NFC East Roundup: How Rams Trade Impacts Cowboys

Plus, is Giants' GM Jerry Reese on the hot seat?

Jerry Jones (USA Today Sports)

Jerry Jones (USA Today Sports)

With just 11 days to go until the draft, let’s take a look at what’s going on around the rest of the NFC East.

Matt Mosley of the Dallas Morning News on what Jerry Jones and the Cowboys might do with the fourth pick now that one of the top two quarterbacks will be off the board.

The Cowboys have spent a lot of time deciding whether Wentz or Goff could be the quarterback of the future. Now, they will be able to target a defensive player at No. 4 without any distractions. I know folks have wondered what they’d do if Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil falls to No. 4. There’s a belief among scouts the Chargers won’t take Tunsil at No. 3. If he’s there for the Cowboys, look for them to trade down and add another second-round pick. It really depends on how much a team believes in Tunsil. Normally it takes a quarterback or a top-flight wide receiver to entice other teams (see Julio Jones) to move up the board.

If the Cowboys stay at No. 4, they’ll be looking at cornerback Jalen Ramsey or defensive end Joey Bosa. There are folks at Valley Ranch who would lobby for Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott, but that still seems like an unlikely scenario. Elliott doesn’t have Todd Gurley’s ceiling, so taking him six spots ahead of where Gurley went last year seems like a reach.

Jerry will talk plenty about trading down in his upcoming media availability. If a team gets hot for Ramsey, the Cowboys could move down a couple spots and pick up an additional second-round pick. That’s why they need to know where Ramsey will fit in the NFL. Some teams see him as more of a safety than a cornerback. The Cowboys grabbed a safety in the first round last year with Byron Jones and don’t need to spend the No. 4 pick on another one.

Lance Zierlein thinks the Cowboys will take Jared Goff with their first round selection.

If Wentz goes first, then a run on the first three quarterbacks could get jump-started early. Joey Bosa could be a very difficult player for the Cowboys to pass on here, but a potential future franchise quarterback might be even harder to pass on.

Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post thinks that Giants general manager Jerry Reese is on the hot seat after this offseason’s spree.

Giants co-owner John Mara isn’t passing up any opportunities to put the screws to general manager Jerry Reese.

Mara continued to ratchet up the public pressure on Reese on Wednesday, describing the upcoming NFL Draft as “time to pick it up” in the wake of four consecutive non-playoff seasons.

“Every draft is important, but I would say this one more so than usual because we’re picking so high and because we’re coming off [four years without the playoffs],” Mara said after a news conference at MetLife Stadium to promote a summer Paul McCartney concert. “It’s time to pick it up.”

Mara, who repeatedly has put Reese on notice in public comments since Tom Coughlin resigned under pressure in January, said the Giants’ huge outlay in free agency this year shouldn’t be considered a panacea to Big Blue’s playoff frustration.

The implications of the Rams trade make it possible that tackle Ronnie Stanley will now slip to the Giants at pick ten. Here is what Dane Brugler says about the pick.

With Will Beatty no longer on the roster and last year’s first-round pick Ereck Flowers struggling on the left side, Stanley would make sense as a plug-and-play left tackle from Day One.

Neil Greenberg of the Washington Post writes that Washington better rack up some wins early this season, because the back half is brutal.

Starting with the game in London against the Cincinatti Bengals, five of seven games will be against teams that made the playoffs, including four against squads that won division titles. The other two are against against division rivals on the road, including the Thanksgiving game in Dallas. The final game in this stretch comes against the Super Bowl 50 runner-up Carolina Panthers.

Starting off strong hasn’t been the Redskins’ strong suit and if they falter out of the gate this season, it could be another lean year in Washington.

Bucky Brooks thinks the Redskins will look to draft the best player available when Laquon Treadwell slips to pick twenty-one.

The Redskins need to find a young WR1 to help Kirk Cousins grow as a playmaker.

While Charles Davis of NFL.com thinks Alabama DT A’Shawn Robinson could be the move.

This will be a difficult selection for Washington. The Redskins will have options at DT, but Robinson is a space eater with some pass-rush skills. A WR is also a consideration here.