The curious case of an Eagles rival's quiet offseason continues

The Philadelphia Eagles made some moves in the early stages of free agency to improve their team, but they were not alone. Two of their rivals in the NFC East have been busy. The New York Giants and Washington Commanders opened their wallets during the first wave.

Philly's road back to respectability won't be an easy one. A few opponents they'll face on their 2024 schedule that have improved, but here's where we all can smile. Their biggest threat to a divisional crown hasn't done much to make improvements.

Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys haven't made any noise during the offseason, and that's weird seeing as how they love to dominate the headlines. But, there's also recent history to consider. This is a team that recently got smacked by the number seven seed Green Bay Packers. 

The Cowboys front office has told the public several times this offseason that the franchise is all in to build a champion. But, are they? Does it make more sense to state this is an organization that has given the Eagles a better chance to win the division this year?

Dallas has made one major free agent signing this offseason.

Nobody is saying teams have to spend like crazy in the early days of the free agency frenzy, but teams that have some major holes should be aggressive. There were options out there that Dallas could have considered. 

The Cowboys only upgraded one position so far this offseason, their linebacker room. They lured Eric Kendricks away from signing with the San Francisco 49ers to instead sign on with Dallas, but they have also lost key players.

They lost a key piece on offense when Tony Pollard signed with the Tennessee Titans. but there were less expensive options they could have added to fill the hole like Devin Singletary and Zach Moss. They ignored them. 

The Eagles' rival lost a lot of pieces in the offseason in 2024.

The Cowboys have endured more losses than gains so far. They lost eight players to free agency. 

Multiple players walked, not just Pollard. That will certainly hurt Dak Prescott in terms of production who is also down two starting offensive linemen, Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz.

There are also defensive holes. Dallas will look a little different this year. Dan Quinn has left to coach a rival (Washington), but in terms of talent, the Cowboys have again done nothing.

Is Dallas building through the draft?

We hate to admit it, but the Cowboys draft and develop talent well. Just look at Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs, and CeeDee Lamb. Maybe that's their plan.

Maybe they plan to attack the running back position during this year's draft. They have found success there. Again, there's evidence like Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott.

The NFL Draft is a solid way to improve their roster. Young players will have to be developed though. The expectation can't be to pressure these guys and ask them to elevate Dallas to another level. Improvement will come slowly if handled that way.

The Cowboys have a lot of money to pay out to current players.

It's been reported the Cowboys are trying to extend their playmakers with new contracts. Micah Parsons and CeeDee Lamb have seen their numbers come up. They'll find challenges there as well.

They are on the hook for over $50 million this year that they have to pay to their quarterback, Dak Prescott, but there's drama there as well. Discussions about Dak's contract will wait. We've said all of that to say this. There's limited money for acquisitions and extensions. That helps the Eagles in their quest to regain the divisional title. 2024 could be tons of fun.

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