety, linebacker, defensive line and offensive line, the Cowboys should have conserved their picks to address multiple needs. They weren't one great cornerback away from being a championship team in 2012, and by trading their top two picks for Claiborne, and then picking project players and reaches the rest of the way, they decided to operate as though that were the case. It's a big risk, and if lingering weaknesses at those other spots do them in this season, they could regret it.

MOST SURPRISING MOVE

Without a doubt, it was the Redskins' selection of Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins with the seventh pick of the fourth round Saturday. It was Washington's third pick of the draft and the second that had been used on a quarterback. Their reasoning is that quarterback is a vitally important position at which it's impossible to be too deep, and as long as they make it clear to the players involved and to their fan base that Griffin is the starter and Cousins is the backup, it can work. They can develop Cousins in the backup role, have a player they like in reserve in case Griffin gets hurt and perhaps eventually trade him for something of great value in a league in which quarterbacks are the most prized commodities.

FILE IT AWAY

Nobody in this division does the draft better than the Giants, and it'll be worth remembering that the wide receiver (LSU's Rueben Randle) they picked at the end of the second round was a player they considered taking at the end of the first. Randle is a dynamic talent who now gets a chance to develop behind brilliant and selfless starting wideouts Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz and with the help of quarterback Eli Manning, who has an outstanding record of getting the best out of his receiving targets. Randle could not have been drafted into a better spot for his own development, and he could potentially be an immediate asset for the Giants in the passing game, because he can play the outside spot vacated by free-agent defector Mario Manningham and allow Cruz to stay in the slot position from which he exploded onto the scene in 2011. The Giants managed to combine need picks and value picks at almost every turn in this draft, and their second-rounder may turn out to be their biggest prize.

One of the reasons I love Twitter, as part of my job, is that I believe this blog needs to be a constantly ongoing, evolving discussion about these four teams, and Twitter is a useful extension of that. Case in point: Thursday night, the Dallas Cowboys make their trade up in the draft to pick Morris Claiborne. I write a quickie reaction post saying I don't like the trade (the trade, not the player, mind you), and my Cowboys fans on Twitter are very upset about it. Hey, I get it. I rained on your parade. You're sitting there with the best defensive player in the draft and I'm telling you they made a mistake. I understand the reactions. Completely.

But overnight, and this morning, my conversations with you all on Twitter have helped me crystallize my thoughts on this matter. And rather than continue to try and explain them in 140-character snippets, I figured I'd do a blog post explaining my reasoning in a more in-depth fashion than was permitted by an instant-analysis post filed from the frantic floor of Radio City Music Hall. So here goes.

First of all, I love the player. None of my criticism of this move should be construed by anyone as criticism of Claiborne himself. I believed the Cowboys needed to draft the best defensive player available to them, and they drafted the best defensive player available to anyone. It is my opinion that Claiborne will be an excellent player for Dallas. I think he'll be the best corner on the team by Halloween, and if not for the wrist injury that's going to cost him the OTA portion of the offseason I think he could have been that even sooner.

The problem, of course, is that I don't know how good he'll be, and neither do the Cowboys and neither does anyone else. High draft picks bust all the time, and sometimes they're guys who looked as though they couldn't miss. That's why, in most cases, it's important for teams to be careful with their picks -- to try and get as many good-looking prospects as possible, especially in the early rounds, as a hedge against the possibility that one or a couple of them don't pan out. Sure, there are teams that find themselves in position to make bold moves to jump and go all-in for one player. But I don't think this year's Cowboys are such a team, and that's why I wouldn't have done what they did if I'd been in their position -- no matter how much I liked Claiborne.

One of the results of the move, as many of you have pointed out, is that the Cowboys -- who were utterly dreadful in the secondary last year -- now have one of the deepest and most talented cornerback groups in the league. With Claiborne joining free-agent addition Brandon Carr and holdovers Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick, they have succeeded in turning a killer weakness into a strength. All of that is true, and given the manner in which secondary play sunk their 2011 season, I can understand the temptation to go over the top to fix it.

But there are other results of this move that are more detrimental to the Cowboys' offseason plans than Claiborne himself is beneficial. They still need help for the pass rush and the defensive line, and they could still use an upgrade at safety. Making this trade means they'll get to the end of the second round without having addressed any of those areas. Jason Garrett said just the other day that he believes you get your starting-quality players in the first three rounds. This deal means they've decided to use this draft to get only two of those instead of three. Given their many areas of need, in the short and long terms, I consider this unwise.

