Dallas Cowboys

With the addition of Claiborne and free-agent Brandon Carr, the Cowboys have clearly upgraded their defensive backfield, a unit that will be going up against the likes of Eli Manning, Michael Vick and Robert Griffin III in the NFC East. 

The Cowboys plan to use Carr at left cornerback, after he primarily played right corner in Kansas City. Left cornerbacks typically line up on the strong side of the formation and need to be better tacklers because offenses run to that side most often. Carr excels as a tackler with safety size at 6-foot, 207. Mike Jenkins will stay at right corner, squaring off mostly with opposing split ends, or “X” receivers.

Claiborne is an elite man to man cornerback. He mirrors at the line of scrimmage well with a fluid hip turn while playing the ball in the air like a receiver. Mike Jenkins only has one-year left on his contract so Claiborne offers a nice tandem to cover the receiver heavy NFC East.

Besides the drafting of Claiborne, the Cowboys added more talent to their defense with the selection of Boise State defensive end Tyrone Crawford, Wake Forest linebacker Kyle Wilber, Eastern Washington safety Matt Johnson and Montana linebacker Caleb McSurdy.

In free agency, besides signing Carr, the Cowboys added safety Brodney Pool and linebacker Dan Connor.

The addition of Claiborne and Carr will have a big impact on opposing fantasy QBs more so than opposing WRs. Last year Dallas faced middle of the pack QBs but this year the talent level drops through the floor. Couple that with an increase in personnel ratings and you should see improvement in their ranks.

The quality of opposing WRs stay relatively the same and so do the personnel grades in coverage.

Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles acquired MLB DeMeco Ryans from the Texans in exchange for a 2012 fourth-round pick. A Pro Bowl middle linebacker early in his career, Ryans wasn’t as suited to the weak-side interior in Wade Phillips 3-4 scheme. After a slow start in returning from Achilles surgery, Ryans came on stronger late in the season. He fills a major need in Philadelphia, where Andy Reid’s squad has long been in need of a three-down tackling machine in the middle.

Jamar Chaney (neck surgery) is expected to shift to strong-side linebacker following the acquisition of Ryans. Brian Rolle will stay on the weak side, leaving Akeem Jordan as the odd man out. Chaney will likely give way to Casey Matthews or Keenan Clayton on passing downs, limiting his production in IDP formats. Chaney expects to be recovered from neck surgery by training camp.

With Asante Samuel out of the mix, the Eagles plan to shadow opposing No. 1 wide receivers with Nnamdi Asomugha. Samuel strictly played “off” coverage on the left side, which limited the Eagles from moving Asomugha around. Going forward, they’ll play more press coverage. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie moves into the starting lineup and Joselio Hanson currently sits as the No. 3/slot corner.

Philadelphia did well in the draft, landing defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (Mississippi State). Philadelphia surrendered pick No. 114 and a sixth-round selection to move up three spots, but Cox is certainly worth the price. A true penetrating three-technique, Cox does his best work disrupting upfield with low pad level and excellent burst. He still has a long way to go technique wise, infrequently using his length to his advantage, but Cox’s relentless motor is invaluable. This is a perfect fit for the Eagles’ aggressive, upfield defense. Eagles add Cox to Cullen Jenkins, Mike Patterson, and Derek Landri. Elite DL with Babin/Cole/Graham on outside. Cox’s best down is 3rd down, he will go 4 man in their sub package and have to learn base 3-4 defense. Curiously he had 5 career blocked kicks at MSS ST.

They also added linebacker Mychal Kendricks (California), defensive end Vinny Curry (Marshall) and cornerback Brandon Boykin (Georgia). All of them have a chance to see snaps and make an impact on defense in 2012.

Philadelphia also re-signed defensive end Trent Cole, defensive tackle Antonio Dixon and defensive tackle Derek Landri.

The Eagles addressed their salary cap by restructuring the contract of defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins and by trading away corner Asante Samuel to the Falcons for a seventh-round draft pick.

The Eagles have taken a team that should have been in contention in 2011 and made it even stronger. They are definitely a threat to win the NFC East. 

They did a great job with personnel to plug the hole against the run. Their grades went up 20+ points against the run, but drops heavily against TEs. They face a better set of QBs this season but much worst RBs and WRs.

New York Giants

Giants lost Aaron Ross to free agency but signed defensive lineman Shaun Rogers, safety Stevie Brown and cornerback Antwaun Molden.

Theythen acquired WLB Keith Rivers from the Bengals in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2012 draft. Rivers developed a bit of a “soft” reputation as the former No. 9 overall pick in the draft with Cincinnati, but he was not averse to playing through injuries and is a quality run defender when healthy. Look for Michael Boley to start at middle linebacker for the Giants. Rivers should handle the weak-side duties, with Mathias Kiwanuka staying on the strong side.

New York also re-signed cornerback Terrell Thomas, linebacker Chase Blackburn and also extended linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka. 

GM Jerry Reese said Monday that WLB Michael Boley could be shifted to middle linebacker in 2012. A career outside linebacker, Boley’s 93 tackles last season were his most since arriving in New York in 2009. His production could skyrocket if moved to the middle.

In the draft, the Giants were able to sit back and let some very good players fall down to them in the draft. The Giants invested their top two picks on the offensive side of the ball, then selected Virginia Tech cornerback Jayron Hosley and North Carolina State defensive tackle Markus Kuhn.

All in all, the Giants added to the talent on their roster on both sides of the ball thanks to their draft class and free-agent signings. They will surely have a target on their backs in 2012, but the Giants promise to be competitive and confident as they attempt to defend their title.

The Giants defense was bottom 5 against WRs and TEs last season but also faced top 5 opponents at each position. Their TE opponents remain the same, but the production in the set of the WRs in 2012 drop a ton. They also face weaker QBs this season.

Their defensive grades stay almost exactly the same across all positions.

Washington Redskins

As far as the draft, the Redskins took Texas linebacker Keenan Robinson and a pair of cornerbacks in Richard Crawford from SMU and Jordan Bernstine from Iowa.

Washington was able to retain its own free agents like linebacker London Fletcher, defensive end Adam Carriker, defensive end Darrion Scott and defensive end Kedric Golston.

The only negative from the Redskins’ offseason was the ruling of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell that the team would be stripped of millions of dollars in salary cap for due to the front-loading of player contracts in 2010.

Overall, Washington used its salary cap space wisely after forfeiting a chunk of its future to draft RG3. If their investment pays off, the Redskins will be a team on the rise in the years to come. 

The Redskins defense actually ranked in the top 10 against fantasy QBs and WRs in 2011, even though they faced top ten talent at both positions. Pretty impressive.

Their personnel grades out higher in pass coverage and pass rush this year. They face the same level of WRs, but a lot weaker QBs.