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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.

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.

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.

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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.

I never imagined things would be this slow in the NFC East on the seventh day of free agency. But facts is facts, and since last week ended the facts are that not much has happened. I realized this morning that I didn't even do a "How was your day?" last night because everybody's day was so doggone dull.

But things are never dull in the chat, and we had a fun one Tuesday. Some highlights:

Sean Peters (DC): Hey Dan, what are your thoughts on what the possible departure of London Fletcher could mean for a young Redskins defense?

Dan Graziano: I think it would be a mistake for them to let him go. I know they're getting younger and he's 37 and so that doesn't obviously mesh. But he's a special case. He's like having another coach on the staff -- and one who's actually on the field with the guys during games. I know they love having their young linebackers around him, they love the leadership he brings on the field and in the locker room and that they want to have him back. I still think they'll keep him. As to why they haven't yet, I can't help you.

CP (Brooklyn): Dan, do you think Martellus Bennett will thrive in the Giants' system?

DG: For all the justified abuse Bennett took in Dallas as a disappointment, he was a very good blocking TE. I think he could be a nice pickup for the Giants if he can become a reliable pass-catcher. They don't need him to catch 60-70 balls, but if he can contribute something around 40 and block the way he did in Dallas, I bet they'll be happy.

Peyton (Minnesota): I find it hard to believe that the Cowboys would draft a corner in the first round and he would play the 4th spot with Orlando Scandrick, Mike Jenkins and Brandon Carr already taking the first 3 spots.

DG: I guess, but Jenkins is always hurt and Scandrick's really just a nickel corner. You can't be too deep at that position. The Giants took a CB in the first round last year even though they didn't appear to need one. It's not a terrible idea, if you really like the player.

Alex (Austin): You always repeatedly say you aren't a fan of any NFL teams, but the best in your business (Simmons, Wilbon) openly admit to being homers and it makes their writing more personable and entertaining. Why don't you just embrace a bias towards your favorite team?

DG: Well, I can't make it up. Those guys have favorite teams. I don't. You want me to lie?

Danatio (Philly): Mr Pineapple, Have you heard anything about the Eagles talking to any linebackers? I know there was the Gerald McCoy twitter rumor of Curtis Lofton to Philly, but has anything happened there? Are they thinking their current group will just improve this offseason?

DG: No, I think they'll add. And this might help answer the Fletcher question, too, but the LB market has developed very slowly. Very few linebackers have signed at all, and the ones at the top of the market have yet to find homes. It's not a position teams really prioritize, and the Eagles are smartly waiting to see what develops rather than jumping the market and overpaying.

We do it every Tuesday at noon ET, folks, and all are welcome.

It's Friday. They're links. Click 'em.

Dallas Cowboys

Todd Archer explains the reasoning behind the aggressive yet specific approach the Cowboys have so far taken to free agency.

Dallas could save nearly $6 million more against this year's cap by doing a long-term deal with franchise player Anthony Spencer. But Stephen Jones says they're in no rush to do that. The Cowboys cleared nearly $16 million in cap room earlier this week by cutting Terence Newman and David Buehler and restructuring the contracts of Doug Free and Orlando Scandrick.

New York Giants

It's been more than two years since Marvin Austin appeared in a football game, and as Ohm Youngmisuk found out, he's working on what may turn out to be a career in the music business. The former North Carolina defensive lineman, who was the Giants' second-round pick in 2011, remains eager to get back on the field this fall after an injury wiped out his rookie season.

Mario Manningham's free-agent tour stopped in San Francisco on Thursday, but he didn't sign with the 49ers. He's off to St. Louis next and may still be on Miami's radar. Those wondering if he's still got a chance to return to the Giants are likely to be disappointed. This much outside interest means his price tag will soar well beyond what they want to pay their No. 3 wide receiver.

Philadelphia Eagles

DeSean Jackson is relieved and excited to have his long-term deal with the Eagles at long last. He says he believes he will win a Super Bowl with the Eagles, and that he never once worried he wouldn't be able to stay in Philadelphia. Jackson's deal is very team-favorable, as he's likely to realize at some point during it. But his satisfaction now shows, I think, that all he wanted was a little show of faith and respect. It didn't take as much to make him happy as most of us imagined it would.

