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A look at key players for each NFC East team who are coming back from injuries:

Dallas Cowboys: LB Sean Lee

Lee has been a breakout defensive star for the Cowboys the past two seasons, but he hasn't been able to stay healthy. A wrist injury limited him after a raging hot start in 2011, and after another hot start in 2012 he injured a toe in Week 7 and missed the remainder of the season. The Cowboys' defense is different when Lee is on the field and at his instinctive, playmaking best, and it misses him terribly when he's not. Now set to play the middle linebacker position in Dallas' new 4-3 defensive alignment, Lee is more important than ever to the every-down success of the defense. We easily could have picked running back DeMarco Murray or even perpetually nicked-up wide receiver Miles Austin for this exercise, but the Cowboys' biggest question marks lie on defense, where six starters missed time last year because of injury. Improved health on defense is the surest way for the Cowboys as a whole to improve in 2013, and Lee is right in the middle of it all.

New York Giants: WR Hakeem Nicks

Nicks broke a bone in his foot during minicamp last year, and while he made it back in time for the start of the season, he was not himself all year. Foot and knee problems cost him three games and limited him to 692 yards and three touchdowns on 53 catches (10 catches and 199 yards of which came in a Week 2 game for which he was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week). Without his top wide receiver healthy for much of the year, Giants quarterback Eli Manning was unable to duplicate the Super Bowl-winning magic of the previous season. With Nicks hobbled, defenses were often able to focus more on Victor Cruz, whose production dropped from the previous year's dazzling yardage numbers. Nicks is a vital part of the Giants' passing game, which is the vital part of their offense. When he's at his best, he's among the top all-around wide receivers in the league. He needs to stay healthy for the Giants to function at peak levels.

Philadelphia Eagles: LT Jason Peters

Peters tore his right Achilles tendon twice during the 2012 offseason and was obviously unable to play at all as a result. He was the first of three Eagles starting offensive linemen to land on injured reserve last year, but after the year he had in 2011, his was the absence they had the greatest difficulty overcoming. Peters was essential to the Eagles offense in 2011 as a multi-level blocker who could take out his man at the line and then get upfield quickly and block a linebacker or a safety as well. Without him, the run game suffered, the screen game suffered, and quarterback Michael Vick's ability to succeed when he extended plays suffered. The Eagles need Todd Herremans and Jason Kelce back on the offensive line, and they need first-round pick Lane Johnson to play well at right tackle. But the most important offensive line recovery is that of Peters, who brings something to the equation no one else brings. He needs not only to be healthy, but to play like his old, spry self.

Washington Redskins: QB Robert Griffin III

If you've been living in a cave without access to TV or the Internet for the past six months, it will come as news to you that Griffin tore his ACL in the Redskins' playoff game (yes, they made the playoffs) and had reconstructive surgery in January. While the Redskins believe they have a capable backup in Kirk Cousins, much of their 2012 success was because of Griffin's unique talents and abilities. Even if Griffin is back to 100 percent, the Redskins probably will take greater care with how they use him in the read-option this year. But the threat he poses to defenses as a runner and a passer is not something Cousins or very many other quarterbacks in the league can replicate. The Redskins must be careful not to rush Griffin back from his injury, as he's their franchise quarterback and vital to the long-term success and health of the team. But their 2013 fortunes are tightly tied to the timing and extent of his recovery.

The case of Justin Tuck is a curious one. Not long ago, the New York Giants defensive end was regarded as one of the league's best young stars. He was a highly decorated, championship-tested, high-talent, high-character player who was equally adept at terrorizing quarterbacks on Sundays and helping set the tone Tom Coughlin wanted in the locker room all week. In 2010, Tuck had 11.5 sacks for a Giants team that won 10 games but barely missed the playoffs. He was 27 when that season ended, and his future looked like one big trip around the sun.

But it has not been that. The past two seasons of Justin Tuck have been a mopey muddle -- a confusing blend of injuries, ineffectiveness and a surprising, self-acknowledged struggle with motivation. He needed a December 2011 pep talk from Coughlin to inspire him for the Giants' latest Super Bowl run. But other than the 5.5 sacks he had in that six-game stretch that included the final two regular-season games and four postseason games, Tuck has recorded a total of just seven over the past two seasons. In 21 of his past 31 games, Tuck has failed to record even a partial sack.

