Cowboys
Cowboys’ veteran TE Jason Witten said he has not ruled out the possibility of playing in 2020, but he must “prove” he can still contribute this season.
“I think it’s still up in the air,” Witten said, via Ryan Osborne and Mike Leslie of WFAA Sports. “You’ve got to let it play out. Look, it’s a show me game, and I approach it like I’m a rookie because those 1,100 catches don’t matter. I truly feel I’ve got to prove it, and not with a chip on my shoulder or anything like that, but you’ve got to go show it. That’s the challenge.”
Witten said he still has “gas in the tank” and believes it’s important to prove he can still play at a high level.
“I know what kind of standards I put for myself. The last thing I want to do is be a bad version of that coming back. I knew when you make a decision like that, it’s not to just come back. The most important thing I can do in this return is be the best football player I can be,” said Witten. “I think there’s some gas in the tank.”
- Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer writes the Cowboys did a good job of drafting for needs a year out.
- The Cowboys drafted OL Connor McGovern and DT Trysten Hill as potential insurance for C Travis Frederick, who is recovering from illness, and 2019 free-agent OT La’el Collins and 2020 free-agent DT Maliek Collins.
Giants
Giants QB Daniel Jones said he’s already spoken with QB Eli Manning following the draft. The two already had a relationship before New York selected Jones No. 6 overall.
“I understand he’s got a job to do, I’ve got a job to do,” Jones said via Art Stapleton. “We’re gonna do the best we can to help the Giants win as many football games as we can, and certainly, with whatever my role is.”
According to Bleacher Reports’ Matt Miller, the Giants leaked multiple plans for the No. 6 overall pick to different reporters in order to conceal their plan to draft Jones. However, Miller said the consensus around the league was Giants GM Dave Gettleman panicked and took Jones too early.
“There is no way he was going anywhere else in the top 17 picks,” said an executive for an AFC team. “We run mock drafts and run through the scenarios and I hadn’t heard of one team that wanted Jones other than them.”
The same executive said the smart move would have been to take a pass rusher at No. 6 and then trade up for Jones, though he doubts Gettleman would have had to.
- Undrafted free agent LB Josiah Tauaefa received a $15,000 signing bonus and $95,000 in guaranteed base salary. (Jordan Raanan)
- Undrafted free agent S Mark McLaurin received a $10,000 signing bonus and $20,000 in guaranteed base salary.
- Undrafted free agent S Jacob Thieneman received a $4,000 signing bonus and $10,000 in guaranteed base salary.
Redskins
Trading up for DE Montez Sweat at No. 26 was a no-brainer move for the Redskins with how high he was on their draft board.
“High. Very high, yes. Very, very high,” HC Jay Gruden said via Les Carpenter of the Washington Post. “I think he’s a perfect fit for us.”
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Hey Matt Miller! You keep preaching the TRUTH my BROTHA. That AFC executive source of yours is 100% correct that NO other team(s) above the 17th pick wanted Daniel Jones. And Dave Gettleman did PANIC and make Daniel Jones the 6th pick of the draft with pass rusher extraordinaire Josh Allen, a consensus TOP 3 pick sitting there for the GMEN taking at #6.
The same thing happened to former GMEN GM Jerry Reese in 2016. Reese had his sights set on 2 players in the 2016 draft, one was Leonard Floyd and the other was Jack Conklin. Then! The Bears and Titans leaped up to snatch both players respectively, wrecking the GMEN big boards. Reese then went into panic mode and took Eli Apple with the 10th pick. Apple was considered a value pick between 20-32 in that draft.
Besides Gettleman obviously PANICKING at #6 last week. There is an article that depicts owner Mara in a fool blown tirade with co-owner Tisch about “not knowing what the GMEN game plan was after the Beckham trade”. Tisch’s alleged response was that “Dave has a plan and talks to Pat and Pat has a plan and talks to Dave”. That response must NOT have boded well with Mara and word got back to Gettleman that Mara was on the “war path”. Remember! Leading up to the 2018 Draft, Mara wanted one of the heralded 5 QBs in that draft (rumor has it Darnold and Mayfield) were Mara’s choices. And Gettleman went on his own with RB Saquon Barkley at the #2 pick.
So! I’m thinking Gettleman caught HEAT from Mara through Tisch about the Barkley pick. Then the Beckham trade coupled with Landon Collins just walking to the ‘Skins added more “fuel to the fire”. Gettleman PANICKED again and signed Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard to quiet things down. Because! I feel the picks Gettleman was going to go with originally was OLB Josh Allen, DT Ed Oliver or DL Rashan Gary at #6 and at #17 WR DK Metcalf would have been the pick to replace Beckham. But! Mara was not HAVING any of it and wanted a QB since the 2018 draft. Forcing Gettleman to PANIC at #6 and Gettleman took a QB to Mara’s liking in an Elisha clone named Daniel Jones. That killed the WR pick at #17 forcing Gettleman to reinforce the defense with DT Dexter Lawrence at #17. The Lawrence pick does NOT work either. Because! The GMEN LBing crew is subpar, you need a sideline to sideline MLB behind a mammoth DT. Then Gettleman PANICKED again and gave up way too much (70-80% over value) for the 30th pick, that Gettleman used to get CB DeAndre Baker. The only pick that was worth boasting about was CB Julian Love in the 4th round. This kid Love is a playmaker and picking Love in the late 1st round by any team would have been justified. And ‘Bama LB Mack Wilson was there for the GMEN taking for at least 3 rounds and Gettleman OVERLOOKED him. The GMEN need speed at LB it is so obvious.
I would LOVE to see the GMEN big boards right before draft time. Guaranteed! All GMEN FANS would be left scratching their heads.