Commanders' big swing via blockbuster trade headlines NFC East's boldest bets this offseason in what’s shaping up to be a full-blown arms race in 2025

The Philadelphia Eagles

The Boldest Move: Drafting LB Jihaad Campbell 

Philly has kept this offseason pretty close to the vest, so pickings are slim here. They chose not to spend recklessly on outgoing free agents like Josh Sweat and Milton Williams on the defensive line. After flirting with the idea of trading tight end Dallas Goedert, he instead got a contract adjustment to reduce salary and keep him in place. 

I considered the plan at cornerback, with the Eagles putting a lot of weight on second-year cornerback Quinyon Mitchell to be "the man". But he was so good as a rookie — I think he's ready. 

Instead, I'll choose the decision to go get Jihaad Campbell. They'd have gotten him earlier if some of the teams Howie Roseman was calling on draft night decided to play ball, too. For the Eagles, who had meaningful departures at both EDGE and cornerback, to covet Campbell the way they did while Campbell fell due to medical questions, is ambitious and, in some ways, out of character. It's a fairly mild "boldest move", though — as it was a great value selection relative to their draft slot. 

The Washington Commanders

The Boldest Move: The Laremy Tunsil Deal

Go ahead and put those chips on the table, Washington! Talk about a splash. If you don't remember, the Tunsil deal provided a heavyweight anchor to Washington's line to protect QB Jayden Daniels, but it came at the expense of significant draft capital. 

- Houston received: 2025 third-round pick, 2025 seventh-round pick, 2026 second-round pick, 2026 fourth-round pick
- Washington received: OT Laremy Tunsil and a 2025 fourth-round pick

Hopefully that Tunsil 2025 highlight tape will be worth playing on repeat while the Commanders' 2026 picks are on the clock next spring. Tunsil, going into his age-31 season, should have plenty of good football left. He's owed $21.35 million in each of the next two seasons, so Washington is obviously hoping they see it. 

The Dallas Cowboys

The Boldest Move: Not Extending Micah Parsons Yet

George Pickens got firm consideration here, too. Trading a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick for Pickens, only to not extend him going into a rookie year feels like trouble — particularly for a Cowboys team that has been slow on the draw getting extensions done. 

Speaking of slow getting extensions done, Micah Parsons' price just keeps going up. And up. And up. With Pittsburgh's TJ Watt next in line, Parsons and his camp are likely giddy at the idea of another market reset contract happening between now and when they finally press Dallas for a new deal. At the end of 2024, the market rate atop the EDGE position was $34 million (Nick Bosa). Now it's $40 million (Myles Garrett) with TJ Watt looming. 

Get it in gear, Jerry. 

The New York Giants

The Boldest Move: The Secondary Overhaul

The low-hanging fruit here is the Jaxson Dart maneuver. But the Giants needed to make something happen at quarterback or else the 2025 season was going to be a miserable one for Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen. They've attached themselves to Dart in part because they desperately needed to. 

But I think the spending in the secondary is a bold, bold bet. Paulson Adebo's contract averages $18 million per season and he'll collect $22 million in cash this season. Adebo is a good player in the prime of his career, but he missed significant time last season with a lower body injury and hasn't played in a full season since his rookie year. Jevon Holland got $15.1 million per season, just about a minimum salary difference away from what they could have potentially got Xavier McKinney back for if they were proactive with his negotiation a year earlier. Holland is a fine player, but he hasn't been his best self since the 2022 season. 

It's a couple of expensive bets. If they cash, the pressure will be off for the Giants. But if they don't...