The Redskins made a move to improve their own 3-4 defense while simultaneously weakening the Cowboys'. They have agreed to terms on a 5-year, $27.5 million deal with former Cowboys DE Stephen Bowen. At 306 pounds, Bowen is clearly a 3-4 DE which is a position the Redskins sorely needed to fill. The Cowboys had also reportedly made re-signing Bowen their #2 priority after getting a deal with Doug Free done. So they'll feel extra burned that they've lost an important player on their defense to a rival.
The deal reportedly has $12.5 million guaranteed and adds another piece to the Redskins defensive line. Yesterday, they stole another D-lineman from a rival when they gave DT Barry Cofield a $36 million deal with $12.5 mil guarnateed. Both Cofield and Bowen are 27 years old.
While Bowen did a nice job for the Cowboys last year, this is still a massive deal for a guy that hasn't done a whole lot. He has just 11 career starts and 5.5 sacks in his five year career. He recorded 22 tackles last year, didn't force any turnovers and knocked down one pass at the line. They paid almost the same money for Cofield, who has been far more productive.
The Redskins have also reportedly been in play for Packers NT Cullen Jenkins. So it is unclear whether this takes them out of the running for Jenkins or whether they'll look to add yet another potential impact lineman. From an Eagles perspective though, this all means that the Redskins defensive line has improved, while the Cowboys and Giants lines have both taken a step back.