NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Eagles, Giants

Cowboys

  • Over The Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald has the Cowboys ranked in the bottom tier in his cap health index for 2021, which measures a team’s estimated cap space, cap flexibility and pending free agents.
  • Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer outlines how from Cowboys Dak Prescott‘s perspective Dallas has to make it worth his while not to play out the next three seasons on the franchise tag. 
  • Prescott is set to make $31.41 million under the tag in 2020. The tag in 2021 would be $37.69 million and the third and final tag would be $52.77 million. That’s an average of more than $40 million per season and Prescott would still be able to hit free agency just before he turns 30. 
  • Regarding Prescott’s lack of participation in virtual OTAs and a potential training camp holdout, Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy said he’s confident the situation will be resolved: “He’s involved in a business situation, and I have full confidence he will be ready to go. There has been communication. This is the way these business situations go sometimes, and you respect that.” (Michael Gehlken)
  • McCarthy is also excited for what Cowboys LB Aldon Smith can bring to the table after being reinstated: “I’m just so happy for where Aldon is right now personally. He wants to get back professionally and be part of the football team and be productive. He’s in great physical shape. He’s bigger and stronger (than the last time he played).” (Jon Machota)
  • McCarthy expects the acquisitions of DTs Dontari Poe and Gerald McCoy in free agency to be huge for Dallas’ defensive line: “They’re two damn good veteran football players. They definitely fit what we’re trying to do up front, inside. Our outlook on how you play defense is you still got to stop the run. Then you have two big guys that can pass rush too.” (Machota)

Eagles

Even by NFL standards, Eagles C Jason Kelce has gone through a lot to be able to get his body ready to play football. The slew of injuries Kelce has battled through have made his career a year-by-year proposition, which is why his announcement earlier this offseason that he was coming back for 2020 bore some significance. Kelce was able to stay healthy last year, so his retirement would have come as some surprise. He says when he does decide to hang up his cleats, that won’t be the case. 

“When I’ve decided to retire, you guys will know, and it’ll be a very loud and emphatic statement,” Kelce said via the Athletic’s Zach Berman. “It’s going to be made, most likely, barring some sort of physical ailment that comes up during the season, the retirement is going to happen … before free agency, before the draft. It’s not going to be sprung out of nowhere. That’s not my goal. And for me last year, I very much felt comfortable with the way the season went. I was pretty solidified early on that I was going to play another season, and I let the team know that very quickly.”

  • The Athletic’s Jay Glazer thinks if Eagles QB Carson Wentz stays healthy, second-round QB Jalen Hurts can still bring a lot of value in packages similar to what the Saints do with QB Taysom Hill
  • Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that while the Eagles are interested in adding a veteran running back, they don’t foresee a large role for that player, which means they need a player who isn’t expensive and is content in that role. 

Giants

Giants QB Daniel Jones is working on learning his second offense in as many seasons in the NFL after New York hired Jason Garrett as the new offensive coordinator. It’s not an ideal circumstance for any young developing quarterback and especially not now without the benefit of on-field application during OTAs. But Jones’ college coach who’s known for working with both Peyton Manning and Eli Manning said he’s confident in Jones. 

“Trust me, he’s working 10 hours a day on his own mastering this,” Duke HC David Cutcliffe said via Steve Serby of the New York Post. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anybody more eager. . . . He’s every bit the worker that Peyton and Eli were their entire careers. I think he’s really starting to understand what they’re expecting or what they want to do offensively, and that’ll help him be successful in this transition. He certainly knows what lies in front of him. I do like the fact that he’s been very positive in conversation about the intensity of the meetings with the new staff, the accountability. He feels really good about that.”

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