NFC offseason grades: Cowboys, Bears fizzle while two NFC North teams sizzle

We’re at the halfway point of the NFL season, an opportune time to grade each team’s offseason.

Did the Dallas Cowboys do enough? How about the Chicago Bears, who had the No. 1 overall pick, and the Lions, who signed key players to contract extensions?

Ahead of Week 10 games, here are evaluations of all 16 NFC teams (season record in parentheses).

NFC East 

DALLAS COWBOYS (3-5) | Grade: D | Free-agent linebacker Eric Kendricks leads the team with 70 tackles and first-round pick Tyler Guyton has shown promise at left tackle, but the Cowboys’ unwillingness to add a quality running back is a big reason for the disappointing record. Offseason contract extensions for wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott were noteworthy, but not enough to overcome the NFL’s 31st-ranked running game.

NEW YORK GIANTS (2-7) | Grade: B- | New York got an A+ wide receiver in Malik Nabers with the sixth pick in the draft, but how good would Denver quarterback Bo Nix (pick No. 12) look in a Giants uniform? Former Panthers LB Brian Burns has looked great (four sacks and 23 tackles in his past five games) but not as good as RB Saquon Barkley looked in Week 7 with 176 yards rushing and a TD against his former team. That was 158 more yards than his replacement, Devin Singletary, had in what appears to be his last game as Giants lead back.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (6-2) | Grade: B | The Eagles did well by taking top cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the first and second rounds of the draft, but they have gotten almost nothing from rookie receivers Ainias Smith and Johnny Wilson. Running back Saquon Barkley, the NFL’s second-leading rusher (925 yards), is among the year’s best free-agent signings, but former Jets defensive end Bryce Huff has just 1.5 sacks in 199 snaps and Devin White, once a Pro Bowl linebacker in Tampa Bay, was released in early October.

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (7-2) | Grade: A+ | Thanks to new head coach Dan Quinn, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and the addition of the NFL’s 2023 leading tackler, linebacker Bobby Wagner, the Commanders lead the NFC East. Daniels has thrown for 1,945 yards, nine touchdowns (and just two interceptions) and sports the third-highest QBR rating (76.2). He almost single-handedly raised Washington’s offseason grade for new GM Adam Peters. — Bruce Ewing

NFC West

ARIZONA CARDINALS (5-4) | Grade: B- | The driving factor behind this grade comes from the draft class, which included first-round pick Marvin Harrison Jr. (445 yards receiving, five TDs), a rising star at wide receiver, and cornerback Max Melton. Free agents Mack Wilson, a linebacker, and Sean Murphy-Bunting, a cornerback, have played solidly, but neither has made a huge impact.

LOS ANGELES RAMS (4-4) | Grade: B | Some of their free-agent signings, including cornerback Tre’Davious White (since traded to Baltimore), were not the home runs they thought they would be. But you can’t ignore the impact of the draft class, including DE Braden Fiske (three sacks) and LB Jared Verse (3.5 sacks), have had on the defense.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (4-4) | Grade: C- | The 49ers invested heavily in rebuilding their defensive line and pass-rush (DL Leonard Floyd and LB De’Vondre Campbell), but the early results are mixed to downright disappointing. Keeping their skill-position group together, including WR Brandon Aiyuk (out for season with ACL/MCL injuries), was a win, but the decline on defense and lack of impact from their additions on that side of the ball bring the overall grade down.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (4-5)  | Grade: D | The biggest weaknesses the past few seasons have been on defense and their offensive line. Those two areas remain their biggest weaknesses at the halfway point of the 2024 season. Nothing slumping Seattle, which has lost five of its past six games, did over the offseason has meaningfully addressed its key issues. — Adam Gretz

NFC North

CHICAGO BEARS (4-4) | Grade: D+ | Chicago took the veteran approach in free agency by signing 32-year-old WR Keenan Allen, 31-year-old safety Kevin Byard, 30-year-old TE Gerald Everett and several others. Almost all have proved to be well past their primes. Outside of QB Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, no offseason addition has provided more than a sliver of hope for the team that is improved over last season but last in the division.

DETROIT LIONS (7-1) | Grade: A- | Rather than reflecting the play of free-agency and draft additions, Detroit’s offseason grade comes because of the talent it retained. The Lions signed OT Penei Sewell, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and QB Jared Goff to four-year extensions, and each is playing at an All-Pro level, fueling the league’s highest-scoring offense (32.3 points per game).

GREEN BAY PACKERS (6-3) | Grade: A | Green Bay formed one of the league’s scariest safety duos over the offseason, pairing second-round selection Javon Bullard, who is third on the team in tackles (51), with free-agency signee Xavier McKinney, whose six interceptions are tied with Lions safety Kerby Joseph for the league lead. The additions of LB Edgerrin Cooper through the draft and RB Josh Jacobs via free agency have also proved to be game-changers and provided Green Bay with a serious shot to make a deep playoff run.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (6-2) | Grade: B | Free-agency acquisitions QB Sam Darnold, who was in early consideration for MVP honors, and RB Aaron Jones, who is on pace for career highs in rushing yards (1,201 pace) and receiving yards (521), have thrived in HC Kevin O’Connell’s offense. Minnesota’s biggest offseason accomplishment, however, was signing superstar WR Justin Jefferson to a four-year, $140M extension that will keep him on the Vikings for the entirety of QB J.J. McCarthy’s rookie contract. — Josh Eaton

NFC South 

ATLANTA FALCONS (6-3) | A | From adding new HC Raheem Morris to signing QB Kirk Cousins (2,328 yards passing, 17 TD passes) in free agency, Atlanta’s offseason was a hit. The Falcons, who are first in the NFC South by two games, are in position to run away with the division after winning their first four division games. 

CAROLINA PANTHERS (2-7) | F | First-year head coach Dave Canales failed to make things work with QB Bryce Young. Meanwhile, the decision to trade edge-rusher Brian Burns, who has 32 total pressures this season (h/t Pro Football Focus), to the Giants for 2024 second- and fifth-round picks is as bad in hindsight as when it happened. The Diontae Johnson acquisition didn’t work either — Carolina traded the wide receiver and a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Ravens for a 2025 fifth-rounder.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (2-7) | D- | Limited by its expensive roster, New Orleans wasn’t a significant player in free agency, and the moves it made — including signing defensive end Chase Young and linebacker Willie Gay Jr. — haven’t translated on the field, with the Saints ranking 26th in scoring defense (25.4 points allowed per game). Hiring offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak was a short-lived success, and after head coach Dennis Allen’s firing, he’ll likely be a one-year rental.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (4-5) | C+ | Tampa prioritized re-signing its free agents during the offseason, keeping quarterback Baker Mayfield (three years, $100M), wide receiver Mike Evans (five years, $82.5M) and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (four years, $84.1M). Injuries have limited Evans and Winfield, but Mayfield leads the league in passing touchdowns (23) and has a career-high completion percentage (71.4 percent). — Eric Smithling