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Ashley Fox's latest column is on the NFC East, and if you're a fan of the division, you may want to pour yourself something stiff before you read it. We all know this hasn't been the greatest season for this division, and it could be the first non-strike season ever in which no NFC East team wins at least 10 games. But Ashley kind of unloads on the division's four coaches and says: "Although unlikely, it is not out of the realm of possibility that each will lose his job at season's end."

Now, I've kind of been under the impression that all four will be back next year. I think the hottest seat is that of the New York Giants' Tom Coughlin -- not because he hasn't done a good job but because historical circumstances -- i.e., his poor second-half record since becoming Giants coach and a third straight season without a playoff appearance -- could line up against him. But if the Giants win Sunday night in Dallas, they take control of the division race again, so it's premature to think Coughlin's team will even put him in position to lose his job. Ashley writes that Coughlin "has done the most with the least" this year, and I agree. I think this Giants team has either met or exceeded reasonable expectations.

I also think Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan is about as safe as any coach in the league, since he was signed two years ago to a five-year contract and is clearly working on a rebuilding project while owner Dan Snyder honors his pledge to leave him alone to work. Ashley hits Shanahan for his failure to so far find a quarterback, writing that "He has misjudged four quarterbacks now: Jason Campbell, Donovan McNabb, Rex Grossman and John Beck," and "The fact that Shanahan went into this season with Grossman and Beck, rather than trying to sign another quarterback, looked asinine in August. That he has shuttled between the two and the Redskins have lost six of their last seven games is no surprise."

I would say it's important to watch what Shanahan does at quarterback this coming offseason, and if he does something like bring back Grossman because he knows he can run "his system," then the criticism becomes warranted. But he didn't like what was available at quarterback last offseason and decided to focus on rebuilding the defense -- which he's done with some success. I believe Shanahan has one more year before his results in Washington can be fairly examined and judged.

The Dallas Cowboys' Jason Garrett is also, I believe, totally safe, since owner Jerry Jones loves him and wants him to become a great coach. But this was a bad week for Garrett, who's getting hammered everywhere for his mismanagement of the clock at the end of the fourth quarter of last Sunday's Arizona loss. Ashley believes Garrett's timeout gaffes happened because "Garrett didn't trust his team, and he didn't trust himself. His team lost the game in overtime and lost a chance at wrapping up a weak division title this weekend." But while that last part is clearly true, in the big picture Garrett has done a fine job with the Cowboys. Should he continue to bungle in-game situations over and over again, this becomes something about which to worry. But it's too soon to judge Garrett as a head coach, and his owner knows that.

Then there's the Philadelphia Eagles' Andy Reid, a great NFL coach who's done a horrible job with this year's team. Ashley hits him for his kooky coaching-staff shuffle, letting locker room leaders like Quintin Mikell depart via free agency and his mishandling of the DeSean Jackson contract mess. All of it's warranted. If Reid were judged on this year alone, he wouldn't stand a chance. The only thing that saves him is his prior record of consistently fielding division champs and playoff contenders. Eagles management seems to want to keep Reid, barring something totally humiliating happening over the final four games. But his benefit of the doubt is dwindling, especially with Eagles fans already unsatisfied with a string of playoff appearances that hasn't yielded a Super Bowl title.

The upshot of all of this, of course, is that this is a very down year in the NFC East, and it won't rank among the best years on any of these coaches' resumes. (Except Garrett's, since it's his first.) The scramble is on, apparently, between the Giants and Cowboys, to see which will be the division's lone playoff team and whether that team can make any noise in the playoffs come January.

The Friday links need no introduction.

Washington Redskins

The success of the Redskins' offensive line so far this year is a direct result of the fact that four of the five starters played together last year and aren't spending as much time learning each other anymore, Rich Campbell writes.

Rick Maese takes a look at the Redskins' defense at the bye, noting accurately that there are many more bright spots than areas of concern. His point about the defensive line depth, a preseason concern after the Jarvis Jenkins injury, is well taken. They seem fine there with what they have but likely couldn't absorb another injury without it having some noticeable effect. Overall, though, there's reason to hope the Redskins' already very good defense can get even better as those safeties get healthier.

New York Giants

The Giants' coaches say Mario Manningham is still one of their starting wide receivers, which has been a big issue this week because Manningham got benched and Victor Cruz had a second straight big game Sunday. Frankly, I've been surprised by how many people care about this distinction, given the large number of three-receiver sets the Giants use and the likelihood that Manningham, Cruz and Hakeem Nicks will all be on the field at the same time. Eli Manning is likely to throw to whichever one's open, right? Not whichever one's a "starter."

Justin Tuck is generally a genial, friendly, expansive interview subject, but he's down these days. This neck injury is really upsetting him, doesn't seem to be getting better at the rate at which he'd prefer and could keep him out of another game Sunday.

Dallas Cowboys

There's a chance that Laurent Robinson remains in the mix for the Cowboys at wide receiver even after Miles Austin returns from his hamstring injury and Dez Bryant gets fully healthy. He's impressed the coaching staff since his arrival.

In case you were wondering if there was anybody left outside the Cowboys' locker room who still liked Tony Romo after last week, we present Troy Aikman, who still thinks Romo is going to end up doing "really great things."

Philadelphia Eagles

Jason Babin has a lot to say about the fine he got for hitting 49ers quarterback Alex Smith on Sunday, including that the NFL should "get better linemen" if it wants to protect the quarterback better. Babin has seven sacks this year, so there are clearly few if any offensive linemen who've been able to contain him. As for the complaint... hey, everybody complains and rips the league office when they get fined. He sounds like his mission is to encourage the people doing the fining to be more independent thinkers. Entertaining guy, Babin.

Marcus Hayes writes that the Eagles are looking to defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins for leadership on the defensive side of the ball. They miss former safety Quintin Mikell, a powerful locker room voice who left via free agency and signed with the Rams, and while Jenkins is only in his first year in Philly, he won a Super Bowl with the Packers last year and isn't shy about calling out his team, as he did after Sunday's loss.

Observations from the Eagles' 24-14 preseason loss at Pittsburgh.

I'm going to start with the good news, Eagles fans. Ready?

LeSean McCoy looked really good, Jason Babin got a sack and Michael Vick made one heck of a tackle on Troy Polamalu after his third interception of the first half. Mike Kafka threw the ball extremely well in the fourth quarter after everybody stopped caring.