Now, this is a guy who just turned 30 a few weeks ago, so it's a bit of a leap to say for certain that he's "done." But I feel confident saying that 2013 is a very important year in Tuck's career. It is the final year of his current contract, which means he's literally playing for a job. The fact that the Giants haven't yet made a move to extend his deal tells you they have concerns about the type of player they can expect him to be. The pass rush is too important a part of what the Giants do for them to allow it to decay around one player, no matter how important a part of their championship history that player has been. If Tuck looks like his old self this year, rejuvenated and ready for a big next chapter in his career, the Giants will be thrilled to talk deal with him next offseason. But if 2013 is a repeat of Tuck's regular-season performances from 2011 and 2012, it's likely to be his final year as a Giant.

One of the fascinating things about this year's Giants, though, is that Tuck is not alone. All over the roster, you find players for whom 2013 could be the proverbial "make or break" year. Yes, they held up a Lombardi trophy just 15 months ago, but this team also has missed the playoffs in three of the past four seasons. So it's not a huge surprise that next offseason might find the Giants in a period of transition, with big decisions to be made on several of their core players:

• 

  Webster
  CB Corey Webster: There was a chance he could have been gone this offseason after his disappointing 2012. Webster's decision to accept a significant pay cut extended his time in New York, but he's also entering the final year of his deal. And with Prince Amukamara and Jayron Hosley, the team has been thinking ahead for a while now about its defensive backfield of the future. Webster, now 31, would need a big bounce-back season if he wanted to be part of that future.
• 

  Rolle
  S Antrel Rolle: He'll be 31 when the season ends; he has two years left on the five-year free-agent deal he signed with New York before the 2010 season; and he's counting $9.25 million against the salary cap in each of those years. The Giants are swallowing that this year, but they're unlikely to want to commit that much to Rolle again in 2014, especially if he fails to replace Kenny Phillips as the leader of their secondary. Rolle's play dropped off last year when Phillips wasn't on the field, and he needs to show in 2013 that the contributions he made early in his Giants career weren't tied to the way he worked in tandem with Phillips.
• 

  Snee
  G Chris Snee: A longtime pillar of New York's offensive line, Snee is 31 years old and has been banged-up and less effective the past two seasons. That's understandable, given the demands of his position and the dedicated way he plays it and plays hurt. But he also is signed through 2014, with a $7.5 million cap cost for that year. The Giants just used their first-round draft pick on an offensive lineman, Justin Pugh, who played tackle in college but could project as an NFL guard. Although it's easier to see Pugh's taking over for Kevin Boothe, who is signed only through this year, don't rule out his replacing Snee instead if Snee has a down season.
• 

  Cruz
  WR Victor Cruz: This assumes he and the Giants don't reach an agreement on a long-term deal and he plays out his contract on his restricted free-agent tender. That would make Cruz's season the ultimate make-or-break. Another monster production season like those he has had the past two years and he hits the open market with teams drooling over him. If he gets injured or has a drop-off in production, though, he'll wish he had taken what the Giants were offering this offseason.
• 

  Nicks
  WR Hakeem Nicks: Again, it's possible he'll sign for the long term before the season starts. But if not, this is the final year of his contract and he has to show he can stay healthy and deliver as the No. 1 receiver the Giants believe he is. His situation is tied to that of Cruz, and it's tough to find a scenario in which the team can keep both.

So 2013 is a big year for a lot of very familiar Giants faces. This franchise grooms replacements for its stars and major contributors very well, so turnover isn't a terrifying thing for the Giants. But it's possible that, even for them, next offseason could feel like a real changing of the guard in some key spots.

We have talked a lot on here about the contract situation of New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, who wants to get paid based on his No. 1 wide receiver production of the past two seasons, while his team wants to pay him as the top slot receiver in the league. We don't know how that situation will ultimately resolve itself, but once it does, it could have a ripple effect throughout the league for other wide receivers looking for contracts.

To that end, Calvin Watkins examines the possible impact Cruz's deal could have on Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant, whose contract expires after 2014 and is coming off a year in which he established himself as one of the most dangerous all-around wide receivers in the league:

The Cowboys need to be cautious what they pay Bryant because of his questionable decisions off the field -- which, in fairness, don't seem to be an issue anymore -- and what the top receivers make.

