NFC Notes: Redskins, Eagles, Hart, Lions

Today’s Championship Games weren’t the most competitive affairs, but fans of the Falcons and Patriots will certainly accept the victories and prepare for the Super Bowl. For the Packers and Steelers, however, the offseason begins now.

Let’s take a quick spin around the NFC:

  • Adding more useful players along the defensive line should be the No. 1 offseason priority for the Redskins, opines John Keim of ESPN.com. Chris Baker could certainly be re-signed after he graded out as the league’s 19th-best interior defender, per Pro Football Focus, but Washington may have concerns about Baker’s level of consistency, per Keim. Ziggy Hood, Cullen Jenkins, and Kedric Golston are also headed for free agency, so the Redskins need to add more bodies up front after the team ranked in the bottom-third of the NFL in adjusted line yards allowed. I pointed to the defensive line when detailing Washington’s top three offseason needs, noting that the Redskins could afford to get younger along the front seven.
  • The Eagles are shifting Taylor Hart from defensive line to offensive tackle, according to Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Hart had been playing OL while on the scout team, adds Berman, and the Eagles must have liked what he showed. Hart, 25, has bounced between Philadelphia and San Francisco during his short NFL career (following his collegiate coach Chip Kelly). In two seasons in the league, Hart has played in 15 total games, including one start.
  • After finishing dead last in defensive DVOA in 2016, the Lions could target help on the defensive side of the ball in rounds one, two, and three of the draft, writes Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. Indeed, Detroit GM Bob Quinn said last week that although he values free agency as a way to acquire talent, the Lions will continue to focus on the draft as they build their roster. As Rothstein details, Detroit could use reinforcements at every level of its defense, but adding an elite talent along the defensive line seems like the primary focus.
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