Also, there's a report out this morning that they're now trying to trade Jenkins. They're not going to get anything decent for Jenkins now. He's coming off shoulder surgery, couldn't stay on the field last year and, after they spent two picks on a cornerback Thursday night, everybody in the league knows Jenkins is an extraneous piece for them. They won't get good value for him. If they'd wanted to replace him, they should have traded him last week and then moved up to take Claiborne. This is a team that has totally changed its plan on the fly in the past 24 hours, and that's not a good way to do offseason NFL business.

One comparison many of you have used in arguments against me is the Redskins, who clearly gave up much more to move up four spots and draft Robert Griffin III than the Cowboys did to move up eight spots and draft Claiborne. The Redskins, you say, have even more needs, and therefore even more reason to play carefully with their picks. And that is also true. But every team's situation is different, and the Redskins' crying need to do something big at quarterback drove their decision. The Redskins absolutely had to make the trade they made to get Griffin. And as good a player as Claiborne is, and as bad as Dallas was in the secondary last year, they did not absolutely have to make a big move to go up and get him. Not in the same way the Redskins needed to address quarterback. Not even close.

Will any of this matter? Who knows? You can't judge a draft in the first 24 hours or even the first 24 months. If Claiborne is the next Deion Sanders, nobody will care that the Cowboys didn't make as many 2012 picks as they should have made. And you'll remember me (if you remember me at all) as the clown who ripped the pick when they made it. All I can do is sit here right now and read the situation as I see it. The way I see it, the Cowboys had no business using their first two picks on just one player who plays a position they already addressed -- in a major, costly way -- in free agency. That's not a great use of resources. And as much fun as it is to pick out the player you like most in the draft and go get him, it's usually smarter to view these draft choices as resources. The Cowboys don't have as many of them now as they would have had if they'd stayed put, selected one of the very good defensive players still available at 14 and held onto a potentially useful second-round pick. In my opinion, they don't have as many of them as they still need.

NEW YORK -- My feelings are a little hurt. Either Jerry Jones doesn't read my blog or he just doesn't think I know what I'm talking about. I know for a fact I wrote, right here a few hours ago, that the Dallas Cowboys needed to stay boring tonight, keep all their picks and draft as many good players as possible because of all their depth issues on defense. But they didn't listen. The Cowboys traded their first-round pick and their second-round pick to the St. Louis Rams to move up eight spots and select LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne with the No. 6 pick in the draft.

In terms of the pick itself, I like it for Dallas. Yes, the Cowboys spent big on free-agent cornerback Brandon Carr, and they already have Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick at the position. But they were stone-cold horrible in the secondary last season. Jenkins is chronically hurt, and his contract is up at the end of the 2012 season. Claiborne is viewed as one of the elite players in this draft, and he will be an asset immediately and down the road.

My issue is with the price. Dallas was not in a position to spend its first two picks on one player, no matter how good that player is. The Cowboys cannot address the pass rush, the offensive line or the No. 3 wide receiver spot until the third round at the earliest. The Cowboys made themselves better at cornerback, which is fine, but they failed to improve in a couple of other areas in which they need help. They could have stayed at 14 and selected a very good player who would have helped them this year, and obtained another such player in the second round. Now, they have fewer high picks with which to address needs. I wouldn't have done it.

Another week over, another Saturday upon us, another trip into the mailbag to see what's on your mind.

Miguel from San Diego wants to know why everyone assumes the New York Giants would move David Diehl to right tackle to replace Kareem McKenzie rather than move Will Beatty there and keep Diehl on the left side: "I feel like, when Diehl stepped in, he did a better job than Beatty and he's now been protecting Eli Manning's blind side for the past two seasons.[Manning] 's got to feel comfortable with Diehl on the left."

Dan Graziano: Interesting point, Miguel, and it's certainly one possible solution if the Giants don't find a starting-caliber tackle in the draft later this month. But while it's true the Giants' line played better as a unit after the Beatty injury when Diehl moved from guard to tackle, I didn't see much to indicate that Diehl's individual performance at left tackle graded out better than Beatty's had. Diehl played fine, don't get me wrong, but I think a lot of their success had to do with how well Kevin Boothe played at left guard and the way the group came together as a whole. Regardless, the reason they'd likely move Diehl to the right side rather than Beatty is if they still believe Beatty can be their long-term solution at left tackle. Diehl turns 32 in September and isn't the long-term solution anywhere. I personally didn't see much from Beatty to indicate he's a long-term left tackle fix, but it's possible (and reasonable) the Giants might want to see more before making that judgment. Finally, Diehl has always been willing to move around to different positions on the line when needed, and he might respond better to such a move than Beatty, who could view it as a demotion.