Larry Fitzgerald ($16.1 million), Calvin Johnson ($15.6 million), Andre Johnson ($14.4 million), Mike Wallace ($12 million) and Dwayne Bowe ($11.2 million) are at the top of the average salaries per seasons for wide receivers.

Does Cruz belong at that level? What about Bryant?

Whatever Cruz gets, Bryant's agent, Eugene Parker, will look at and make sure he tells Jerry and Stephen Jones to take care of his client from a financial standpoint.

I think it's impossible to make a prediction about Bryant's deal until we see at least one more year of Bryant. If he continues to show that he's got his off-field life together, and if he continues to play the way he did in 2012, he will indeed be able to ask for at least what Wallace and Bowe received, and likely more. If he slips up again off the field, or his play is inconsistent in 2013, or if he gets hurt, then old questions arise. I don't see Cruz cracking that top five Calvin listed here even if he gets every dollar he's asking for, so the only way he becomes a benchmark for Bryant is if Bryant does not continue to perform at that elite level over the next year or two. But I think 2012 was just the start for Bryant, who has the talent to become one of the very best in the entire league at his position.

This came up in the chat Tuesday, and I figured it was worth a post in which you guys could bat it around and argue with each other: Who's got the best wide receivers in the NFC East at the moment? There is a poll over here in which you can vote on which team has the best starting duo.

We did this a couple of years ago, I remember, and I picked the Giants' guys over the Eagles' guys and got some heat for it. I think at the time I was still projecting Steve Smith as the No. 2 in New York behind Hakeem Nicks. So while I think the past two years have supported my pick, I admit I didn't see Victor Cruz factoring into this debate to the extent that he has.

At this point, with Jackson and Maclin having failed to live up to those 2011 expectations, I think the Cowboys' tandem is the Giants' chief competition. The way Dez Bryant came on last year makes you think he might be about to live up to his incredible potential and become one of the dominant receivers in the league. This would make Miles Austin as good a No. 2 receiver as there is anywhere in the league, except in East Rutherford, where Cruz is a ridiculously productive No. 2 when Nicks is healthy.

And that's the crux of it, right? If Nicks were healthy, I'd still vote for him and Cruz over Bryant and Austin, though I say it's close and Bryant right now is the best of the four. Nicks was not healthy last season, and has not shown much of an ability to stay healthy for a full season. So you have to downgrade him a little bit, which tightens the competition. I believe he's a more complete wide receiver (again, when healthy) than Bryant is at this point in their careers, but I think Bryant's game-breaking ability and the mismatches he creates in the secondary offer him the opportunity to be the better player long-term. Whether he cashes in on that opportunity, obviously, remains to be seen.

The Redskins are here too, of course, though I struggle to tell you for certain which of their wideouts is the No. 2 behind Pierre Garcon. In the poll, I went with Josh Morgan, though it could have been Leonard Hankerson or even Santana Moss, who's more of a slot receiver. I think the questions about No. 2, and the questions about the health of Garcon's foot, push them to fourth in this debate, even behind the Eagles' guys. But obviously, based on last season, you'd take Garcon over Jackson or Maclin.

So fire away. Duke it out. Have at it. These tend to be fun.

New York Giants owner John Mara appeared on NFL Network on Tuesday and was asked about the team's ongoing negotiations with wide receiver Victor Cruz. Since there has not been any progress on this deal in months, there's no news to report. But here's what Mara said, per Ohm:

"I'm pretty confident that we'll end up reaching a deal with him," Mara said on NFL Network. "This is not that atypical a situation. Player contracts, particularly with star players like Victor, can tend to drag on from time to time. I think we'll get it done."

...

"This is the right place for him to play," Mara said. "He's a star in this area, he's an important part of our team, and I think we'll eventually get a deal done, but it's just a process that you have to go through. And we're going through it right now. There's communication, and it's slow but steady, and I think at some point we'll reach a deal."