Eagles free-agent guard Evan Mathis stayed the night in Baltimore, where the Ravens are trying to sign him. The Eagles have made it clear they want him back, but it's entirely possible they get outbid.

Washington Redskins

Newly signed Redskins safety Brandon Meriweather says he's looking forward to working with new Redskins defensive backs coach Raheem Morris. And asked how he'd describe his game, Meriweather answered, "Soon to be showcased live," which is not much of a description but keeps making me laugh for some reason. It's conceivable that I haven't had a sufficient amount of sleep.

The NFL's decision to strip the Redskins of $36 million in cap room for failing to adhere to a 2010 salary cap that only existed in the league's collective mind has had a bizarre effect in Washington. It's prompting people to take Redskins owner Dan Snyder's side.

You've waited, speculated, hoped and fretted for months, and today it finally arrived -- the start of NFL free agency. It was a busy and hectic day, as it often is, and it's liable to continue into the wee hours of the morning. But for now, as we creep toward midnight, it seems like a good time to stop and ask each of our division's four teams our favorite free-agency question.

So, how was your day? ...

Washington Redskins?

"Exciting." The Redskins were extremely busy right away, agreeing to deals with wide receivers Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan and working on another for wide receiver Eddie Royal. The fact that they moved so quickly led to industry-wide cries of "Same old Redskins -- champions of March," because there's no more powerful force in the NFL than conventional wisdom. But an actual close look at what they're doing reveals the kind of smart, long-view plan that Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen began working to execute last offseason.

The old, reckless-spending Redskins would not have been outbid for 29-year-old Vincent Jackson, who got $55.5 million ($26 million guaranteed) from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The receivers the Redskins signed will be 26 and 27 years old at the start of the season. And while five years, $42.5 million ($20.5 million guaranteed) is obviously too much for Garcon, who has never been a No. 1 wide receiver, it's what it cost to get him. Shanahan has identified him as a guy who can explode, based on where he is in his career, the way he'll fit in Shanahan's offense and the potential for him to grow along with Robert Griffin III. If Shanahan's wrong, the contract could haunt him. But he's not just throwing money around. Garcon is a guy Shanahan targeted for good, specific reasons. There is a plan here, and it's likely to continue as they work to fill holes on the offensive line and in the secondary in the coming days and weeks.

The Redskins also re-signed Adam Carriker on Tuesday to maintain depth on the defensive line. What Redskins fans would like to see next is a re-signing of linebacker London Fletcher. I believe the Redskins would like that too, but the longer it goes without getting done, the greater the chance the Redskins will lose one of their most valuable defensive players. What's clear is that, in spite of being docked $36 million against the cap for violating some sort of amorphous fake spending limit during the uncapped 2010 season, the Redskins still have plenty of room to work under the cap.

Dallas Cowboys?

"Better than Monday." A day after learning that they'd be docked $10 million against the salary cap over the next two years for the same kinds of bogus violations that nailed the Redskins, the Cowboys set about executing their own plan. They cut Terence Newman and David Buehler and restructured the contracts of Doug Free and Orlando Scandrick -- a combination of moves that bought them about $15.8 million in extra cap room this year. Then, according to Adam Schefter, they brought in free-agent cornerback Brandon Carr, who at this writing seemed likely to sign with Dallas as Newman's replacement as early as Tuesday night. With Cortland Finnegan having signed for five years and $50 million in St. Louis, and Carlos Rogers having re-signed for four years and about $30 million in San Francisco, the market seemed set for Carr, and the Cowboys seemed determined not to let him leave Dallas without a deal.

Schefter also reported that the Cowboys were looking at Kyle Orton, who'd be an excellent veteran backup option for Tony Romo at quarterback. And ESPNDallas.com writes that the Cowboys plan to bring in former Panthers linebacker Dan Connor and former Bears tight end Kellen Davis for visits as well. Connor makes sense because they'll need depth at linebacker and may need more time for Bruce Carter to develop behind a veteran. Davis makes sense as a possible replacement for Martellus Bennett, who's in New York to visit the Giants. So if they get Carr done, they'll have addressed their most glaring need on the first day and are already at work on filling some other important needs. They still need to find offensive line help, and it looks as though they could lose wide receiver Laurent Robinson to the Jaguars or Dolphins, but cornerback was the place for them to start.

