Major problem areas 4 NFC contenders failed to fix in free agency

Matt Williamson is a former scout for the Cleveland Browns, and spent the last 10 years at ESPN as a scout and co-host of the podcast "Football Today."

The biggest moves in free agency have come and gone. We are still seeing some roster-filling additions, but for the most part, NFL decision-makers are hunkered down in heavy draft preparation. Obviously the draft is a massive component of roster building, but several NFC teams with playoff aspirations have major areas of concern that haven't been addressed. Rookies could be thrust into these areas and asked to play a major role as they acclimate to the NFL.

Related: Major problem areas 4 AFC contenders failed to solve in free agency

Falcons - Guard

The Super Bowl runner-ups are in excellent shape. This is especially true on offense, where Atlanta was the best in the league last year.

While the team could certainly use another edge pass-rusher, the position that needs addressed most is guard. The Falcons featured a very good offensive line last year, but Chris Chester was its weakest link. It doesn’t appear that Chester will return, which leaves a hole among the Falcons’ starters on this side of the ball.

If Atlanta can transform its weakest starting position on offense in 2016 into a strength by selecting one of this draft class' top guards early on, just imagine how good the Falcons' offense could be in 2017.

Cowboys - Secondary

The back end of the Cowboys' defense took some major hits in free agency. That's concerning in itself, and doubly worrisome because Dallas was already lacking in the pass-rushing department.

Gone are Barry Church, Morris Claiborne, Brandon Carr, and J.J. Wilcox. Dallas did lure Nolan Carroll away from the Eagles, but it doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out that this is a net loss - Dallas saw over 2,800 snaps from its secondary from a year ago walk out the door. And that snap total would have been much higher if Claiborne, who had his best season as a pro, hadn't missed nine games due to injury.

Serious reinforcements are needed.

Eagles - Cornerback

Though the Eagles, as mentioned, lost Carroll to a division rival, he's not a great player, and they were quite weak at cornerback last year with him in the mix. Philadelphia wants an upgrade over Carroll.

The Eagles wisely addressed the offensive side of the ball in free agency to help out the cornerstone of their organization, Carson Wentz. In a cornerback-rich draft, it's possible Philadelphia adds two cornerbacks of note to couple with Jalen Mills and Ron Brooks.

Redskins - Run defense

Washington finished 2016 with the 24th-ranked run defense and allowed a whopping 4.5 yards per carry in the regular season. How has the organization addressed the problem? By letting the team's best defensive lineman by far, Chris Baker, go to Tampa Bay, and replacing him with Stacy McGee and Terrell McClain.

Washington also signed D.J. Swearinger, a safety who plays the run well, and moved Su'a Cravens to safety from linebacker, although it is unclear how much Cravens’ role will actually change in his second season. This just isn’t enough, however, to fix the run defense problem that's plagued the organization for some time.

If Reuben Foster falls in the draft, Washington should pounce. The club should also very much be in the market for defensive linemen who are stout at the point of attack. The interior of this front seven needs improvement.