Somebody asked during our chat Tuesday afternoon what the point is of Mara saying anything publicly on this. The answer is that this is a case where "negotiating in the media" is to the team's benefit. Look at the two critical elements of what Mara's saying:

1. The team is confident it will reach a deal with Cruz. This serves to calm elements of the fan base that might be worried about losing Cruz. It portrays the team as the reasonable side, and the one that cares enough to reassure the fans that it will all be OK. Part of the Giants' goal surely is to get or keep public opinion on their side, and saying things like this can help with that. In general (and I stress "in general"), fans have historically sided with teams over players in contract disputes, believing that the money is significant enough that the player should be happy with any offer. So the Giants are operating from that position of strength in terms of the fight for public opinion. Coming out and offering reassurance helps project that.

2. Cruz is a star in New York, and would benefit from staying there. This is a key element of the team's argument. The Giants aren't going to give Cruz every dollar that he wants, but Cruz will more than make up for it with endorsement and other such opportunities that will be more lucrative in New York than they would be in another market. It makes sense, is likely true and will ring so with the public that's hearing Mara's words. It serves as another reminder that the player should be happy with what he has and take what's on the table lest the opportunity of a lifetime vanish suddenly due to injury or a shift in the team's priorities (say, to Hakeem Nicks).

Part of the way the Giants believe they can get Cruz to accept the offer they've made is to increase the public pressure on him to do it. The words they're using when they speak publicly about this situation are designed to help with that. That's why you see Mara talking about this publicly. He wouldn't be doing it if he didn't think it would ultimately help the Giants get what they want.

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

With the draft in the rearview mirror, what is the most pressing issue on each NFC East team’s agenda?

Dallas Cowboys: Figure out right tackle.

The Cowboys bolstered their offensive line with the first-round pick of Wisconsin center/guard Travis Frederick, but the line needs more help, and right tackle is the spot that most needs addressing. Doug Free has been a disappointment since signing his big free-agent deal before the 2011 season, and while the Cowboys have said they liked the way Free and Jermey Parnell worked in rotation late last season, they'd be better off finding someone reliable and leaving him in there every play. Tyson Clabo and Eric Winston remain available on the free-agent market, and the Cowboys seem to prefer Clabo. They have enough cap room to sign one of them, but it seems they'd first like to figure out what to do with Free. Will he take a pay cut and stay as a backup? They could just cut him and save $7 million, but the savings wouldn't kick in until June 1 and the Cowboys don't like to admit mistakes or part with their guys. Expect something to change with Free, if only his salary, and the Cowboys to bring in a replacement at some point this offseason.

New York Giants: Resolve the Victor Cruz situation.

Cruz is a restricted free agent with whom the Giants have so far been unable to reach agreement on a long-term contract extension. No team signed him to an offer sheet, which means the next step for Cruz is to decide whether to report to camp when he's required to or hold out. He could sign his tender, play this season for $2.879 million and hit the open market next year, but that leaves him at risk for an injury that could drastically reduce his value. He could accept the Giants' current offer, which reports say is in excess of $7 million per year. Or he could hold out and force the Giants to see what life is like without him. Complicating the matter is that the Giants also have to worry about the contract status of their other star wide receiver, Hakeem Nicks, whose deal runs out at the end of the 2013 season.

Philadelphia Eagles: Pick a quarterback.

New head coach Chip Kelly has amassed a number of interesting options. He has veteran Michael Vick, who was the starter last season until he got injured. He has second-year man Nick Foles, who took over last year when Vick got hurt. He has career backup Dennis Dixon, whose final year at the University of Oregon was Kelly's first as the Ducks' offensive coordinator. And he has former USC star Matt Barkley, for whom the Eagles traded up in the fourth round of last week's NFL draft. Kelly's plan is to throw them all into the offseason and training-camp mix and see who wins the job, and it couldn't be called a huge surprise if any of them did. The most interesting case, however, is that of Vick, who's the current favorite to be the starter but likely would be released if he were to lose the job to one of his younger counterparts.

Washington Redskins: Make sure to get Robert Griffin III healthy.