Oh, and the coaches now have a whole bunch of really awful-looking, mistake-riddled tape on which to base some real serious lessons this week in meetings and practice.

Other than that, pretty ugly. We can sit here and say everything we want to say about how it's only preseason, the games don't count, some teams devise game plans while others go vanilla and it's a bad idea to draw sweeping, upsetting conclusions based on preseason games. All of that stuff is true and must be said before we delve into what we saw. But the fact is that the Eagles looked bad, in almost every possible way, in Thursday night's exhibition loss to the Steelers. And since I am tasked with offering you an evaluation of what I saw, I have no choice but to detail the ugliness.

1. Bad matchup. The Eagles' new defense, under Juan Castillo and Jim Washburn, is predicated on aggressiveness, especially by the defensive line. This makes Ben Roethlisberger the worst possible quarterback for the Eagles to face. He dances through and around pressure, stays upright far longer than he's supposed to, keeps plays alive forever and generally feasts on defenses that don't show enough patience. All of this was on display Thursday, as Roethlisberger was three steps ahead of Castillo and the Eagles' defense at every turn. He drew them offsides with a hard count. He stepped up to avoid pressure. He pump-faked. He handed the ball off to Rashard Mendenhall and watched him gash the Eagles' backup defensive tackles and suspect linebacker corps. The Eagles helped him out, as when Asante Samuel guessed wrong on a route and Antonio Brown got past him and caught a 29-yard touchdown pass. And I'm willing to bet, when they gather for their defensive meetings in the coming days, the Eagles hear a little bit about how to control their aggressiveness a little bit better.

2. Casey Matthews may not be the answer. The Eagles' defensive play calling was very basic, perhaps because they're trying not to overtax their rookie middle linebacker. This is a key element of preseason evaluation. The Steelers looked as though they devised specific offensive plays to beat the Eagles, and the Eagles looked as though they did not prepare specifically for the Steelers. Happens all the time in preseason, and it's a big reason not to draw big conclusions from these games. But even with the basic play calling, Matthews looked slow and confused at times, and physically overmatched at others. The decision to start Matthews at middle linebacker is a surprising one by the Eagles, especially in light of all of the work they did to upgrade at other spots on defense. You wonder if the way he played Thursday might make them look around to see if there's a veteran on the market who can help, but on the other hand, they don't seem to be placing a very high value on the linebacker position in general. On one third down in the first quarter, they loaded up with three safeties and four cornerbacks, leaving Jamar Chaney as the only linebacker on the field. Their strengths are at corner and defensive end, so they'll lean on those. But when you have a back who can get through the line as quickly as Mendenhall can and it's up to the linebackers to make a play to stop him ... that's where Matthews and the Eagles look shaky.

3. Asante Samuel has to learn to play without Quintin Mikell. Samuel bit on a move and a fake that Brown and Roethlisberger didn't make on that 29-yard touchdown. It was a pure guess, and a bad one -- the kind that's worth taking if you know you have a responsible veteran safety backing you up. But the safeties were elsewhere on that play, and the new scheme plus the absence of the veteran Mikell (who signed with the Rams) could mean Samuel has to take more responsibility for playing the receiver he's covering instead of trying to jump a route to get an interception.

4. Vick was very, very, very not good. The bad throws were one thing, but the worse part was that he just didn't do a good job of reading the defense. He struggled against the blitz, which was supposed to be his area of focus this preseason. He never saw Ryan Clark on his first interception. He threw behind Chad Hall on the second. And the third was a bad decision -- he shouldn't have thrown the ball downfield after that play broke down as badly and as many times as it did. "Obviously, tonight, I didn't make the best decisions," Vick told Fox's Pam Oliver during a fourth-quarter sideline interview. That included the hit on Polamalu, which was very impressive but must have terrified his coaches. No reason for Vick to take a risk like that in a game whose outcome doesn't matter. He's too important to the Eagles to try something like that, and he's at least as lucky he didn't get hurt as the Eagles are that this game didn't count.

5. The defensive line misses its starting tackles. Antonio Dixon and Mike Patterson are out due to injury and illness, and that's part of why the run defense looked so vulnerable. I imagine the linebackers will look better once they're at full strength in the middle of the line. But if those guys are going to be out for an extended period of time (as is surely possible with Patterson, at least), this could continue to be a problem.

6. Ronnie Brown is going to be a huge asset in the backup running back role. He's a starting-quality running back whose role is to give the electrifying McCoy a rest. So, when McCoy is on the sideline, the Eagles are still going to be better at running back than many of their opponents are when their starting back is playing. Brown looks great so far this preseason, which brings up another as-yet unmentioned point: The work-in-progress offensive line didn't look too bad. Okay, so Point 6 wasn't really a bad-news point. But hey, it's true.

7. Can Howard Mudd really not coach from the press box? Poor guy really has a hard time getting around on those bad legs of his. Don't know why they wouldn't let him coach from up there. Unless he doesn't want to. I admit I don't know.

In conclusion, it's like this: As the Giants did Saturday, the Eagles looked lousy in almost all respects Thursday. So I point this out, as I did with the Giants on Saturday. What I am not saying here is that the Eagles are in trouble as a result of anything we saw Thursday. The sky is not falling. This game matters not at all, except as a potential learning opportunity. Did it point to some potential trouble spots? Sure. But it doesn't mean the team isn't as good as people thought it would be. It just means the Eagles had a bad night in August. Kind of like the Steelers had last week against the Redskins. And you saw how they bounced back from that.

So today is the day NFL free agents can actually sign contracts with teams. Yeah, that's right. All that noise and insanity of the past three days? Just the preliminary work. The agreeing to terms. The laying of the foundations for deals not yet consummated. Today is when it gets really nuts. Hope you didn't wear yourself out already. I haven't. See? Here are links:

Dallas Cowboys

Free-agent safety Danieal Manning reportedly got a four-year, $20 million deal with $9 million in guarantees from the Houston Texans. But Dan, that's the Texans, not the Cowboys, so why should we care? Well, I'll tell you why, italics. Because the safety market is going nuts, and the Cowboys still need to sign two of them. Quintin Mikell got $27 million for four ($14 million guaranteed) from St. Louis and Eric Weddle got $40 million for five ($19 million guaranteed) from San Diego. Manning's price is closer to that of the safeties the Cowboys are likely to get (Abe Elam, Brodney Pool, Roman Harper, Gerald Sensabaugh) than are either of those two deals, but it's still likely more than they hoped to spend (twice, remember, since they need two guys). And they may be priced out of guys like Michael Huff. Blogging the Boys offers a detailed breakdown of the safety market.

