NFC East Notes: Redskins, McGee, Eagles

Will the Redskins be a 10-win team in 2017? There’s reason for optimism, but the free agent additions of nose tackle Stacy McGee and defensive end Terrell McClain won’t solve all of their problems on defense, Mike Jones of The Washington Post writes.

The Redskins could wind up with two rookie starters in the front seven between defensive end Jonathan Allen and outside linebacker Ryan Anderson. There’s also questions about how quickly Su’a Cravens will adjust to the strong safety position. Yes, the Redskins made some intriguing moves this offseason, but anyone automatically expecting the Redskins to make the playoffs should probably pump the breaks.

Here’s more out of the NFC East:

• The Redskins‘ 2018 cap situation is not as flexible as it seems at first glance, CSNMidAtlantic.com’s Rich Tandler writes. The Redskins have $54.7MM cap room in 2018, but they’ll only be rolling over $5MM when other teams have far more to push into ’18. The 49ers ($65MM), Browns ($50MM), Jaguars ($44MM), Titans ($41MM), and other teams will have far more to work with, meaning that the Redskins will actually be in the middle of the pack when it comes to cap space. There’s also this to consider – Washington has 21 players slated for unrestricted free agency. Of those 21, seven are projected starters and seven others will have key roles this season. That list includes quarterback Kirk Cousins.
• Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com looked at some potential cap casualties for the Eagles in 2018. Defensive end Vinny Curry tops the list as the team can save $5MM by cutting him, though the move would call for $6MM in dead money. Curry wound up as a reserve in 2016 and he probably won’t be on the roster with an $11MM cap hit if he’s a backup once again this year. Fellow defensive end Brandon Graham also makes the list ($6.5MM in cap savings; $1MM in dead money) and his release becomes more likely if rookie Derek Barnett shines this year. Safety Malcolm Jenkins ($5.5MM savings; $4.5MM dead money), linebacker Mychael Kendricks ($4.4MM savings; $3.2MM dead money), center Jason Kelce ($6MM savings; $1MM dead money), tight end Brent Celek ($4MM savings; $1MM dead money), wide receiver Torrey Smith ($5MM savings; no dead money), and cornerback Ron Brooks ($2.1MM savings; $250K dead money) round out the list.
• One Cowboys beat writer wonders if Dallas could be in the market for a quarterback at some point this year.