The Redskins' dynamic young quarterback, who was named the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year, is recovering from reconstructive knee surgery he had in January as a result of the injury he suffered in the Redskins' playoff loss. It's Griffin's second major reconstruction on the same knee. And while all reports have indicated that his recovery is progressing well, he and the Redskins must apply the lessons learned when they left him in that playoff game too long and take his recovery as slowly and responsibly as possible. In Kirk Cousins, they have a capable backup they like who can manage the offense through the offseason and even into September if need be. Griffin's long-term health is the most important thing to the Redskins' franchise right now, and managing his recovery through these summer months is organizational priority No. 1.

The star wide receiver who is at the New York Giants' voluntary workouts this week is Hakeem Nicks, whose injury problems last year were a big part of the struggles of the Giants' offense. And while the hot topic over at the Meadowlands is the status of restricted free-agent wide receiver Victor Cruz, who is not present, Nicks' health status is probably more important to the fortunes of the 2013 Giants than is Cruz's contract status. Per Kieran Darcy:

"My body's feeling good," Nicks said. "My goal is to be full-go by the season, by training camp. So this time that I have now is to get myself back in football shape, football condition. It’s been a while. So that’s all I’m doing right now."

When asked how confident he feels that he will be ready for training camp, Nicks said, "My confidence is extremely high."

Nicks played in 13 of 16 games last year, but he had just 53 catches, and posted career lows in receiving yardage (692) and touchdowns (3). The Giants' offensive production suffered as a result, and the team missed the playoffs, a year after winning the Super Bowl.

"Obviously having Hakeem hurt for most of the year was a factor," quarterback Eli Manning said Thursday. "In the middle of the year and the end of the year, he wasn’t himself, and you can see that on the film clearly. So it’d be great to have him back full-speed, healthy, making the plays he normally makes."

It would be great for the Giants for a number of reasons. Obviously, on the field a healthy Nicks would help them score more points and win more games. But off the field, and with regard to the Cruz situation, a healthy Nicks would only help the Giants' leverage. If Nicks struggles again this year and Cruz posts huge numbers again as the team's most productive wide receiver, that strengthens Cruz's case for demanding No. 1 wide receiver contract money. If Nicks excels as the Giants' clear No. 1, that strengthens the team's case for viewing Cruz as a top slot receiver but not a true No. 1 in terms of contract.

Nicks' contract situation is different from Cruz's. Nicks is signed through 2013. Cruz is a restricted free-agent who's been tendered a one-year offer but has no reason to act on it at least until Friday, which is the final day on which another team could sign him to an offer sheet. Nicks has no reason not to be at the Giants' training facility this week. Cruz has no reason to be there. But while they're two different situations, Nicks' and Cruz's status remain tied together in significant ways. The Giants want Nicks healthy so they can be a better team in 2013. But a side benefit of that would be a big help in their continued standoff with Cruz.

Suzy Kolber and Chris Mortensen discuss Victor Cruz and his future with the New York Giants; Herm Edwards breaks down the Denver Broncos and their new offense; and the NFL32 crew discusses offense tackles heading into the draft.

Over at the Meadowlands, the New York Giants are beginning the voluntary portion of their offseason workout program, and wide receiver Victor Cruz has apparently volunteered to sit this day out. Cruz remains embroiled in a contract negotiation with the Giants, who have publicly expressed frustration over his refusal to accept what they have offered. Barring some dramatic change in one side's stance, Cruz likely will play this year under his restricted free-agent tender and become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. But while there's nothing that compels Cruz to attend today's workouts, his reputation as a good soldier makes it noteworthy that he is not present. Per Art Stapleton:

By not showing up, though, Cruz is likely sending a message with his absence that his contract situation is not as settled as the Giants and their fans would hope. Opposing teams have until Friday to extend an RFA offer sheet to Cruz, although that remains unlikely considering the costly nature of the process would include a lucrative long-term deal and a 2013 first-round pick should the Giants choose not to match.

I don't think Cruz is a real threat to hold out of minicamp, training camp or any portion of the season, but I think he's 100 percent right not to show up today. As Art points, out, he could be sending a message, and if that's the case then he's doing so in a very low-risk way. Cruz isn't rehabbing any kind of injury, and it's not as though he needs to be there establishing some kind of on-field rapport with Eli Manning. He'll lose nothing by sitting out this week if that's what he wants, and if the team sees it as an expression of his dissatisfaction with the contract situation, then that's fine too. Cruz's leverage is the threat of his no longer being part of the team, and forcing the team to go through part of its program without him is a way of illustrating what it would be like to do without him.