Lots of people have asked where Roy Williams would end up after the Cowboys cut him. Looks like he'll be a Chicago Bear. I'm interested to see if Dallas replaces him with someone from the outside, but I think their No. 3 receiver comes from their roster at this point.

New York Giants

Giants players are scheduled to report today for the start of training camp, which this year will be in East Rutherford, N.J., and all eyes are on disgruntled defensive end Osi Umenyiora. There's a pretty big leap from grousing about your contract to calling your GM a liar in a sworn affidavit, but it's a leap Umenyiora took this offseason, and it remains to be seen whether he'll hold out of camp until he gets what he wants (a trade or a new deal) or if he comes to camp and talks to Jerry Reese "man to man," as team owner John Mara has said he expects him to do. There's a report out of Baltimore that says the Ravens have some interest in Umenyiora if the Giants decide they don't want him anymore.

We might get some Plaxico Burress news today, too, though Mara said Thursday there's work yet to be done there. Remember, Burress is meeting with the Steelers tonight as well as the Giants, and could simply be using New York's surprising interest in him as leverage to sign with a team whose coach he doesn't hate.

Philadelphia Eagles

Albert Breer reports that Vince Young will sign his one-year contract to be the Eagles' backup quarterback today. If you guys were reading yesterday, you know how I feel about this. If not ... here you go.

And if I'm reading this correctly, Phil Sheridan believes the Eagles should pay DeSean Jackson more than the Jets just paid Santonio Holmes. I respectfully disagree, and I think Phil does raise in here some of the issues that are keeping the Eagles from jumping into a long-term deal with Jackson at this particular point in franchise history. Not saying they won't eventually pay him, and I'm certainly not saying he's not underpaid for 2011 (because he clearly is). But this isn't an open-and-shut case, and for that reason it could linger.

Washington Redskins

A refreshingly honest assessment from new Redskins defensive end Stephen Bowen, who admits that his decision to leave Dallas and sign in Washington was, pretty much, about the money.

Jason Reid says the trade of Albert Haynesworth to the Patriots was Mike Shanahan's finest hour so far as the Redskins' coach. I mean, I know Jason wanted Big Al out, but ... sheesh. If he's right in his assessment, it's a good thing for Shanahan he has four more years on his contract to come up with a better "finest moment."

Been banging it around on Twitter the past couple of days instead of in the comments, in case you guys have been wondering. The posts are coming fast and furious, but I haven't forgotten you. Hope you're enjoying it and keeping up. Plenty more to come, I am certain of it. These four teams can make some news.

Kevin Acee from the San Diego Union-Tribute reports that Eric Weddle's new deal with the Chargers is for five years and $40 million with $19 million guaranteed. The Cowboys tried on Weddle, who was the best safety on the market, but there was little chance he was going to leave San Diego. Especially once they offered, as Steelers safety Ryan Clark tweeted, "what (Troy) Polamalu and I got combined!"

The Cowboys still need to come up with two starting safeties on a market that just moved dramatically upward. You can bet Michael Huff, Abe Elam and all the other available safeties in whom the Cowboys have interest are watching what Weddle got (and the four-year, $27 million deal with $14 million guaranteed that Quintin Mikell got from the Rams) and planning to use it as a benchmark. Weddle was the best of the bunch, but those who aren't quite in his class will try to get as close to what he got as possible. Dallas is going to have to spend big if it wants a top safety, and real big if it loses Gerald Sensabaugh and decides it needs two.

Now I'm going to go work on a post about how the DeAngelo Williams signing in Carolina is going to hurt the Giants' chances of keeping Ahmad Bradshaw. It'll be just like this post, but with different names and numbers. So if you don't want to read a whole 'nother post, you can just turn this one into a Mad Libs kind of thing. Enjoy that.

Tuesday was a crazy day and Wednesday should be, too. Gonna be like this for a while, I believe. Fun ride with many twists and turns still ahead. Plenty more today, no doubt including another couple of hits on "First Take" to talk free agency league-wide. But there's always time for the links.

Dallas Cowboys

Todd Archer thinks the cuts the Cowboys made Tuesday show that Jason Garrett has more power in the organization and more pull with owner Jerry Jones than his predecessor, Wade Phillips, ever had. The Roy Williams cut, in particular, was an admit-you-were-wrong-and-move-on decision -- the kind you don't often expect from someone of Jones' wealth and ego. I can only assume that, if Garrett is really calling the shots here to some extent, that's a good thing for Dallas.

No hard feelings, by the way, from Williams, who learned Tuesday he'd be cut and then told Clarence Hill "I would have done the same thing." Roy didn't play well in Dallas, but he sure earned a reputation for carrying himself with class.

New York Giants

Mike Garafolo spoke to Plaxico Burress, who is going to meet face to face with Giants officials today as they work on a possible reunion. Burress is understandably interested (as I'm sure we all are) to see what his meeting will be like with Tom Coughlin, about whom Burress made very critical comments upon his release from prison last month. I imagine that's a conversation that has to happen before any deal gets done. I also imagine this all means the Giants are very worried about Steve Smith's knee.

Mark Herzlich's father apparently grew up a Giants fan in Connecticut. So he's psyched. As is his son, who as we have discussed could be a real low-risk, high-reward signing for the G-men.

Philadelphia Eagles

A report out of Phoenix late Tuesday night said the Eagles were asking the Cardinals for a first-round draft pick and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in exchange for Kevin Kolb, and that the Cards were offering Rodgers-Cromartie and a second-rounder. Can't hurt to ask, I guess. Personally, I might take the second-rounder and Rodgers-Cromartie if I were the Eagles. But I am not the Eagles, and I have said all along here that it doesn't make sense for the Eagles to deal Kolb unless somebody's compensating him as though he were a starting quarterback. If the Eagles hold firm and the Cardinals balk, you'll see Kolb in Philly, backing up Michael Vick. But I'd still bet something gets done here that makes both sides happy.