New York Giants?

"Productive." The champs began the day by re-signing cornerback Terrell Thomas, which was a priority of theirs, and buying themselves some cap room with the restructuring of the contract of center David Baas. Then they flew Bennett in for a visit, since they need a tight end to replace the two they lost to serious knee injuries in the Super Bowl. Cowboys fans are chuckling at the idea that another team would want Bennett, who earned a reputation as a pass-dropping underachiever during his time in Dallas. But the Giants see a guy who's 6-foot-6, 270 pounds, fast and still just 25 years old. They certainly trust their coaching staff and their quarterback to get the most out of any player, and if they can get him on a reasonable deal, it's certainly worth a shot that he still could transform his remarkable physical talent into reliable on-field production. And if he can't, Jake Ballard and Travis Beckum should be back healthy at the end of the season anyway. It's worth the Giants' time to check on Bennett.

The Giants target guys they like but are otherwise patient, so don't expect to hear much about them and Mario Manningham, Aaron Ross or Jonathan Goff anytime soon. They'll let those guys see what they can get on the market, and if they come back disappointed and willing to sign for the Giants' numbers, they could return. If not, the Giants feel confident they can find replacements.

Philadelphia Eagles?

Wait. That was today? Yeah, the Eagles had a quiet day. They extended Todd Herremans' contract and, as Sal Paolantonio reported, were working on an extension for Trent Cole as well. Part of the reason for the quiet is that the Eagles did a lot of work in free agency last year and expect those players to play better in 2012. Part of the reason is that the position at which they need the most help is linebacker, and the linebacker market hasn't really started humming yet. I still think Fletcher makes sense for them on a number of levels, and I wonder if he's a guy they're quietly targeting to steal away from Washington. We'll see. They won't go as nuts as they did last year, but the Eagles won't stay silent for long.

We've known for months that, when the time came, the ax wouldn't hurdle Terence Newman, and it didn't. The Dallas Cowboys have released the beleaguered cornerback who became the symbol of their second-half defensive problems, according to Todd Archer and Calvin Watkins.

The move saves the Cowboys either $4 million or $6 million against the salary cap, depending on the official timing of it and whether the NFL's 31 other owners decide two years from now that they didn't agree with it. (Yeah, I made that last part up.) The Cowboys also cut kicker David Buehler (which they announced, unlike the Newman move, and remains a secret for some reason) and, according to Todd and Calvin, restructured the contracts of cornerback Orlando Scandrick and tackle Doug Free. The Scandrick restructure converts $5.9 million of his $7.1 million base salary into bonus money. Similar deal with Free, as they convert $4.8 million of his $6 million base salary into bonus money.

All of the moves are designed for the salary cap, which the Cowboys need after the league docked them $10 million worth of cap room over the next two years for violating a handshake agreement the teams made to not spend too much during a supposedly uncapped season in 2010. Todd and Calvin calculate that Tuesday's moves cleared $15.82 million in 2012 cap room. Dallas is expected to be aggressive in free agency in spite of the sanctions, and it needs help at cornerback, safety and on the offensive line. Expect it to be mentioned in pursuit of the top cornerbacks on the market, such as Brandon Carr and Cortland Finnegan, once free agency opens at 4 p.m. ET.

Newman played well at the start of this season upon his return from injury, but he slowed down severely as the season went along. He gained an unfortunate sort of national notoriety in the season finale that decided the division title, when two Giants fullbacks were able to hurdle him while he tried to tackle them. The Cowboys were looking to upgrade from Newman last summer and likely would have cut him had they succeeded in signing Nnamdi Asomugha. But they held onto Newman instead, and the defense suffered for it.

The Dallas Cowboys have a ton of offseason needs, many of which they plan to fill via free agency. But before they can go out and hunt for cornerbacks and safeties and guards and help for the pass rush, they need to know exactly how much salary cap room they have. Calvin Watkins writes that they're about $12.5 million under the projected cap right now, but that they can clear more room by restructuring the contracts of Dez Bryant and some other players:

It's written in wide receiver Dez Bryant's contract the Cowboys can move his $1.4 million roster bonus into signing bonus to create $957,000 of cap space. The Cowboys have done this in the past with several players.