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Hamad from Kansas City asks whether it would make sense for the Dallas Cowboys to extend the contract of cornerback Mike Jenkins if he plays LIGHTS OUT this year. (The caps are Hamad's, not mine.)

DG: Yeah, I think Jenkins will be their best cornerback this year if he can stay fully healthy. He played very well in 2011 when he wasn't being affected by his various injuries, and if he can get through 2012 without getting hurt, he'd be a strong candidate for an extension, even with Brandon Carr and Orlando Scandrick already signed long-term. I don't think they have much committed to Scandrick beyond this season.

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Patrick from Elkins, WV wants to know what the Washington Redskins are planning to do about the offensive line. He's concerned about the safety of Washington's rookie quarterback-to-be.

DG: They tried early in free agency on guys like Ben Grubbs and Demetress Bell, but those guys signed elsewhere (and the second one changed his name so other interested teams couldn't find him). Now, it seems as though their free-agency efforts are focused on re-signing guys like London Fletcher and Tim Hightower and continuing to find help for the secondary. This leads me to believe they're planning to look for offensive linemen with their third-round and fourth-round draft picks and hope for quick recoveries and sustained health from Kory Lichtensteiger and Jammal Brown. They really liked the way last year's line was playing before the injuries to Brown, Lichtensteiger and Trent Williams hit around Week 6, and if all of those guys are fully healthy, they could go with the same five. That's a big "if," though, and so I believe they'll work hard on offensive line in the draft and maybe find a late flier on the free-agent market who can help. The Philadelphia Eagles picked up Evan Mathis late last year, and he became a big part of the success their line had. So it's possible.

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P. Quinn of Absaraka, ND wants to know how much of a dropoff Demetress Bell will be from Jason Peters as the Eagles' left tackle.

DG: The first part of the answer is that almost any tackle in the league would be a significant dropoff from Peters, who was the very best there was last year. Peters can take out a defensive end in a second and then get to the second level and attack linebackers to clear room for the running back or help an intermediate receiver get or stay open. He's a perfect fit with Michael Vick, too, since Vick likes to keep plays alive much longer than most quarterbacks do. Bell played in Buffalo, where quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick gets rid of the ball as quickly as any quarterback in the league. So it's hard to know how he'll do with Vick playing behind him and running around all day to keep plays alive forever. He's athletic enough to handle it, but he'll have to get used to it, and that's something we'll have to watch in the offseason and in training camp. He won't be as good as Peters, because very few are. But he's got the ability to be a solid replacement, assuming he can get up to speed quickly on the differences between the way the Eagles play and block versus the way those things are done in Buffalo.

Three weeks until the draft. Given the current state of fan agitation, I estimate our chances of surviving that long at around 21 percent. But they go up if we make sure and get our links.

Dallas Cowboys

In this clip from NFL 32, Cowboys tight end Jason Witten asks our NFL analysts who the Cowboys should take with the No. 14 pick in the draft. Todd McShay says that, if Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox is still on the board, he's the guy they should take. On a related note, Calvin writes that Cox is headed to Valley Ranch for a pre-draft visit.

The Cowboys' official site takes a look at cornerback Mike Jenkins, who was one of the bright spots on the Cowboys' 2011 defense when various injuries weren't limiting his playing time or production. A healthy Jenkins would be an asset in 2012, and if he gets through the season fully healthy, he might be able to that new contract he's looking for.

New York Giants

Speaking of Witten, he has good things to say about former teammate Martellus Bennett and Bennett's chances for success with the Giants.

Travis Beckum, one of two Giants tight ends to tear an ACL in the Super Bowl, said on Twitter on Wednesday that he got great news from his doctors and that there's a "very good chance" he could be ready by the start of the season. If that turns out to be true, it lessens the Giants' need to look for a tight end in the draft.

Philadelphia Eagles

Sheil Kapadia looks at the number of different players on the Eagles' roster who will be affected by the performance of Demetress "Don't Call Me Demetrius" Bell, who's the new left tackle after signing Wednesday to replace the injured Jason Peters. The numbers on how often and how successfully the Eagles ran to the left side in 2011 are eye-opening.

Nnamdi Asomugha, a California guy at heart, has been bicoastal this offseason, showing up in Philadelphia to work out with teammates in preparation for what he and the Eagles hope is a much better second season than his first.

Washington Redskins

Mike Shanahan told the Washington Post that he'd rather "take the high road" than respond to the sour-grape foolishness Donovan McNabb was spouting on First Take last week.

Mark Maske looks at the complicated questions at the heart of the Redskins' and Cowboys' grievance against the NFL and the NFLPA over the salary cap sanctions that were imposed just before free agency.