Quintin Mikell's contract with the Rams is for four years and $27 million, of which $14 million is guaranteed. Lots of people have been wondering why the Eagles would let Mikell go, and that's your reason. No way they were going that long, or that much money, to keep Mikell when they have Nate Allen and Jaiquawn Jarrett to develop at the safety position. Would it have been nice for Mikell to hang around and help with that development? Sure. But not at a price like that.

Washington Redskins

John Clayton reported early this morning that the Redskins and the Vikings had a tentative deal to send Donovan McNabb to Minnesota as long as McNabb was willing to re-work his contract and take less money to play for the Vikings in 2011. I'm still not sure why McNabb would do that unless he's sure he can't go somewhere else and be guaranteed more playing time, or unless he's worried he'll get cut and lose all of the money. But I guess the latter is a reasonable fear, so we'll see. Fox Sports reported late Tuesday that the deal would be for a 2012 sixth-round pick and maybe a 2013 sixth-rounder, depending on McNabb's 2011 performance. If the Redskins can get anything for McNabb, who I thought they'd have to release, they'll count themselves fortunate.

The Redskins cut punter Josh Bidwell on Tuesday. Mike Jones reports that they have interest in former Bears punter Brad Maynard.

OK, back to it. Anybody who thinks they know what the NFC East landscape will look like 24 hours from now is out of their minds.

It's clear by now that this first week or so of post-lockout NFL business is going to be as insane as Eagles fans likely remember Crazy Eddie's prices were. A quick review shows that I did 13 NFC East blog posts and a live chat in a 12-hour stretch Tuesday, and things are just getting revved up. So, because we're doing quick-hit analysis move-by-move and some things are obviously going to slip through the cracks, I'm going to try and do a daily Day-in-Review post that tries to assess what kind of day each team in the division had. I was originally planning to do one per team, but for now we'll try this. Going to try, I said. If it doesn't work... hey, I tried.

So, how was your day...

Dallas Cowboys?

"Efficient." Dallas needed to make some cuts to work on getting under the salary cap, and they trimmed Marion Barber, Leonard Davis, Roy Williams and Kris Brown from their roster. Marc Colombo's status remained up in the air at day's end, and the next order of business was likely the restructuring of some veteran contracts (Romo, Austin, etc.) to keep freeing up room for outside free-agent pursuits. Reports surfaced that they reached out to Abe Elam to talk about one of their openings at safety, and they are talking with guard Kyle Kosier, who along with Doug Free is an important re-sign for them. Knocking $16.6 million off their 2011 payroll represents a good first day for a team that needs to rebuild its defense within the next week.

New York Giants?

"Confusing." When the Giants decided not to make offensive line a priority in the draft, many people assumed it was because they felt they had enough depth at the position. But Tuesday brought news that veterans Shaun O'Hara, Rich Seubert and Shawn Andrews would be cut. Adam Schefter reported that Kevin Boothe would return on a two-year deal, but even if Will Beatty is ready to be the starting left tackle, the Giants will need reinforcements. They also needed to get under the cap, but such a drastic purge at one position suggests a recalibration of free-agent priorities for a team that has work to do to bring back several of its own free agents. Adam also reports that the Giants have been speaking with Plaxico Burress about a reunion, which is confusing in light of what Burress had to say about Tom Coughlin after his release from prison last month. Giants fans tend to trust their team's front office, but if there's a sound plan here, it has yet to reveal itself. The Giants did make a feel-good move in the morning, signing undrafted rookie and cancer survivor Mark Herzlich, who could be part of the solution at linebacker if he can return to the form that made him one of the best defensive players in college football in 2008. Jay Glazer of FoxSports.com reported on Twitter that potential linebacker target Paul Posluszny would sign with the Jaguars, but I still expect the Giants to find another linebacker in free agency. Herzlich has big upside but is no sure thing.

Philadelphia Eagles?

"Unsatisfying." We woke with the idea that the long-expected Kevin Kolb trade could happen as soon as the clock struck 10 am. It did not happen, and in fact the market for Kolb took a hit with the news that the Broncos were trying to trade Kyle Orton (thereby providing the Cardinals with another option) and that the Seahawks were going to sign Tarvaris Jackson (depriving the Eagles of the most viable other trade partner with which they could leverage Arizona). Kolb to Arizona still seems the most likely outcome here, but the longer it goes without the Eagles getting what they need to get in return, the more likely it is that he ends up staying in Philadelphia. Michael Vick hinted that DeSean Jackson could hold out of training camp due to dissatisfaction with his contract situation, which portends trouble on that front. The Philadelphia Inquirer also reported that the Eagles were planning to let go of all of their own free agents, including linebacker Stewart Bradley and backup running back Jerome Harrison -- news that led some (including me) to speculate that they were clearing the financial decks for a big signing such as Nnamdi Asomugha. One of those free agents, safety Quintin Mikell, agreed to a deal with the Rams, according to a report by Schefter. And the team announced the signing of undrafted running back Noel Devine of West Virginia, who could perhaps compete with Dion Lewis for that backup running back spot. Fair amount of business conducted, but none of the big moves we've been expecting from the Eagles ... yet.

Washington Redskins

"Encouraging." There were reports of discussions of a trade of Donovan McNabb to Minnesota, which was a mild surprise. If they can get anything -- even a fifth-round pick -- for McNabb, they'll have to call that a win. Schefter reported that Santana Moss had agreed to return on a three-year, $15 million deal, which is a move each side wanted to make sure happened and will help the Redskins' inexperienced quarterback and receivers. I don't think that move takes them out of the running for Santonio Holmes, but The Star-Ledger reported that the Jets are moving to re-sign Holmes, as was expected. So he remains a long shot, and potential offensive line target Marshal Yanda re-upped with the Ravens, taking him out of Washington's plans. But the re-signing of Moss and the serious McNabb talks have to count as a good first day for a team with a lot to do.

How was my day, you ask? Busy, but lots of fun. Looking forward to another busy/fun one tomorrow. Love that we have actual news to write about, at long last. And I hope you enjoyed your day here on the NFC East blog. Talk to you again in the morning.

So this is kind of unexpected. Jonathan Tamari reports that the Eagles are planning to let all of their unsigned free agents leave town, "including starters such as Stewart Bradley, Quintin Mikell and Sav Rocca and backup running back Jerome Harrison."

