NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, Redskins

Cowboys

• According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, Cowboys WR Amari Cooper was knocked out of Sunday’s game with a thigh bruise. While the injury was quite painful, Rapoport says there’s no indication of long-term damage. 
• Todd Archer reports that Cooper’s quadriceps bruise is no worse after three snaps in Sunday’s game, but his availability for Week 7’s matchup with the Eagles is in “serious question.”
• Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones says HC Jason Garrett is not on the hot seat despite three straight losses: “Absolutely not. This team just needs to get a win under its belt. I still think we can have a great year. I feel good about it. Feel great about Jason and his staff.” (Jon Machota)
• Internally the Cowboys feelings on Garrett seem to be matching their public statements, per one team source: “Too early to jump ship too early to build one too. The thing is you can look up and we’re 13-3 or hell 3-13. Right now it’s premature to take either side…Circle back next Monday.” (Jane Slater)
• Garrett said it seems like WR Randall Cobb (back) is “doing a little bit better.” (Michael Gehlken)

Eagles

Aside from a few snaps in Week 2, Eagles WR DeSean Jackson has been battling an abdominal strain since exploding for 154 yards receiving and two touchdowns in Week 1. Eagles HC Doug Pederson is hopeful Jackson will be able to return for the team’s Week 7 game against the Cowboys, as Philadelphia’s passing attack has been able to find little consistency in his absence. 

“He has been running. He has been running on land, we have had him in the pool…He is feeling good,” Pederson said via Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.radio.com. “I am going to meet with the medical team in a little bit, and have more of an update at the noon press conference. But he is getting close and we are hopeful. I can’t promise anything, but we are hopeful he can return this week.”

Another area the Eagles have struggled at is in the secondary. Injuries have been a problem, as Philadelphia has had as few as three healthy cornerbacks on the roster at times this season. However, Pederson said the team is “not going to use that as an excuse” for the breakdowns, including allowing four touchdown passes to the Vikings and QB Kirk Cousins Sunday. 

“You can go three seasons without seeing a kind of game like that, so I don’t think we look to last week as a benchmark of who we are,” Eagles S Malcolm Jenkins said via the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane. “But I do think we got to play more consistently, and I think we’re trying to figure what our identity is. Obviously, with the rotation and the personnel changing every week, it’s hard to find what you are defensively.”

• The Eagles don’t plan for Jackson to practice Wednesday, while CB Jalen Mills will return to practice this week and CB Ronald Darby will ramp up his activity. (McLane)

Giants

• According to the NY Daily News’ Pat Leonard, Giants WR Sterling Shepard and RB Wayne Gallman remain in the concussion protocol.
• Giants HC Pat Shurmur said “we’ll see” when asked about RB Saquon Barkley‘s (ankle) status for this week. 
• Giants CB Sam Beal plans to practice Wednesday. 
• Giants TE Evan Engram is “pretty optimistic” about playing this week, saying his sprained MCL isn’t as severe as the one he had last season that kept him out for three games. (Jordan Raanan)
• Barkley, Engram, Gallman and Shepard all did individual drills, though Shepard is seen as a long-shot to play. (Ralph Vacchiano)

Redskins

Former Redskins HC Jay Gruden confirmed that he wasn’t surprised by his firing last week. Gruden said he had heard rumors about his job security dating back to last season and after no one in the chain of command gave him a vote of confidence no matter what happened, he knew he’d need to win early this year to keep his job. 

“No, I was not surprised at all,” Gruden said via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “With all the rumors going around before the season, and during the season even, I kind of knew it was coming, because no one really gave me a vote of confidence anyway. Like, ‘hey, don’t worry about the rumors’ or ‘you’re good here’, there was never that. I knew that if we didn’t win early, there was a good chance that I’d be gone.”

• Per NBC Sports’ JP Finlay, Redskins interim HC Bill Callahan said the team made the decision to place TE Jordan Reed on injured reserve because his absence was “going to be more prolonged.”
• Callahan added RB Chris Thompson had an MRI on his foot. (John Keim)