NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Eagles, Giants

Cowboys

• ESPN’s Todd Archer listed Cowboys WR Tavon Austin as a potential veteran cut. Austin played in only seven games last year and was limited with a hamstring strain this spring. Dallas also signed WR Randall Cobb and drafted RB Tony Pollard, both who have a similar skillset to Austin.
• According to the Athletic’s Calvin Watkins, the Cowboys are planning to let OT La’el Collins test free agency next season. 
• Watkins adds the Cowboys plan to use the second-round tender on LB Jaylon Smith next season when he will become a restricted free agent. 
• Watkins expects QB Dak Prescott to command a cap hit of around $30 million when he signs his extension. 
• Watkins says RB Ezekiel Elliott‘s representatives reached out to the Cowboys and the team no longer believes it can wait until 2020 to extend him.
• The plan is now to extend Elliott this offseason with a deal similar to Rams RB Todd Gurley‘s $17.2 million 2020 cap hit.
• Watkins reports CB Byron Jones has been pushed to the back of the line for extensions and the team hasn’t had any substantial talks with his agent. One source told Watkins they wanted to see Jones add more interceptions in 2019. 

Eagles

Eagles CB Sidney Jones missed his entire rookie season due to an injury suffered during the pre-draft process, then struggled again with injuries in his second season. If he can stay healthy, the Eagles believe he could become a mainstay in their secondary. 

“It was a tough season for him, but he did experience some success. He saw some tough times. Persevered through it. Finished the year healthy even though he wasn’t really back on the field for us,” Eagles DC Jim Schwartz said via NJ.com’s Zack Rosenblatt. “… He has a lot of talent. He’s been playing inside and outside for us in the corner position, both right and left. But it won’t just be about where he is in the off-season. It’s going to be about where he is in training camp and where he is at the end of training camp, and at the end of pre-season games.”

Giants

With Odell Beckham off to Cleveland, the Giants will be counting on WR Sterling Shepard to step into a bigger role. Shepard has the most chemistry of anyone on the roster with QB Eli Manning and is no stranger to playing without Beckham, who missed time to injuries each of the past two seasons. 

“I felt like last season, with Odell going out for the last five games kind of prepared me for what I was going to get into this year, and the season before when he went down with the ankle injury,” Shepard said via NJ.com’s Matt Lombardo. “I feel like that prepared me for this moment.”