Also, cornerback Orlando Scandrick, who is scheduled to make a base salary of $7.1 million can get that moved to signing bonus money to create cap space as well. Right tackle Doug Free is in the same situation. He's supposed to make $6 million in base salary in 2012 but that could get changed as well.

If the Cowboys move Free and Scandrick's money around, it will lower their salary cap figures and create $8.6 million in cap room.

As Calvin points out, they're also planning to cut cornerback Terence Newman, which could save them another $6 million or $4 million, depending on when they do it. Look for these kinds of moves to get made as the Cowboys position themselves to be very active in free agency when it begins Tuesday afternoon.

Feels like spring. The NFL draft must be right around the corner, no? Man, we'd better load up on links.

New York Giants

The Giants have told longtime right tackle Kareem McKenzie to seek work elsewhere, according to The Record. Not a surprise that they're cutting ties with McKenzie, but it does show that the Giants are conscious of the need to keep overhauling their offensive line before it all gets too old together.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin joins Giants quarterback Eli Manning in condemning the idea of bounties in the NFL. My reaction to this is: "Mike Krzyzewski has a radio show? And he administers it this time of year?" Also, I'm with Tom and Eli.

Philadelphia Eagles

Jeff McLane thinks the Eagles should kick the tires on Peyton Manning, in part because Michael Vick has apparently given him "plenty of evidence that he doesn't have what it takes to win a Super Bowl." A) That seems a little harsh; B) people used to say the same thing about Manning; and C) don't the Eagles have bigger problems to work on?

Dallas Cowboys

Calvin Watkins doesn't think, after talking to people in the know, that Cortland Finnegan would be a great fit for the Cowboys, since he's a similar cornerback to Orlando Scandrick and they need someone who can cover on the outside. A fair point, and valid. I just think they need as many quality bodies back there as they can find, and signing Finnegan doesn't preclude them from going out and finding their outside cover guy too.

It's conceivable that one reason Keith Brooking is making noise about wanting to come back to the Cowboys is that he's being sued for nearly $2 million by Wells Fargo for unpaid loans, though Brooking denies the accusations.

Washington Redskins

Mike Jones lays out the pitch the Redskins are planning to make in their effort to lure Peyton Manning to Washington. The Redskins are a long shot to get Manning, and of course are still hoping they can trade up to the No. 2 pick in the draft and take Robert Griffin III. But in case they can't make that move up in the draft, it looks as though they're going to make an effort on ol' No. 18, who'd be a pretty incredible fallback plan if he turns out to be healthy.

Mike Wise says the Redskins need Manning more than he needs them. Which is certainly true. Never hurts to ask, though.

Yeah, that's right. The ESPNDallas.com position series makes a stop today at cornerback, which is a position of extreme need for the Dallas Cowboys. As Tim MacMahon writes, Terence Newman is a sure thing to be cut, and the fact that the Cowboys gave Orlando Scandrick a contract extension during the 2011 season indicates that maybe they're thinking about making him the starter opposite Mike Jenkins. Tim doesn't think that'd be wise:

The Cowboys cannot make the mistake of just handing Scandrick a starting role just because he's paid at that level. He hasn't done anything to prove he's capable of being anything more than a nickelback. Acquiring a cornerback to pair with Jenkins should be one of the Cowboys’ top priorities.

Agreed on all points. In fact, given Jenkins' injury issues, it might not be a bad idea for the Cowboys to sign a free-agent corner and draft one in the first round, assuming they address the pass rush and the offensive line in free agency somehow. They've poked around on Stanford Routt, who's visited several teams but has yet to sign with one after being released by the Raiders this month for contract reasons. And they should be players in the markets for Brandon Carr, Brent Grimes and Cortland Finnegan.

It is simply imperative that the Cowboys find a Newman replacement over whom the Giants' fullbacks can't jump, and pieces that deepen the depth chart so that Scandrick can remain the nickel corner and an occasional injury fill-in for one of the starters. That's his role, and he needs to get better at it before he deserves to be a starter himself.