2020 Salary ReCap NFC East Edition
It's that time of year again! Come March 18th, football season is officially back! No disrespect to the XFL, but there's nothing like the real thing. Now we can turn our attention to free agency and soon after, the NFL Draft. In advance of a potential new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the NFL and NFL Players Association are projecting the league's salary cap to rise to $200 million this season, marking the seventh consecutive year the cap has increased by at least $10 million.
The league year and free agency doesn’t officially start until 4:00pm EST on March 18th. However the action will start on March 16th when teams are legally allowed to negotiate with impending free agents. Since there are just a few short weeks away I decided to assess each team’s salary cap situation and predict where the available cap space will go. I also included each team’s likeliest cap casualty. Make sure to check back each day for the latest installment as this will be released in 8 parts. Today we are finally diving into the NFC and starting things out East.
Dallas Cowboys
Available cap space $77,297,123
Only the Cowboys would find themselves with the 5th most cap space in the NFL but still be having cap issues. After awarding Ezekiel Elliot and Demarcus Lawrence huge contracts, stars Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, Byron Jones and Robert Quinn are all in need of contracts. There's simply not enough room for all of them no matter how savvy Jerry Jones gets. America's team will have to get creative and likely will have to fill out at least a few starting positions to free agent losses.
Possible cap casualty
Tyrone Crawford only played 4 games in 2019 due to season-ending hip surgery. Releasing the 30-year-old Defensive End would save Dallas $8 million in cap space and only leave $1.1 million in dead money. With several key players looking to get huge contracts Crawford could be a necessary casualty.
New York Giants
Available cap space 73,991,301
With no shortage of available cap space and no shortage of roster needs. 2020 should be a busy offseason for the New York Football Giants. With Eli Manning's retirement and the hiring of three big name coaches in Joe Judge, Jason Garrett and Freddie Kitchens. It's officially a new era and why not start with finally fixing that offensive line?
Possible cap casualty
Kareem Martin followed former Cardinals defensive coordinator James Bettcher to the Meadowlands to help translate a new scheme to the young front seven. With Bettcher gone and Martin only producing 1.5 sacks over his two seasons with the Giants. Cutting the veteran pass rusher would free up almost $5 million in cap space.
Philadelphia Eagles
Available cap space $41,875,800
Last season Carson Wentz became the first QB in NFL history to throw 4,000-plus yards without a wide receiver to hit 500 so Philly will be looking to revamp their weapons arsenal. Cornerback is also a huge need, with both starters in Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills headed to free agency. The Eagles will need to be active come March 16th.
Possible cap casualty
Sidney Jones is still very young and promising, but the often injured cornerback has only made 8 starts in his career. Cutting Jones would free up only $1 million in cap space. Philadelphia has 11 players with over $10 million in dead money if they were cut. GM Howie Roseman has his work cut out for him.
Washington Redskins
Available cap space $61,078,737
After releasing star cornerback Josh Norman, TE Jordan Reed and WR Paul Richardson, Washington has a good deal of cap space to fill some of their roster holes in free agency. Getting 2019 15th overall draft choice Dwayne Haskins some much needed weapons would be a great place to start.
Possible cap casualty
Trent Williams stated that he would never play for Washington again, but since Ron Rivera took over, Williams has calmed down and is requesting more money. As one of the best offensive tackles in the league, he could get another large payday. While HC Ron Rivera said they are "Working out the details." The Redskins can save $14.5 million with only $2 million in dead money if they cut ties with the former 4th overall pick.
The NFC East is always a wild ride and 2020 should be no different. Look for Philly to add star power around Carson Wentz as Dallas tries to hold on to the star power they already have. With Daniel Jones and Dwayne Haskins going into year 2, which franchise is going to arm their young signal caller with the most weapons? Tune in tomorrow as we dissect the NFC South!