Obviously, the first reaction to news such as this is that the Eagles are clearing room for a big signing such as cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. And that may very well be the case. Someone will pay Asomugha's price, the Eagles need a cornerback and he likes the East Coast. The move makes a ton of sense, no matter how many people tell me they'd rather have a worse player, such as Ike Taylor or Johnathan Joseph.

Obviously, this also raises questions, though. Such as...

1. Who will play linebacker? If Bradley goes, they can play Jamar Chaney in the middle, as they did last year when Bradley was hurt, and start Moise Fokou and Keenan Clayton at the outside spots. Or they could sign a linebacker, middle or otherwise, from the large pool of available free-agents. Or they could get one in exchange for Kevin Kolb. Options are there, though I'm a little surprised that they're letting Bradley walk. They do like his talent, but they must be sick of the injuries.

2. Who will back up LeSean McCoy? Well, there will be veterans available for that spot. Clinton Portis, Willis McGahee, maybe even old friend Brian Westbrook, in addition to many others, are out there. Harrison is very good, though, and a better viable starter should something happen to McCoy than any of those others guys are at this point in their careers. The Eagles will be in the running back market.

3. Who punts? I don't buy that they drafted Alex Henery to punt. I think he's David Akers' replacement at kicker and they'll find a punter. Punters kind of come and go, right?

4. Are they really going that young at safety? Yeah, the Mikell move isn't unexpected, but it does leave them with Nate Allen and rookie Jaiquawn Jarrett as the most likely starting safeties. Kurt Coleman and Marlin Jackson may yet be heard from on that front, but Mikell is a leader who will be missed.

The Eagles said they'd be busy, and it looks as if they'll be in a position to fulfill that promise.

Happy New Year, everybody. It took a few months, but things are finally happening. Starting today, teams can sign drafted and undrafted rookies and make trades. So while it'll be a few days before free agents can officially be signed, some players could be on the move as early as this morning. Specifically, Eagles backup quarterback Kevin Kolb, whose immediate and long-term future were hostages of the lockout, could soon find out where he's going to be playing in 2011.

As of 10 a.m. ET today, teams are free to talk trade, which means that all of the Kolb-to-Arizona speculation of the past several months can morph into actual discussion that could lead to an actual deal. Will the Cardinals offer cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in exchange for Kolb? If they do, will that be enough to convince the Eagles to send Kolb away? Or do the Eagles deal Kolb for picks and keep themselves in the market for Nnamdi Asomugha or one of the other very good cornerbacks on the looming free-agent market? And where do the Seattle Seahawks fit into all of this? They need a quarterback, and it doesn't sound as if they'll bring back Matt Hasselbeck. Do they jump in here and steal Kolb away from the Cardinals once the doors to the trading season swing open?

Obviously, all indications are that Kolb will go to Arizona. But if neither the Cardinals, the Seahawks nor anyone else offers enough value for the Eagles to justify trading away a game-ready backup quarterback they like a great deal, they could always keep him.

We should have some answers soon. To this and many other questions. For the first time in months, there are plenty of options for the links.

More Eagles

Kevin Callahan says the Eagles can win the Super Bowl this week if they make the right moves once free agency opens. He runs down a list of potential moves with which we're all familiar, but I continue to take issue with this Albert Haynesworth stuff. The Redskins do not have to release Haynesworth, even if they're unable to get good value for him in a trade. And the main reason they won't release him is because they don't want the Eagles to get him, reunite him with former Titans defensive line coach Jim Washburn and beat them twice a year. I would be floored, stunned, flummoxed, astounded and befuddled if Haynesworth were an Eagle in 2011.

Joe Banner spoke about the differences fans will see in training camp this year -- no two-a-days, no hitting in the early days, etc. Big win for the players there in the negotiations. They wanted stuff that will help them play and live longer.

Dallas Cowboys

Tim MacMahon runs down some options for the Cowboys at safety, but Cowboys fans aren't going to like this list. Tim announces before the list begins that he's going to "skip over Michael Huff, Eric Weddle and Quintin Mikell, who might be good fits for the Cowboys but could be expensive." Those guys will be expensive, sure. But if the Cowboys don't come away with this with at least one of them, it's going to be hard to say they did enough to address the safety position.

Keith Brooking tells Matt Mosley he's not worried about having to learn Rob Ryan's defense in this compressed, post-lockout training camp time period. Says he and some other defensive players met with Ryan before the lockout and have some idea what it's all about. We'll see. I think that's the biggest issue the Cowboys face, other than, obviously, signing enough players to field that defense.

New York Giants

Kevin Boss says his "No. 1 priority" is to remain a Giant, but he also says he's going to enjoy free agency and make sure to find out and consider all options. So yeah. Kind of non-committal there. Which is fine. I think he's going to hear from other teams. Not a big-numbers guy, obviously, but he's well thought of around the league.

Shaun O'Hara tells Zach Berman that he doesn't see why it'd be necessary to talk about re-working his contract as long as his injury is healed up and he's ready to play. Folks, this is a contract situation worth watching. The Giants may have some tough choices to make. They'll need to get under the cap. They have quite a few of their own free agents to sign. And they did manage to get by without O'Hara for most of 2010. Not saying he'll be cut, but it's not completely crazy to imagine it. Especially if he doesn't want to talk about re-working his deal.

Washington Redskins

Jason Reid is on the Redskins-must-dump-Haynesworth bandwagon. I guess I just don't see the harm in keeping him around. Does anybody really think Haynesworth's mopey presence was the reason the Redskins didn't win last year? As far as I can tell, his issues were his own and didn't bleed into the rest of the team, except insofar as he was unable/unwilling/unavailable to play and help them on the field. He has value. If he gets into a 4-3 defense with a coach with whom he clicks, he can again be a monster player. Mike Shanahan knows this, and that's why I don't think he's just going to set him free on the open market. And why I don't think he should.

I do not believe we can fully rule out a Redskins pursuit of Asomugha. My issue with it is that I don't think Asomugha will want to sign in Washington. If he's leaving Oakland, it's not because of dreams of big-money deals. It's because he wants to win a Super Bowl as soon as possible. And free agents aren't going to view Washington as the place where they can do that.