And while Cruz has little to gain by showing up for these workouts, he does have something to lose. Should he get hurt during this offseason, he'd lose every shred of leverage and the Giants' standing offer to him would shrivel. Why risk that to any non-required degree?

The central issue in this contract dispute is one of philosophy. The Giants believe Cruz is the best slot receiver in the league and are willing to pay him more than Wes Welker is making with the Broncos. Cruz believes his numbers the past two seasons rank him among the top receivers in the league, period (slot or otherwise), and that he should be paid the way No. 1 receivers are paid. This difference in philosophy likely works out to between $2 million and $4 million per year on a long-term deal, and that's a big gulf. Unless something happens to push the Giants toward Cruz's side (such as an offer sheet from another team, or another monster statistical season) or something happens to get Cruz to reduce his demands (such as a poor season, an injury or a 2014 market correction on wide receiver salaries), there's not likely to be any movement on this for a while. And as long as that's the case, Cruz is right and smart to stay away from anything the rules don't require him to do.

A couple of people have pointed out on Twitter (and I thank them for doing so politely) that it's been too long since my last post that was completely devoted to the New York Giants. I generally work hard to avoid oversights like these, and I have no excuse. So before I disappear for a while (and in the absence of any real news on which to peg a Giants post), here are five things I think could happen for the Giants in 2013 that might surprise some people.

1. Mathias Kiwanuka gets 10 sacks. This would be a career high, by two, but I think the opportunity is going to be there for Kiwanuka to be a major factor in the pass rush. Osi Umenyiora is gone. Justin Tuck appears to be trending downward, having collected just nine sacks total over the past two years while missing five games because of injury. Jason Pierre-Paul should bounce back on the other side, but I see Kiwanuka moving up from linebacker to fill in for Tuck while Tuck struggles with health and/or effectiveness. The signings of Keith Rivers and Dan Connor, plus the expected continued development of youngsters like Jacquian Williams, should give the Giants enough at outside linebacker to allow Kiwanuka to play more defensive end in 2013.

2. Rueben Randle catches 50 passes. There was a time in the second half of the 2012 season when the Giants would take Victor Cruz off the field and line up in a two-wide receiver set with Hakeem Nicks on one side and a non-Cruz receiver on the other. At times, the other receiver was the rookie Randle. There is concern, which has no doubt been brought up in contract discussions, that Cruz gets physically manhandled at times when he lines up outside, and that his real value is as a slot receiver. With Domenik Hixon off to Carolina, the opportunity exists for Randle, the 2012 second-round pick, to show he can be the outside receiver who can keep Cruz in the slot and offer an alternative to Nicks across the field. And if Nicks and Cruz are both healthy and on the field at the same time in three-receiver sets, whoever the other guy is will be open.

3. James Brewer starts at least 10 games at right tackle. I believe David Diehl will enter training camp as the starter, but that Brewer will play well enough in his third year to take the job. This kind of follows the Giants' pattern of development for offensive linemen, and it seems clear that they don't feel right tackle is a worry.

4. The secondary struggles again. This might not jive with my predictions of a 10-sack Kiwanuka season and a rejuvenated Pierre-Paul, since I think an improved pass rush would help the secondary. But even if the Giants improve on their 33-sack 2012 season, I don't see the pass rush, as currently constructed, returning to the dominant levels it reached during the Super Bowl run two seasons ago. That means more pressure on Corey Webster, Prince Amukamara & Co. in the defensive backfield, and, as you know, I believe they will miss safety Kenny Phillips. It seems the Giants let Phillips walk because of long-range concerns about the health of his knee, and they might have been right to do so. But the defense struggled mightily without him on the field in 2012, and I don't see Antrel Rolle or Stevie Brown stepping into his uber-versatile leadership role. I think the secondary continues to be an issue.

