So far, this has been an ideal offseason for Dallas Cowboys fans. They were able to see their team finally admit the Ezekiel Elliott contract was a problem as he was released to help them retain Tony Pollard. They then added two talented veterans in exchange for late-round picks, bringing in Brandin Cooks and Stephon Gilmore.
To top it off, they didn’t do a lot in terms of outside free agency but were able to retain key players such as Donovan Wilson, Leighton Vander Esch, Johnathan Hankins, and Dante Fowler.
That alone is enough to celebrate — but why stop there when we can also laugh about a few moves made throughout the NFC East?
3 free agent signings from NFC East rivals that left Cowboys fans laughing
3. Andrew Wylie, OT, Washington
Let’s be honest — there’s always something to laugh at when it comes to the Washington Commanders. Whether it’s picking the worst possible team nickname, putting the wrong state silhouette on a coffee mug, or the wrong Super Bowl year on the team crest, this organization just can’t get anything right.
Perhaps that will change when Dan Snyder is finally gone but at least we have gotten to enjoy one more offseason with him in charge.
To be fair, they haven’t made too many blundering moves but they still seem to struggle to figure out their needs. Take the Andrew Wylie signing as an example. Wylie started at right tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs and they won a Super Bowl, which is nice. But he wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire.
Instead, he was the weak link on that line and struggled in run blocking. He was also ranked as the 59th tackle overall by PFF coming in behind both Charles Leno and Sam Cosmi (tied for 31st). Leno actually played well enough to push Cosmi inside to guard last season.
Now, he will likely head to the bench for a player who hasn’t been as good since Wylie will be making $8 million per season.
2. Jacoby Brissett, QB, Washington
It’s not ‘Pick on the Washington Commanders Day’ today — just kidding, every day is ‘Pick on the Washington Commanders Day’.
Once again, they headed into the offseason looking for a new direction under center. One year after convincing themselves Carson Wentz could turn back the clock five years, they decided they were going to be fine with Sam Howell. The reasoning was that Howell won his only start, which was against Dallas.
Howell deserves his credit because he was poised and did his job but he was far from dominant. He was actually just 11-of-19 for 169 yards with a touchdown and a pick. Sure, he gets the win but that was a case of the Cowboys looking past their opponent since they had nothing to play for.
In an effort to protect themselves should Howell not be the answer, Washington went out and signed Jacoby Brissett, who is coming off what many are calling his best season as a pro. That “best season” consisted of leading the Cleveland Browns to a 4-7 record, in which they lost five one-score games — in large part due to Brissett’s inability to score when the game was on the line in the fourth quarter.
Statistically, he was just average as well. He completed a career-high 64 percent of his passes for 2,608 yards with 12 touchdowns and six picks. Again, nothing terrible but nothing great — yet it was still the best he has done in seven seasons.
The reason for his improvement falls on the shoulders of Kevin Stefanski, who used a lot of smoke and mirrors to get the best out of Brissett. Kind of like the Minnesota Vikings did in 2017 with Case Keenum, who had Stefanski as his quarterback coach.
Two years after that season, Washington ended up with Keeenum as well. He didn’t pan out and it’s hard to see Brissett working for them either.
1. Fletcher Cox, DT, Philadelphia Eagles
There was a time when Fletcher Cox was one of the best defensive tackles in the entire NFL. The No. 12 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Cox has been a thorn in the Cowboys’ side for much of his career. He’s had some huge moments against them and overall, he has 486 tackles, 65 sacks, 15 forced fumbles, and 156 quarterback hits.
As impressive as all of that is, he’s not been the same player the past couple of seasons. That’s not evident with a quick glance at his numbers since he had 43 tackles and seven sacks last season but he’s not the same dominant player he once was, especially when it comes to stopping the run.
In 2022, PFF gave him a grade of just 53.5 in run defense and he was just above a 60 overall. That’s down from 68.7 a year ago and 74.1 in 2020. All the years prior were beyond impressive but it’s clear he’s trending in the wrong direction.
Even with that being the case, Philly re-signed him for $10 million this year. That feels like the most ‘Jerry Jones’ move ever. Clearly, Cox is being paid for what he once was, rather than what he offers. It looks even worse when you see his snaps come at the expense of Jordan Davis (the No. 13 overall pick in 2022) and Milton Williams, who have both been more effective when on the field.
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