Lots more to come today, including the first post-lockout NFC East chat at noon ET. I'm also going to be on "First Take" on ESPN2, talking free agency. So check that out if I haven't posted in a little while and you just can't live without me.

» NFC: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South » Unrestricted FAs

A look at the free-agent priorities for each NFC East team:

Dallas Cowboys

1. Re-sign left tackle Doug Free. He is coming off his first season as starting left tackle, but Free handled the move well and is viewed as the starting left tackle of the Cowboys' future. More importantly, with rookie Tyron Smith slated to start at right tackle and probably not yet ready to play on the left side, Free is the Cowboys' left tackle of the present. If he were to go elsewhere, the Cowboys would be scrambling to find a tackle, and it could mess with all of the other plans they need to make and execute before training camp begins. Expect Free to draw lots of interest, and his price tag to be higher than the Cowboys probably were hoping.

2. Fill holes in the secondary. The plan seems to be to move Alan Ball back to cornerback, so while you'll hear the Cowboys connected to free-agent cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, they're more likely to focus on bringing in a safety or two. There's a chance they re-sign their own guy, Gerald Sensabaugh, and then go get a free agent such as Eric Weddle, Michael Huff or Quintin Mikell. But if Sensabaugh were to leave, Dallas would be in the difficult position of having to sign two safeties.

3. Find defensive ends. With Stephen Bowen and Jason Hatcher set to be free agents, the Cowboys need a couple of starters at defensive end, too. They could bring both guys back, but it's not as if the defensive line was a position of strength for Dallas in 2010, so they'll probably at least look elsewhere. The Packers' Cullen Jenkins would be a nice fit, though there will be competition for him from within the division, as you'll see below in the Redskins' section.

Top five free agents: OT Free, G Kyle Kosier, DE Bowen, DE Hatcher, S Sensabaugh

New York Giants

1. Figure out which of their own guys to keep. With Ahmad Bradshaw, Barry Cofield, Mathias Kiwanuka, Steve Smith and Kevin Boss all set to potentially go free, the Giants have to prioritize and figure out which guys they're keeping. The top priority is probably going to be Bradshaw, an emerging star at running back, and it appears they'll let Cofield walk while trying to bring back Boss. They think the injury situations with Kiwanuka and Smith will help keep those guys' prices reasonable. But before the Giants hit the market, they'll need to get their own free-agent house in order.

2. Get at least one linebacker. The Giants have ignored this position over the past couple of years, and they seem to believe Jonathan Goff can handle the middle linebacker spot. They'd probably be better off moving him back outside and exploring the middle linebacker market, which includes Stephen Tulloch, Barrett Ruud and Paul Posluszny. But if they're set on keeping Goff in the middle, perhaps someone such as Manny Lawson or Nick Barnett could be a fit. It's one thing not to prioritize a position, but it's another to ignore it completely, and the Giants have been doing that with linebacker, to their detriment.

3. Some offensive line insurance. There were lots of injuries along the line in New York last season, and although it didn't kill them, it was a potential sign of things to come. The Giants hope Will Beatty will soon be ready to take over at left tackle for a declining David Diehl, but they must watch out for the health of Shaun O'Hara at center. And if they have to cut Shawn Andrews to sign some other guys, they'll need to replace him with a tackle who can provide depth.

Top five free agents: RB Bradshaw, DE/LB Kiwanuka, TE Boss, DT Cofield, WR Smith

Philadelphia Eagles

1. Settle the Kevin Kolb situation. If they can get the great deal for him that most believe they can (i.e., a first-round pick plus), the Eagles will deal Kolb and look for a reliable backup quarterback who can play if and when Michael Vick gets hurt. If they can't get good value for Kolb, they'll probably keep him to serve as said reliable backup. A trade is most likely, but whatever happens, the Eagles will probably settle this soon after the league year begins.

2. Sign a cornerback. The starting spot opposite Asante Samuel is open, and no one on the current roster appears able to fill it. That's why you've heard, and will continue to hear, the Eagles connected with Asomugha. Philadelphia must rank among his most likely destinations at this point. If they don't get him, they'll look down the list at guys such as Johnathan Joseph, Ike Taylor and Antonio Cromartie. And there's a chance they could get a cornerback for Kolb. But they'll get one somewhere.

3. Re-sign Stewart Bradley. Sure, they could let Bradley go and play Jamar Chaney at middle linebacker. Chaney looked, at least, capable in that spot last season and may be the Eagles' future at the position. But if Bradley leaves, the Eagles' problems will be about more than just the alignment of the linebackers. They'll actually be short on bodies and will need to play the free-agent field to find a replacement. Bradley's had injury problems, but when healthy, he's the Eagles' best linebacker and could be a key cog in whatever new defensive alignment Juan Castillo and Jim Washburn are cooking up.

Top five free agents: LB Bradley, S Mikell, G Nick Cole, RB Jerome Harrison, CB Ellis Hobbs

Washington Redskins

1. Fill out the defensive line. Whether they add a free-agent nose tackle such as Aubrayo Franklin or look at defensive end options like Jenkins, the Redskins must figure who their starting defensive linemen are. They like their linebacking corps, and although they also need a cornerback, they love their safeties with Oshiomogho Atogwe in the fold next to LaRon Landry. But their good, young outside linebackers will need big, space-eating ends in front of them to open up lanes to the passer. And they'll also need to get some sort of pass rush from the line, whether it's from the nose or the ends.

2. Re-sign Santana Moss. The Redskins are making noise about pursuing a big-time wideout such as Santonio Holmes or Sidney Rice. But the reality is that it's going to be tough to convince receivers to sign in Washington while they're not viewed as a contender and the quarterback situation remains so cloudy. Moss likes it in Washington. The Redskins like him. And he's a nice guy to have around to help out young receivers Anthony Armstrong and Leonard Hankerson -- not to mention inexperienced quarterback John Beck.

3. Resolve the Donovan McNabb and Albert Haynesworth situations. They don't want either player on the team anymore, but the question is how to get rid of them. They might be able to dump McNabb for a late-round draft pick, but if they can't, they'll probably just cut him and let him find his next job on his own. Haynesworth has trade value in a league where many 4-3 teams are looking for interior defensive line help. Don't expect the Redskins to cut Haynesworth, because they don't want to do him any favors and they don't want him free to sign with former Tennessee D-line coach Washburn in Philadelphia. If they can't get value for him, don't be surprised if Haynesworth remains on the team all season and has a hard time getting into games.