5. Cruz will not sign a contract extension prior to the end of the season. The most recent turns in Cruz's contract dispute with the Giants have changed my thinking on this. I think each side is dug in -- the Giants willing to make him the league's highest-paid slot receiver at between $7 million-$8 million per year and Cruz demanding top-receiver money (between $10 million-$11 million per year) based on his top-receiver numbers of the past two seasons. I can't see what happens between now and the start of the season to bridge that gap, and once the season starts each side will be willing to let 2013 results determine the outcome. If Cruz has another monster year, his case gets stronger and the Giants (possibly depending on what they see from Nicks health-wise or Randle development-wise) either cave in or let him leave as a highly paid free agent. If Cruz doesn't post top-receiver numbers or if he has an injury that limits him, the Giants' case gets stronger and Cruz likely takes less to stay in New York. It's risky both ways, but as of April 6 that's the way it looks to be headed.

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

How does each team look at wide receiver and what still needs to be done?

Dallas Cowboys: Dez Bryant broke out in a huge way in the second half of his third NFL season and finished the year with 92 catches for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns. If he can keep himself in one piece, he's one of the top wideouts in the league. Miles Austin is the perfect complement on the other side -- good enough that defenses have to pay attention to him but not the kind of guy who's going to complain if Bryant gets more catches. Austin has to keep his hamstrings healthy, and if he does the Cowboys have a top one-two wide receiver combo. Dwayne Harris came on strong last year as a No. 3 wide receiver, and guys such as Cole Beasley and Danny Coale could provide intriguing depth. Dallas could look to add a veteran wide receiver to its mix heading into training camp in case the young guys don't produce, but it's not a high-priority issue.

New York Giants: The Giants are at work on a long-term contract with restricted free-agent wide receiver Victor Cruz, who has 168 catches for 2,628 yards and 19 touchdowns the past two seasons (not counting playoffs). They'd like to keep Cruz, but he wants No. 1 wide receiver money, and the Giants to this point only seem willing to make him the highest-paid slot receiver in the league. That's mainly because they view Hakeem Nicks as their No. 1 wideout, and Nicks' contract is up at the end of 2013. The Giants would like to find a way to keep Cruz in the slot, which means they'll need to develop someone like 2012 second-round pick Rueben Randle or recent free-agent signee Louis Murphy as the outside guy opposite Nicks. They'll also need to get Nicks through the season healthy. But their biggest need right now at wide receiver is new contracts for Cruz and Nicks.

Philadelphia Eagles: Starters DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin have the top-level speed everyone thinks new coach Chip Kelly wants in his offense. Jason Avant, Riley Cooper, Damaris Johnson and newly signed Arrelious Benn provide depth. Benn and Cooper provide size. The Eagles are deep at wide receiver and probably won't be looking to add. But it's a prove-it year for Maclin, who hasn't been able to stay healthy or produce like the first-round pick that he is. Much also will be expected of Jackson, who was playing well before getting hurt last season, assuming Kelly can find ways to get the ball in his hands more consistently.

Washington Redskins: The big questions at receiver in Washington are whether No. 1 wideout Pierre Garcon will be all the way over the foot problems that cost him so much time last season and who will step up as the No. 2 on the opposite side. Garcon was a difference-maker when he was on the field, and if he can put in a full 16-game season, he should produce in accordance with his 2012 free-agent contract. Santana Moss returns, somewhat surprisingly, for another year as the veteran slot man. Aldrick Robinson is a useful deep threat. And the Redskins' coaches like a lot of things about Leonard Hankerson and Josh Morgan -- they'd just like at least one of them to show starter-caliber consistency on the side opposite Garcon. Wide receiver is a position of strength throughout the NFC East, and I wouldn't think you'd see the Redskins or any of the division's other teams pushing to add here.

 
Suzy Kolber and Chris Mortensen discuss the Ravens losing Ed Reed and seven other starters to free agency; John Clayton breaks down the Bears and Brian Urlacher parting ways; and the NFL32 crew discusses the future of Victor Cruz with Giants.

PHOENIX -- Interesting New York Giants-related nugget from the first day of the owners meetings here Sunday. Co-owner Steve Tisch, talking about restricted free-agent wide receiver Victor Cruz, was asked if he thought the two-year, $6 million contract slot receiver Wes Welker signed with the Denver Broncos was a benchmark.

"I think Victor will get higher than that," Tisch said.

Which is the ultimate in self-fulfilling prophecies, right? I mean, if the team thinks he should get more than Welker, that would certainly seem to indicate he ultimately will. It's extremely doubtful that the agent would hear something like this and start negotiating downward, insisting that Cruz make less than Welker.

