NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Eagles, Redskins

Cowboys

Cowboys WR Amari Cooper said being traded from the Raiders has “changed” him and he’s now trying to “intentionally” have fun with the game.

“I feel like it kind of changed me, like, as a person a little bit,” Cooper said, via Kimberley A. Martin of Yahoo Sports. “Just reflecting on my last four games here and my personality here, I feel like it did change me, as far as having that chip on my shoulder. Not that I wasn’t passionate before, but playing with more passion, trying to intentionally have fun out there. It definitely has changed me, in terms of me going out there and just having fun with it.”

Eagles

Eagles LBs coach Ken Flajole said the team’s medical staff expects LB Nigel Bradham to play in Week 13 despite having a broken thumb.

“I think our medical people expect Nigel to play,” Flajole said, via Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice. “It’s probably comparable to what Kamu Grugier-Hill did to his thumb a few weeks back. Getting over the initial pain, I think they cast it, and they find a way to protect it so that he can play. Unless I get a different report, my expectation is that he will play.”

Bradham added that it is difficult getting off blocks and tackling with a broken finger.

“It’s tough just trying to get off blocks, being able to tackle,” Bradham said. “You’re pretty much using your hands on every play.”

• Sources familiar with the situation tells Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News that the Jets actually turned down the Eagles’ offer of a fourth-round pick for WR Robby Anderson before the trade deadline.
• Eagles HC Doug Pederson said Thursday that RB Darren Sproles (hamstring) will try and practice today on a limited basis. (Jeff McLane)
• According to Pederson, WRs Mike Wallace and Mack Hollins are not ready to be activated from injured reserve. (Reuben Frank)

Redskins

Redskins VP of player personnel Doug Williams said Thursday during an interview with The Team 980 that the front office wasn’t divided on the decision to claim LB Reuben Foster, as one report stated.

“When I read that, I was trying to find out who wasn’t united,” Williams said, via the Washington Post. “This is all the people from the head coach, and myself and [Redskins President Bruce Allen], and of course the owner, who owns this football team, has to know what we’re talking about. I don’t know who wasn’t on board. I don’t know where the source comes from. In every organization and every business, everything else, I’m sure they got some leakers who might say something and people take it and run with it. … Nobody that was in my room was thumbs down.”

Williams acknowledged that they anticipated the criticism they’ve received for claiming Foster following his latest domestic violence arrest.

“We knew there was going to be some backlash, and we understand that, and rightfully so,” Williams said. “I’ve got six daughters, so it ain’t something I would condone, but at the same time I think we are in the business of at least looking into [his case]. I could sit here, and I won’t, name a bunch of teams that took on players that got a lot of baggage that nobody’s saying anything about. You can’t get into nitpicking what they do and what you do. You gotta look at it from your standpoint. There was a lot of thought that went into it. It wasn’t just a spur of the moment type of thing. We all gathered, we talked about it, we knew there was going to be some risk-reward involved in it.”