Top five free agents: WR Moss, OT Jammal Brown, CB Carlos Rogers, LB Rocky McIntosh, QB Rex Grossman

» NFC: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South » Unrestricted FAs

Readiness factor: The Eagles held a series of player-organized workouts throughout the summer, but quarterback Michael Vick was only there for a couple of days' worth, opting most of the time to work out on his own. They have a new defensive coordinator in Juan Castillo (who was their offensive line coach) and a new defensive line coach in Jim Washburn, so there are likely to be new aspects of the defense they'll have to learn quickly once the coaches can get their hands on them.

Biggest challenge: Constructing that defense. The Eagles need a new cornerback to play alongside Asante Samuel, and they'll probably aim high and try to get Nnamdi Asomugha. It appears as though they're ready to let Quintin Mikell walk, since they appear to think rookie Jaiquawn Jarrett is ready to start right away opposite Nate Allen. But they could add a veteran there to work with the young guys or in case Allen's not fully healthy. They also need to figure out the linebacker situation around potential free agent Stewart Bradley. And Washburn will lobby to add a pass-rushing end and maybe another piece or two along the line. Before the Eagles can set about installing anything new on defense, they'll need to know who the players are who'll be responsible for putting the plans into action.

Vick's backup: The Eagles' first order of post-lockout business is expected to be the trade of backup quarterback Kevin Kolb. Assuming they can get the return for Kolb that most people seem to believe they can (a first-rounder plus, or maybe an established cornerback or linebacker), they'll ship him out of town to Arizona or Seattle or whichever team comes with the best offer. But after that, they'll need to find a veteran quarterback to sit behind Vick and step in if and when the starter gets hurt. Vick has never played a full 16-game season, and his style lends itself to potential injury. And while they like Mike Kafka long-term, he's probably not as ready as Kolb would be to step in and win a game if Vick can't go. Look for the Eagles to explore several possibilities for this role, including the Titans' Vince Young, who might be a perfect fit.

Key players without contracts for 2011: K David Akers, LB Stewart Bradley, G Nick Cole, RB Jerome Harrison, CB Ellis Hobbs, LB Akeem Jordan, S Quintin Mikell, P Sav Rocca, LB Ernie Sims

In April of 2010, Sam Shields was an undrafted free agent. In February of 2011, he was helping the Green Bay Packers win the Super Bowl. It can happen. Players who were overlooked in the NFL draft in April can become significant contributors in spite of their snubs. This year's crop of undrafted free agents has had a rough summer, as they weren't allowed to sign with teams because of the lockout.

Assuming the lockout ends in the coming days, teams will soon be allowed to sign undrafted free agents. So here's a look at a few who might make sense for the teams in the NFC East. Obviously, some of these guys would work for multiple teams, but I'll trust you guys to make those leaps on your own. For fairness' sake, each team gets three. Enjoy:

Dallas Cowboys

1. Joe Lefeged, Rutgers safety. He plays the Cowboys' biggest "need" position, and while he's not likely to be a starter right away, he could help in sub packages and on special teams while he's groomed for a starter's role. The Cowboys need at least one starter, and will need two if Gerald Sensabaugh leaves. Depth at the position would be a good thing.

2. DeAndre McDaniel, Clemson safety. Doesn't have Lefeged's speed, but he's got enough size to make a contribution in a backup role. Pre-draft scouting reports liked his instincts at the position.

3. Kai Forbath, UCLA kicker. I don't think they'll do it, but I'm not convinced David Buehler won't cost the Cowboys a critical game at some point. Forbath would provide another option or at least maybe some competition that spurs Buehler to be better.

New York Giants

1. Cedric Thornton, Southern Arkansas DT. They've spent second-round picks on interior defensive linemen in each of the past two drafts, but with Barry Cofield likely on his way out, they could look to deepen their talent pool there.

2. Mark Herzlich, Boston College LB. Could be one of the great comeback stories. He was an elite defensive player in 2008, then spent 2009 fighting cancer and struggled to regain his old form in 2010. If he's on his way back to full health and strength (or there already), someone's going to get a steal.

3. Nick Bellore, Michigan LB. Scouts liked his makeup as a potential middle linebacker in a 4-3. The Giants aren't exactly overloaded with such guys.

Philadelphia Eagles

1. Kendrick Burney, North Carolina CB. They'll aim higher, obviously, for the starting corner they need to play opposite Asante Samuel. But the undersized Burney could be a nice fit if the Eagles are transitioning to more of a Cover-2 scheme, as many believe they are.

2. Zach Hurd, Connecticut guard. Drafting Danny Watkins in the first round gave the Eagles the starter they needed at right guard, but that doesn't mean they couldn't stand to add more depth at the offensive line spots. Same could be said for the Giants, incidentally.

3. Will Hill, Florida safety. They're planning to let Quintin Mikell go and can't be sure about Nate Allen's health or Jaiquawn Jarrett's readiness. Yes, Kurt Coleman and Marlin Jackson are intriguing options, but Hill has enough upside to warrant a look at a position where the Eagles might not have enough depth.

Washington Redskins

1. Darvin Adams, Auburn WR. They used a couple of draft picks on receivers, but it's not as if they can be sure they have their answers there yet. Especially if Santana Moss signs elsewhere, the Redskins could use someone of Adams' pedigree as they sort out their reserve receiver spots.

2. Ian Williams, Notre Dame DT. Not sure if he's big enough to play nose tackle in the NFL, but he's seen as a versatile defensive lineman who could help against the run.

3. Willie Smith, East Carolina OT. He's got the size of an NFL tackle but needs to develop. As they continue to figure out the configuration of their offensive line of the future, the Redskins could work with someone of Smith's raw ability.

Our man Matt Williamson of Scouts, Inc. has done a list of "team needs" now that we stand on the apparent precipice of free agency. Matt's list is simply a list, of all 32 NFL teams and what he considers their top three needs once the free-agent period opens. He offers no analysis with his list, so I'm going to go ahead and do that here for the NFC East teams.