Anyway, the whole thing backed up my belief that the contract dispute between Cruz and the Giants breaks down along philosophical lines regarding what kind of receiver he is. If the Giants view him as a slot receiver and are willing to pay him more than Welker, who's the best slot receiver of his generation and a player on whom Cruz has said he modeled his game, then you can see why the Giants think they are being generous with their offer. But if Cruz is looking to cash in on his two huge seasons with top-receiver money based on the idea that his production stacks up with that of the top receivers, then it's unlikely the Giants are going to move up into his ballpark.

Round and round it goes. I still think it gets done eventually.

Give Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay credit. He knows how to get fans of his team speculating, debating and anticipating.

With a couple of tweets on Saturday night, he’s set off a frenzy.

ColtFans,we already past the cap cash wise/ we're workin on a deal,1 we've been workin on for 5 days/ we're very,very close 2 making it work

— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) March 17, 2013

Colt Fans,hint------ it's a Wide Receiver!!

— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) March 17, 2013

Some observers were quick to point out he’s got a propensity for overstatement. The last time he really hyped up a pending move, the Colts traded for cornerback Vontae Davis. He’s a good player, but based on Irsay’s Twitter feed, it sounded more like the Colts would be getting Deion Sanders in his prime. When the team recently signed 49ers backup defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois, Irsay's tweet about it included more than 20 exclamation marks.

The Colts need a third wide receiver to go with Reggie Wayne and T.Y. Hilton, and their hope is that they find a player who ultimately can take the aging Wayne’s place as Andrew Luck’s No. 1 target.

The first name that jumps out is Victor Cruz, the New York Giants' restricted free-agent receiver and salsa dancer. Cruz had 86 catches for 1,092 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Pittsburgh’s Emmanuel Sanders, who reportedly had a visit scheduled with New England, is also a restricted free agent.

Teams can sign restricted free agents to an offer sheet and have to give up draft-pick compensation if the original team doesn’t match it. Cruz is tendered at a first-round level and Sanders at a third-round level.

If the player is willing, his original team can work out a trade instead of seeing the offer sheet procedure play out.

But "workin on a deal" doesn't mean a trade for certain. General manager Ryan Grigson could be negotiating with a free agent. None of the unsigned receivers, however, appear deserving of the excitement level Irsay's suggesting.

The Colts already are without a second-round pick from the Davis trade. If they made a blockbuster trade, a team that's pledged to build through the draft could be left with little to work with early in the draft.

Bill from Kalispell, Mont., asked during the NFC West chat why the St. Louis Rams wouldn't sign New York Giants restricted free agent Victor Cruz to an offer sheet.

"If you think the Rams will use one of their first-round picks on a WR, why not sign Victor Cruz, a young known quantity, to a deal and give up the pick -- or force the Giants in to a bad cap place by keeping him," Bill wrote. "Either way you are hurting one of your competitors for a wild-card slot."

Sando: Salary is the No. 1 reason. The Rams hold the 16th and 23rd picks in the draft. The cap charges associated with those picks will fall far short of the cap charges associated with a long-term deal for a veteran receiver.

Now, if the Rams saw Cruz as a Percy Harvin-type talent, the price could be worth considering. But if they see Cruz as merely a good receiver, they should proceed with caution when considering the costs.

The chart illustrates the point by comparing annual salary cap charges for Vincent Jackson, the receiver Tampa Bay signed in free agency last offseason, to the cap charges for Kendall Wright, the wide receiver Tennessee drafted with the 20th pick of the draft.

I'm not comparing Jackson to Wright as players. I'm not comparing either one of them to Cruz, either. The point is one of cost, and I make it under the assumption the Rams would be getting a very good receiver in the first round.

As noted in the chat, Wright's contract as the 20th pick is scheduled to count $8.2 million against the cap over four years. The contract Jackson signed counted nearly twice as much in 2012 alone. It is scheduled to consume $55 million in cap space over five seasons.

So, if the Rams could find their version of Cruz in the first round, they would come out far ahead. The question, of course, is whether the Rams could find that kind of value, and whether the cost associated with Cruz would be worthwhile.