NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Eagles, Giants

Cowboys

Every team will say their goal every year is to win the Super Bowl. There’s a different kind of pressure for teams like the Cowboys, though. Dallas made the playoffs in 2018, but fell short of the conference championship game for the 24th-straight year. The team has stars on both sides of the ball and depth to match, yet that could be gone as soon as next season depending on how contract negotiations with stars like QB Dak Prescott, WR Amari Cooper and RB Ezekiel Elliott shake out. The pressure is on to win big and win now.

“Jerry’s pretty much said it. I know [HC] Jason [Garrett] feels it, obviously he’s in the last year of his contract. We just feel like it’s time to take the next step around here,” Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “We’re not satisfied that people are saying, ‘Well, you’ve really drafted well for 10 years.’ Or, ‘You’ve put together a hell of a roster.’ That’s not good enough anymore. I mean, we’ve been doing that. Even in the 2000s, we had a couple shots there and didn’t get to the championship game, damn sure didn’t get to a Super Bowl. That’s not good enough. We’ve got to take the next step. We’ve got to have a successful season. We’ve got to have success in the playoffs. We’ve got to get in there and give ourselves a chance.”

• Cowboys HC Jason Garrett told reporters that they fully support DE Robert Quinn following the news that he’ll be suspended for the first two games of the season. (Calvin Watkins)
• Cowboys OL La’el Collins said of his potential earnings in free agency next year: “It’s out there but the biggest thing is we got a whole year of football to play and anything can happen so I’m just focused on coming out here and being the best football player I can be.” (Calvin Watkins)

Eagles

• Eagles HC Doug Pederson said of veteran RB Jordan Howard seeing playing time in the team’s preseason opener: “Wanted to see him live. Wanted to get him out there. He and Miles Sanders split the time in the first quarter, and seeing both of those guys together, that was the plan going in.” (Zach Berman)

Giants

Giants HC Pat Shurmur was asked following Thursday’s preseason about what he would say to fans who want to replace Eli Manning with rookie Daniel Jones after his solid debut. 

“I think, ‘Slow your roll,’” Shurmur said, via Pro Football Talk.

“This is just his first go around,” Shurmur said of Jones. “I think he did a good job. As I mentioned, all along he has done nothing to disappoint us, and certainly when you take the team down the field and score a touchdown, that’s a good start. It’s something good to build on. We have a lot of time left before we start playing games. Nothing at this point has changed.”

On Friday, Shurmur told reporters that “nothing has changed” with regards to the quarterback position.

“Listen, we’re not going to play the what-ifs,” Shurmur said, via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. “I would say this: Nothing has changed. This was the first game. I expect Daniel to play well and go out and improve.”

• Shurmur announced the following injuries: LB Alec Ogletree (calf strain), RB Jon Hilliman (concussion) and RB Wayne Gallman (foot strain). (Jordan Raanan)
• According to Shurmur, WR Darius Slayton (hamstring), CB Grant Haley (shoulder) and OT Chad Wheeler (back) could return this week.