NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, Redskins

Cowboys

Cowboys C Travis Frederick already played in a football game this preseason against the 49ers, marking his return to action after missing the entire 2018 season with a rare autoimmune disease called Guillain-Barre Syndrome. But Fredrick says there’s something different and more special about making his return in the regular season Sunday.

“I’m real excited. It’s good to be back. It’s all those feelings. Everybody was excited about the San Fran game because it was the first time I was back out there,” Frederick said via ESPN’s Todd Archer. “Something’s different about the regular season and being part of the grind, being part of this season the things that matter and being part of hopefully the journey to where we want to go. Having sat out of that, it’s lonely. You feel really separated from the team. As much as I tried to be around and tried to be in the mix, I wasn’t even close. And it makes you really realize how awesome it is to be a part of that. I think that’s really what I’m looking forward to most.”

Cowboys HC Jason Garrett said it was “too early” to say for sure what kind of workload RB Ezekiel Elliott would receive in Week 1 against the Giants after Elliott missed the entire camp and preseason. Garrett said Elliott has done well in practice so far and he was working out while he was away from the team but they’re going to be cautious. 

“You just want to have a plan and you recognize where he’s been,” Garrett said via NFL Media’s Andie Hagemann. “There’s no question he’s been working out, he’s in good shape, his weight’s good, all of that. But again he hasn’t been practicing against pro football players so you just work your way back into it. He’s an experienced guy. He’s played a lot of football for us so we just use our best judgement based on what we see, his feedback, what he says to us — how he feels — all of that. You just take it step by step.”

• Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones says the team has no doubts that QB Dak Prescott can be their franchise guy: “I just can’t imagine Dak doesn’t know what we think of him. We’re trying to put the best team around him. We want him to win Super Bowls. He’s going to be the quarterback around here for many, many years to come.” (Machota)
• Prescott said he is obviously interested in re-signing with Dallas but didn’t want to put a timeframe on signing a deal, adding his main focus was Sunday’s season opener: “At this point, my focus is all on the Giants. … I don’t want to distract myself any thinking about those talks. … I’ve got people to take care of that.” (Machota)
• According to Over the Cap’s Hardik Sanghavi, Cowboys CB Byron Jones is a candidate to push the cornerback market forward with his next deal following the 2019 season. 
• Currently, the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback has hovered around the $15 million per year the Redskins signed Josh Norman for in free agency in 2016. Miami signed CB Xavien Howard to an extension just over that mark this offseason, but gave Howard less guaranteed money than Norman. 
• Cowboys rookie RB Mike Weber suffered a knee injury in practice Wednesday. (Jon Machota)

Eagles

Eagles RB Jordan Howard shrugged off reports that Philadelphia dangled him as a part of a trade offer to the Chargers for RB Melvin Gordon. Howard has already been traded once this offseason when the Bears flipped him to the Eagles for a conditional sixth-round pick and he’s entering the last year of his contract. 

“I didn’t hear about that, but that’s not my job, to worry about it, my job is just to focus on what’s on hand right now,” Howard said via the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Les Bowen. “That doesn’t really make me feel any kind of way. It’s good people are interested in me or whatever.”

Current Eagles practice squad QB Kyle Lauletta, drafted by the Giants in the fourth round last year, knew his time in New York was numbered as soon as the team drafted Daniel Jones in the first round. After that, Lauletta turned his attention to setting himself up for his next opportunity. 

“I think as a young quarterback who’s not a starter, you’re always putting tape out there for everyone to see,” Lauletta said via NJ.com’s Zack Rosenblatt. “I tried not to think about any of that. I didn’t try to compete against anyone, I was just competing against myself and that’s how I took it. Just saying ‘hey, go out there and take it one game at a time and manage the game and do what a quarterback is supposed to do.'”

• According to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, Lauletta will make $20,000 per week on the practice squad. The minimum is $8,000.
• Eagles LB Nigel Bradham expects to play Sunday despite leaving the team during the final preseason game. Bradham says he got sick during the walkthrough and should have done a better job communicating with the team. (Eliot Shorr-Parks)

Giants

• Giants cornerbacks Antonio Hamilton and Deandre Baker were both listed as starters at one cornerback spot on the first depth chart, but HC Pat Shurmur wouldn’t reveal which would actually start Week 1. (Dan Duggan)
• Shurmur said starting right tackle Mike Remmers‘ absence from practice had more to do with his illness than his back and he’s “not concerned” about Remmers’ availability Week 1. (Ryan Dunleavy)
• Giants waived DB Kenny Ladler, DB Henre Toliver and DB Ronald Zamort from injured reserve with a settlement. (NFLTR)

Redskins

Redskins G Ereck Flowers will take the first step toward a fresh start this Sunday when he starts at left guard for Washington in Week 1. Flowers was drafted by the Giants with a top-ten pick in 2015 to be a franchise left tackle, but he never lived up to expectations. He’s hoping a new team and new position will give him a better chance to make a favorable impression. 

“If you read about me, you’d swear I was this villain,” Flowers said via NJ.com’s Darryl Slater. “A lot of people don’t know me, so maybe some people have some built-up opinion about me.”

“I didn’t have anger,” he continued. “I just wanted a fresh start. For me, football has been more enjoyable here. I’m just trying to refine my game, get rid of bad habits, and create some good ones, especially at a new position.”

Regarding Redskins’ LT Trent Williams‘ holdout, a source within the organization told Josina Anderson of ESPN that veteran OT Donald Penn is “who we got” and they are not focused on Williams at this time. 

“Donald Penn is who we got. Yes he’s 5 yrs older than Trent, but he deserves an opportunity too,” Anderson’s source said. “We can’t go into the game thinking about what we don’t got. I don’t know the end game, that’s more for Trent to say.”

• Redskins TE Jordan Reed practiced on a limited basis Thursday and remains in the concussion protocol. (Mike Jones)
• Redskins HC Jay Gruden said the team hasn’t decided how many running backs to activate on Sunday. The third back would likely need to play special teams, which could give Wendell Smallwood the nod over Adrian Peterson. (Jones)