Dallas must now pivot to free agency to land its pass rusher. It has monitored
Trey Hendrickson dating back to the trade deadline. He's now a free agent.
Jaelan Phillips,
Odafe Oweh and
Boye Mafe will be firmly on Dallas' radar in the coming days.
One person involved in the trade made an interesting point about the
Patriots' chances at Crosby: 'No way Tom [Brady] was sending Maxx to [Mike] Vrabel."
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In command of free agency
The Commanders were listed frequently in our running back and receiver breakdowns above. The pulse inside the league is that this year could be Washington's most active offseason of the Adam Peters era that began in 2024. The Commanders have an interest in other positions such as cornerback, edge rusher and possibly tight end. Washington has a roster with holes, nearly $90 million in cap space and star quarterback
Jayden Daniels on a rookie deal. So, while the Commanders might not spend big on every position, they will be a presence.
Eagles busy in new league year
The
Philadelphia Eagles are worth watching for reasons beyond
A.J. Brown. Philly is asking for a steep price for Brown -- one executive said it wants a first- and second-round pick for him. Perhaps that changes. New England is in the mix.
While I never sensed Philly heavily pursued Crosby, the Eagles are active in the pass-rush market. People inside the league believe Philly is attempting to re-sign Phillips to a deal that would pay him well above $20 million per year. But Phillips will have a strong market if he chooses to enter free agency.
Expect negotiations between
Alec Pierce and the Colts to go down to the wire as the team tries to keep him off Monday's open market.
That's going to be a challenge. Pierce appears poised to make at least $27 million per year on a new deal. The Patriots,
Commanders, Raiders and
Titans are among teams in the mix.
What helps Indy's case is that Pierce is close with Colts quarterback
Daniel Jones and, if everything is equal, would like to stay in Indianapolis. There's still hope for Indy, but Pierce's market will dictate his direction. His upside and penchant for chunk yardage are attractive to teams.
Packers wide receiver
Romeo Doubs plans to hit the market. Talks with Green Bay did not result in a new deal. He'll have several suitors. The Patriots, Commanders and Titans are closely watching his market, along with the
49ers. Doubs is considered by some evaluators to be the best all-around receiver in the group.
I'm expecting the Raiders to make a run at
Rashid Shaheed depending on how the dominoes in the receiver market fall and the price point. New coach Klint Kubiak loves him. But Vegas' bigger need is the offensive line.
The
Tampa Bay Buccaneers remain aggressive in attempting to re-sign
Mike Evans.
Buffalo would have been an ideal fit for Evans before the
D.J. Moore trade occupied some of its available cash. The Commanders could emerge as a sleeper for Evans. Remember, he wants a quarterback and targets. Tampa remains in a good spot with Evans but is not a lock to sign him.
Tennessee has been linked to
Wan'Dale Robinson. There is mutual interest, but Robinson will have other suitors.
...Kenneth Walker seems to be the market-setter as it stands, but
Travis Etienne Jr. will be right there in the mix. Some teams I've talked to are setting the market's ceiling at around $12 million. That could go up if enough teams get involved.
I'm hearing Walker will consider the
Giants and Commanders among his options, with the Titans as a possibility, too. Etienne has AFC West love via
Denver and
Kansas City. Both of those teams could check on Walker and others, too, depending on price ranges.
Most around the league suspect Kansas City will come away with a running back, whether one of the top players or a player in the middle tier.
Power back
Rico Dowdle has been linked to the Commanders by some people around the league.