Free-agent fallout: Look who's leaving the NFC East

In the approximate words of legendary sports writer Grantland Rice, “It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.” He obviously knew nothing about NFL free agency.

To be fair, the NFL didn’t exist in 1908 when Rice wrote those words in a poem called, “Alumnus Football” and free agency wouldn’t begin until 1993. These days, losing talented players can make or break an NFL franchise.

Here’s a look at players leaving their NFC East teams:

Dallas Cowboys

Key losses: RB Tony Pollard, C Tyler Biadasz, DE Dorance Armstrong

It’s hard to believe that a team with such a rich history of talented running backs finds itself in such a hole at the position. Dallas couldn’t match the Titans' three-year, $24M deal for Pollard, leaving them a trio of running backs with a combined 73 career carries.

Biadasz remains in the division, albeit with the rival Commanders where he’ll play under former Cowboys coordinator Dan Quinn. The four-year veteran made the Pro Bowl in 2022 and had 53 starts with the team.

Armstrong spent six years in Dallas, with his best three under Quinn. The former fourth-round pick averaged seven sacks over the past three seasons but now he gets to sack former teammate, Dak Prescott.

New York Giants

Key losses: RB Saquon Barkley, S Xavier McKinney

With a three-year, $37.75M contract on the table, Barkley became a luxury the team couldn’t afford. The former Nittany Lion was plagued by injuries as a Giant but appeared in 43 of a possible 51 games over the past three seasons including 1,650 total yards and 10 scores in 2022.

McKinney led the Giants secondary with 116 tackles and three interceptions in 2023 and was rated fourth-best at his position by Pro Football Focus earning top marks for coverage among safeties.

Philadelphia Eagles

Key losses: S Kevin Byard, QB Marcus Mariota, RB D'Andre Swift

Byard failed to impress in 10 games after being traded by the Titans and would have cost the Eagles $14.4M next season. His release saves the team $13M, some of which was used to bring back C.J. Gardner-Johnson from the Lions.

Mariota completed only 15 passes as Jalen Hurts’ backup, which is 15 more than third-string quarterback Tanner McKee. If Hurts misses any time in 2024, the team may regret losing the nine-year veteran.

Swift finished 2023 as the NFL’s fifth-leading rusher with 1,049 yards before signing with the Bears. Barkley is the better runner, but time will tell if the league’s 16th-leading rusher is $13.75M better than Swift.

Washington Commanders

Key losses: QB Jacoby Brissett, RB Antonio Gibson

All things considered, Washington could do worse than losing a pair of backup players like Brissett and Gibson. Brissett would have been a good mentor should the Commanders take a quarterback in the upcoming draft, but Mariota can do the same for $2M less than Brissett received from the Patriots.

Gibson couldn’t get going in four seasons as a Commander, but he’s also off to New England after Washington added running back Austin Ekeler from the Chargers, giving the team a solid one-two punch out of the backfield.