As a longtime proponent of the so-called "Planet Theory," which posits that there is a finite number of 300-pound athletes on Mother Earth and that it behooves NFL teams to employ a healthy quota of them, Bill Parcells can't be too thrilled by the composition of the Dallas Cowboys defensive line corps.

Nary a 300-pounder in the bunch and, when it comes to his undersized front four, The Tuna must feel like he'll be going to battle this season with a bunch of minnows as his first line of resistance on a Cowboys defense that ranked No. 15 against the run in 2002.

The projected starters average 284 pounds and only if two-year pro John Nix cracks the starting lineup will the Cowboys have some beef upfront.

	Andy Reid is convinced the Eagles will overcome the departure of DE Hugh Douglas.

Parcells inherits a front four, indeed a defense in general, that is built for quickness, and will be forced to use, at least for one year, the scheme designed by holdover coordinator Mike Zimmer. But among the quartet of teams in the NFC East, it isn't as if Dallas is the lone franchise with a front four unit hounded by question marks, and training camps will have to provide some answers for the Eagles, Giants and Redskins as well.

Certainly all four teams have experience, and in some cases even quality depth, but the offseason has shaken the defensive line units up a bit and there will likely be even more scrambling before the commencement of the regular season. The respective defensive line uncertainty, across the board in the NFC East, is arguably the most obvious common denominator in the division.

This is a division that, at one stretch from the mid-1980s through the mid-'90s, claimed seven of 10 Super Bowl championships. But there hasn't been a league champion from the NFC East since the Cowboys won Super Bowl XXX to conclude the 1995 campaign. And while Philadelphia has gotten close to the brass ring, appearing in the NFC title tilt each of the last two seasons, the division might not add to its Vince Lombardi Trophy inventory without an overall defensive line upgrade.

Or until the NFC East franchises are able to comfortably fit square pegs into square holes.

"We're going to have to (identify) who is going to play where, and when, but we've got enough bodies and we're in better shape than some people around here seem to think we are," said Eagles coach Andy Reid at a recent league meeting in his town. "Right now, we have strength in numbers, and we're pretty comfortable about things."

But while the Eagles can roll in defensive linemen in waves after a draft which added two likely rookie contributors in former University of Miami starters Jerome McDougle and Jamaal Green, and have brilliant coordinator Jim Johnson on hand to conjure up enough exotic blitzes to compensate for any deficiencies, the team still must figure out how to replace departed right end Hugh Douglas.

There is no lack of candidates -- including veterans N.D. Kalu and Derrick Burgess, along with the rookies -- but until one of the bunch turns potential into production, Philadelphia remains absent a proven outside pass rush threat and a team that could well man the right end position by committee.

Again, though, the lack of pass rushers is a shortcoming around the division. The NFC East has only two real pass rushers of note and one of them, Bruce Smith of Washington, is doing it more with memory than moves at age 39. Michael Strahan of the Giants remains a double-digit sack guy, but could use some assistance.

In terms of stopping the run, only the Eagles, who ranked No. 9 statistically, were among the top 10 defenses in 2002. Washington was 12th and the Cowboys and the Giants were in the middle of the pack. The division may not feature the bludgeoning running games it did in its halcyon years, but defense still begins with stopping the run, stopping the run starts upfront, and that means the NFC East head coaches and the defensive coordinators must unmuddle their line situations as early as possible this summer.

For all four teams, it seems, there is more than enough unmuddling to be accomplished.

	“	We're going to have to (identify) who is going to play where, and when, but we've got enough bodies and we're in better shape than some people around here seem to think we are. ”
		— Eagles coach Andy Reid

"You might have an idea right now as to how things will shake out," said Washington vice president Vinny Cerrato. "But, to be honest, it's hard to tell until you get into pads and start hitting each other. That's when you get some answers."

The Redskins seem to know who will start on the front four, but the assimilation of two new starters added through free agency, tackle Brandon Noble and end Regan Upshaw, must still be achieved. Upshaw is projected to replace Smith at right end, meaning that the No. 2 sack man in league history will have to pursue Reggie White's career record as a situational performer.

New York might appear well positioned, but the Giants still need Kenny Holmes to be the complement to Strahan he has failed to become in his two Giants seasons, and there is a cloud hovering over Keith Hamilton. The veteran tackle is attempting to come back from an Achilles injury, no small feat at age 32, and he was recently arrested and could be charged with drug possession. That could bring him under league scrutiny.

The Giants added first-round pick William Joseph and need him and veteran Cornelius Griffin to play well for them inside. Just two years ago, Griffin seemed poised to move into an elite tackle group, a 300-pounder who moved so well that he was often asked to drop and cover in zone-blitz situations. But the three-year veteran, while still very solid, hasn't become special yet.

Beyond the addition of the two draft choices, the Eagles will get former starting tackle Hollis Thomas back from the broken foot that cost him most of the '02 season, and his return should provide Johnson and line coach Tommy Brasher great flexibility. It could be that tackle Darwin Walker, who established himself as an emerging player when he replaced Thomas, will move outside to end in some situations.

The personnel and permutations, however, must still be determined, even for an Eagles team with defensive line numbers. There are, for sure, some things yet to be worked out.

Just like for the rest of the teams in the division.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.