Matt also did his list quite literally, treating the teams' own free agents as free agents. So, for instance, running back is listed as the Giants' No. 1 need even though they're expected to re-sign Ahmad Bradshaw. Tackle is listed as the Cowboys' No. 2 need even though they'll almost certainly bring back Doug Free. Matt is of course right to do it this way, since those aren't sure things. Just didn't want anybody confused.

Anyway, here we go. Alphabetically, as ever:

Dallas Cowboys

1. Safety

2. Offensive tackle

3. Defensive line

My take: Yeah, though I'll say cornerback is probably a close fourth if they're ready to move on from Terence Newman and have to cut him for cap reasons. And I might have gone with "offensive line" rather than simply "offensive tackle," because I think guard Kyle Kosier is a high-priority re-sign for them. Free is getting a lot of well-deserved praise for his work in his first year at left tackle, but people around that team will tell you that Kosier was a big help to Free in making the transition, and that Kosier has a lot of responsibility for line calls. If they lose him, they'll need offensive line help even if Free is back.

New York Giants

1. Running back

2. Linebacker

3. Tight end

My take: This gets to the heart of the fact that the Giants' first task once the league year begins will be to prioritize and re-sign their own free agents. They will only need a running back and a tight end if they can't re-sign Bradshaw and Kevin Boss, but they hope to be able to bring back both. I believe both will draw interest elsewhere, and that it's possible Boss could draw more than the Giants expect. But of these three needs, linebacker is the only one for which they should have to play on the open market without getting a head-start with one of their own players.

Philadelphia Eagles

1. Cornerback

2. Linebacker

3. Defensive end

My take: All defense here, what with that right guard spot addressed in the draft. Could they do something at right tackle? Sure, but the focus is going to be on improving the defense that failed them at the end of the past two seasons. They'll play in the Nnamdi Asomugha market and should be on the hunt for a pass-rushing end to play opposite Trent Cole. And they'll have to figure out linebacker if they don't or can't bring back Stewart Bradley. More and more, it seems as if they won't seek a veteran safety to replace Quintin Mikell, but I wonder if they should, since a Nate Allen/Jaiquawn Jarrett combination would give them a pretty young set of starters at that position.

Washington Redskins

1. Quarterback

2. Nose tackle

3. Cornerback

My take: I agree that they could upgrade at quarterback, but I don't think they will. Unless Mike Shanahan's been snowing everybody (which of course is possible), he's prepared to go with John Beck and fill other needs while he finds out if Beck can be his long-term answer or if he needs to draft one of the very good quarterback prospects in next year's draft. I'm a little surprised that Matt listed neither "wide receiver" or "offensive line," since those are positions of need whether they re-sign Santana Moss and Jammal Brown or not. But the Redskins' list of needs is a lot longer than three spots, and Matt was only doing three per team, so here we are.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him link. I can, though.

Dallas Cowboys

I was going to post on all this Deion Sanders-Dez Bryant stuff Tuesday, but it felt like a radio interview Deion had given last week and to which I'd already linked. Maybe I was wrong, though, and Deion is saying this same kind of stuff about Bryant again. Calvin Watkins thinks Deion needs to get off the kid's back, and I wonder what Bryant did to Deion to change him from a guy trying to help him out to a guy seemingly determined to tear him down. Must have been pretty bad.

I know how you guys love your Tony Romo golf updates, so here you go. Tony's a co-favorite, along with former major league pitcher Rick Rhoden, to win this weekend's American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament. If I were a player and I were tweeting about this, I'd end it with #pleaseendthelockout.

New York Giants

Jeez, it's tough to find Giants links. I'm going with this from Giants.com on sixth-round safety Tyler Sash, whose chances of cracking the Giants' very deep secondary are slightly better than yours are but whose rookie contribution should come on special teams. A couple of people have asked why we haven't listed "special teams" among the Giants' needs for the coming season. My answer is this: If you had the special-teams season the Giants had, and the guys you just drafted don't help fix the problem, you didn't have a very good draft.

Antrel Rolle says he's been hearing since March that the end of the lockout was a week or two away. My question: Who are this guy's sources? I don't remember anybody even hinting at that in March. Anyway, Rolle says the sky's the limit for the Giants this season, which is fine, to like your team's chances before the rosters are set. Again, Giants links are scarce. These are some quotes from Rolle. Enjoy them.

Philadelphia Eagles

Over at the AFC North blog, James Walker thinks Quintin Mikell could be a target of the Cleveland Browns in free agency. James cites connections with folks such as Dick Jauron and Tom Heckert, who know Mikell from his Philly days, and seems to think Mikell is the kind of solid all-around contributor who'd fit what the Browns are looking for at the position. A couple of other names on here that have come up in some of our safety discussions as well.

Grantland.com's Bill Barnwell did a list of the 25 Least Valuable Players in the NFL, which is a delightfully cranky idea he carried off quite well. The only NFC East player on the list was Eagles cornerback Dmitri Patterson, of whom Barnwell writes, "Patterson was a last resort at cornerback forced into action by injuries; teams avoided Asante Samuel and spent the second half throwing at the guy who the Philadelphia Inquirer politely noted ' … is better suited to special teams.'"

Washington Redskins

Our man in Chicago, Michael Wright, ponders whether Albert Haynesworth would be a good fit with the Bears. Michael believes he would, and I agree. Big Al in a 4-3, away from Mike Shanahan and motivated to play for a contender, is going to be a dangerous dude. Because of that, I also agree with Michael that Shanahan will demand a lot in return for Big Al, and it'll be interesting to see who's willing to pay the price. I've heard some recent speculation about Denver and St. Louis for Al as well. Still say no chance the Eagles can get him, even though that's the best and most obvious fit.

And sticking with the Redskins/Bears theme for some reason, the Chicago Tribune reports that Devin Hester wants the Bears to sign Santana Moss. I think we've all been expecting Moss to sign back with Washington, but if he were to leave, it would create a tough situation for the Skins. It will be tough for them to lure veteran free-agent receivers given their unstable quarterback situation. They'd likely have to overpay to get someone line Braylon Edwards to replace Moss, which would leave them short in their pursuit of other free agents, and could end up having to just let their young guys develop without Moss' guidance.

Hump Day, they call this. We can all get over it together.

In today's edition of the NFC East video mailbag, a reader asks which of three big-name free agents the Cowboys are most likely to sign -- Michael Huff, Quintin Mikell or Cullen Jenkins.