An appetizer for fans of North America’s greatest games, minicamp provides a first glimpse at what teams will look like heading into each new NFL season. While pure speculation drives the coverage process at this stage for most media, injuries, depth chart orders, and player roles can be studied in depth at this stage.

So who were the biggest winners and losers of 2014 minicamp in the NFC East?

Washington Redskins

Winners

Rookie cornerback David Amerson impressed many during his first year as a professional netting two interceptions, 10 pass deflections and a forced fumble, and the youngster’s progression has not stopped there. Amerson has bulked up this offseason, adding six pounds of muscle, to help strengthen his press coverage ability. Washington’s secondary is in utter disarray, so any improvement here is a bonus for the Redskins.

Another area of concern for Washington in 2013 was the receiving corps, and they received a huge boost in talent this offseason with the acquisitions of DeSean Jackson and Andre Roberts and a third name that many may confuse with a former Packers running back. Rookie wide out Ryan Grant has impressed so far at minicamp, and if he proves a viable receiver, will provide yet another weapon to an already loaded arsenal on the Redskins’ offense.

Losers

Washington second-rounder Morgan Moses has struggled in minicamp thus far appearing off balance and sluggish in drills against other linemen. There is still plenty of time for the rookie tackle to improve, but the first sighting of this potential starter was not a good one.

Dallas Cowboys

Winners

Former sixth overall selection Morris Claiborne has struggled mightily in his first two seasons wearing the star, but looks as if he has improved in coverage skills and general field awareness this minicamp. Entering his third year, Claiborne must show he was worth that high of a pick in 2014.

Having missed part of his first two campaigns with injury, DeMarco Murray shined in his third season rushing for 1,121 yards and nine scores in 14 games for Dallas last season. Murray has looked great in camp thus far, and will be a major focal point on the Cowboys’ offense this year.

Losers

While Dallas’ defense was particularly atrocious last season, there is potential for them to get worse in 2014. Sean Lee tore his ACL while being blocked to the ground by 2014 first rounder Zach Martin, and will miss the entire season. By far the most talented player on the Cowboy’s defense, this is a blow that may take an entire year for Dallas to get over.

New York Giants

Winners

Entering his fourth season, Prince Amukamara must put up or shut up in his quest to be a top corner in the NFL. Amukamara is reportedly taking more of a leadership role of a unit that also includes veteran Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and self-named best slot corner in football Walter Thurmond. This is a much improved crew from last season’s corners for the Giants, and the leadership and performance from Amukamara have never been more important for New York.

Fourth round selection from Boston College Andre Williams is garnering some attention in the big apple. With a lack of talent in the Giants’ backfield, the table is set for Williams to become a breakout candidate in 2014 and it appears he has the tools to do so based on his play at minicamp.

Losers

New York improved drastically on defense after former Carolina Panther Jon Beason signed with the team. Unfortunately for the recently re-signed backer and fans of Big Blue, Beason suffered a broken foot during team drills at minicamp, an injury that will set his preparation back six to eight weeks.

The hope is that Beason will be able to start the season opener the first week of September, but foot injuries of this nature are nothing to play with so the Giants will be cautious here.

Philadelphia Eagles

Winners

Philadelphia struggled against the pass in 2013 and the difficulties that rose from a lack of pass rush were magnified by a lack of talent. Both Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher rarely played up to par last season, leaving the door open for a possible replacement. Enter Nolan Carrol# who spent much of his time last year play the gunner role on special teams for the Dolphins. No doubt Carroll will help in kick coverage, but his play in minicamp makes him a dark horse candidate for a starting spot in the Eagles’ secondary.

While Philadelphia will certainly miss the play of the departed Jackson, rookies Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff have shown glimpses of potential greatness at the wide receiver position. Match their development with the play of the versatile Darren Sproles and number 10 may not be missed so much when the leaves turn to brown in Philadelphia.

Losers

While improving special teams has been a major focal point of Chip Kelly’s offseason, he may not have been able to do that in terms of his kicker. Alex Henery has been less than spectacular in his professional career and Carey “Murderleg” Spear was brought in out of Vanderbilt to push Henery in camp. Unfortunately for the Eagles, Spear is far behind Henery in terms of development and especially in field goal accuracy. While Spear is by far the better kickoff specialist, Henery will keep the job due to his scoring accuracy. Outside of his kick power Spear does have one advantage on Henery: the way he earned his nickname.