Biggest winners, losers from NFC East in opening days of NFL free agency

The first few days of NFL free agency were absolutely wild in the NFC East. One of the biggest names on the market changed teams, but stayed inside the division. The New York Giants appeared to be the biggest losers when the market opened with a pair of high-profile losses, only to salvage their offseason with an enormous trade later in the day. 

Meanwhile, the Washington Commanders, of all teams, have done something really unusual for them — smart spending. While the "all in" Dallas Cowboys have, apparently, decided to sit free agency out.

The moves — and non-moves — have the potential to reshape the division over the next few years, and maybe even return it to its NFC Beast days (maybe). So with the early moves becoming official at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, here's a look at the biggest winners and losers from the division so far:

WINNERS

Saquon Barkley: His primary goal in free agency was a "fair" deal that showed he was more valuable than what the conventional wisdom said about running backs. He did that by inking a three-year, $37.75 million deal with $26 million guaranteed with the Philadelphia Eagles. But he won much more than that because of the team he chose. After six years of getting pounded by one of the NFL's consistently worst offensive lines in New York, he'll be running behind one of the best in Philadelphia on a team loaded with weapons and that has a real shot at going back to the Super Bowl. If Barkley stays healthy, he's going to have a huge year. If he doesn't, he still has a huge contract.

Philadelphia Eagles:  They spent big on a position they don't often spend on, but they got more than just a running back in Barkley. They have an offensive weapon that can open up a lot of other things for Jalen Hurts and his stellar receivers. They also added a dynamic pass-rushing specialist in Bryce Huff, who will help free up Haason Reddick — assuming they don't trade Reddick away. And if they do? Well, now his replacement is on board. And then, after trying hard for safety Xavier McKinney (before he went to Green Bay) they recovered nicely and brought back fan-favorite (and team-favorite) C.J. Gardner Johnson, who some team insiders believe carries the edge and attitude the team was missing down the stretch last year. Oh, and they locked up Pro Bowl guard Landon Dickerson to a long-term deal, too.

New York Giants: Their offseason looked like it was going to be a disaster when Barkley and safety Xavier McKinney departed on Day 1. But then GM Joe Schoen salvaged at least some of that with a huge trade with Carolina for edge rusher Brian Burns. He could absolutely transform a struggling Giants pass rush and be part of a devastating duo with young edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux. Also, losing Barkley isn't a total loss for the franchise. They're better off not devoting so much of their cap to a running back, and they got a pretty good replacement for him in ex-Bill Devin Singletary. Meanwhile, they beefed up their offensive line with guard Jon Runyan and swing lineman Jermaine Eluemunor. They're starting to invest their cap space smartly and in the right positions.

Brian Burns: He not only got out of a bad situation in Carolina that might not get better for years, but he received a five-year, $141 million deal with $76 million guaranteed with the Giants that makes him the second-highest-paid edge rusher in the NFL. That's not bad considering he had only eight sacks last season. He'll have the potential for a lot more playing on a line with Thibodeaux and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. He also has the chance to become a real star in New York. They love their pass rushers there. Just ask Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck.

TO BE DETERMINED

Washington Commanders: They entered free agency with an NFL-high $91 million in salary cap space and so far their biggest signing has been … Dorance Armstrong? That's not exactly the big splash most would expect from a billionaire owner who has cap space to burn and is looking to impress his new customers. And that might seem like it makes them losers, but the reality is they might be winning. They had 12 early signings — including Armstrong, center Tyler Biadasz, linebacker Frankie Luvu, running back Austin Ekeler, guard Nick Allegretti, and quarterback Marcus Mariota — and almost all of them are upgrades over what the Commanders had at those positions. All of them are also on relatively inexpensive deals that won't crush the cap in future years. So they're better already and they gave themselves financial flexibility to get better in the future. That's good — if they're right about the abilities of the second-tier players they signed.

Haason Reddick: On the surface, it's a good thing that the Eagles signed Huff to give opposing offenses another pass rusher to worry about. However, Reddick wants a contract extension and rather than give it to him, the Eagles gave him permission to seek a trade and find his money someplace else. The outcome of that is uncertain. If Reddick stays, he could have a big year with Huff and set himself up for big money next offseason. The Philly native wants to stay home, though, and the Eagles might not want to pay him again after paying Huff. Also, if they do trade him, who knows where he'll land? His immediate future should become clear closer to the draft.

Brian Robinson: The old Commanders regime loved him. The new regime decided to bring in Ekeler, who had 915 rushing yards, 13 rushing touchdowns and 107 catches for 722 yards and five touchdowns back in 2022. Ekeler had a down year last year and he'll be 29 in May, but his addition is still not exactly a sign of faith in the incumbent. Of course, a lot of teams prefer a 1-2 punch in the backfield nowadays, so maybe new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury will find a way to use both of them. In the right situation, Robinson could still thrive. But when a new coach brings in his own guy at your position, it's probably not a great sign.

LOSERS

Dallas Cowboys: They're still "all in" right? At some point, it will be fascinating to learn what, exactly, Jerry Jones meant by that, because so far in free agency all they've done is … sign long-snapper Trent Sieg? They apparently tried to sign running back Zach Moss after losing Tony Pollard to Tennessee, but Moss' $4 million price tag was reportedly too rich for them. They also have yet to extend the contracts of quarterback Dak Prescott, receiver CeeDee Lamb or linebacker Micah Parsons like they have indicated they are ready to do. They watched as two defenders and their starting center left to join former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn in Washington. If that's "all in," it's a good thing Jones didn't declare the Cowboys were "all out."

Mike McCarthy: He still doesn't have a contract extension and now he's being set up to head into next season with, at best, the same team that faltered in the playoffs last year. He still needs a running back, but apparently, the Cowboys don't want to pay for one. He needs a starting center. He might need a new left tackle if Tyron Smith leaves. And his owner has set his seat on fire by saying the team is "all in" for next season. Good luck!

Sam Howell:  His short time as the Commanders' starting quarterback was likely coming to an end anyway, with the new regime correctly focused on drafting a quarterback with the second overall pick in April. And everyone knew they were going to bring in an older veteran to back up that rookie and mentor him through his first NFL season. So of course, that's what the Commanders did, signing Marcus Mariota, who might even start the first few games if the new kid isn't ready. That will eventually relegate Howell to the No. 3 role, though more likely he's headed elsewhere in a trade. Maybe he'll get lucky and he'll be dealt to a team that needs a starter, but there aren't any of those at the moment. His best hope is to be dealt to a team that sees him as a potential future starter — maybe the New York Jets or the Minnesota Vikings, for example. But he started 17 games last season and threw for nearly 4,000 yards and now he's being discarded. Even if he knew it was coming, it's still quite a fall.

Ralph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports, covering the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.