NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Eagles, Redskins

Cowboys

• Clarence Hill reports that the Cowboys have not begun contract talks with LB Jaylon Smith, despite a recent report.
• According to Hill, Smith will be a restricted free agent after the season and there is a good chance they will place an original-round tender on him, since it would give them the same protection as a second-round tender. 
• Hill also reports that contract talks between the Cowboys and WR Amari Cooper remain at a “stalemate, stuck in neutral and going nowhere.” Hill adds that the Cowboys are not disappointed and remain confident in getting a deal done at some point with Cooper, but no deal is considered imminent at this point. 
• Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is the latest to add his thoughts to the chorus of voices praising OC Kellen Moore: “He said he wants to know what we think,” Prescott said via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “He wants to know what we want to do, and he wants to incorporate it into his plan. When you have a guy like that asking a player first how can I help, how can I make this situation better, this game better, you’re going to have a lot of success. And I’m so excited for this year and what we all can do.” 

Eagles

Veteran DE Chris Long said there were a number of factors that went into his decision to retire from the Eagles. 

“I learned to never make a decision based on just one thing,” Long said via NBC’s Peter King. “The decision to retire was complicated. It was based on health, which is still very good, and family, we have two small children, and football fit, which includes a chance to win and my role and geography.”

Long says he would have loved to stay in Philadelphia, but not at the reduced role he was facing. 

“Philadelphia is where I wanted to play a couple more years. I love Philadelphia,” Long said. “But as a player, I learned the most important thing to me is Sunday, and having a chance to be a big part of it. It seemed like player-coach was kind of the role that was going to be carved out for me—maybe playing 10, 12, 15 plays a game. I’m a rhythm player. I need to set people up, I need to be in the flow of the game. If I sit on the bench for three series, I can’t get rhythm, and I’ll get cold and maybe I’ll hurt myself. Some people think that’s great—play less and you won’t get hurt. Man, I want to play ball. In Philadelphia, it didn’t seem there was much of a chance to compete there.”

Long said communication between him and the Eagles was good and he’s not leaving on a sour note.

“But they were honest with me the whole time. I appreciate the honesty,” Long said. “I’ll always love Philadelphia and the Eagles, but I didn’t want Week Four, Five, to come around and people think, Whoa, where’s Chris? Did Chris retire? I’d rather do it this way than just fade out. And I didn’t want to start over again across the country somewhere.”

Redskins

Redskins RB Derrius Guice will likely make his return in training camp, as the team wants to make sure he’s in football shape as well as recovered from a torn ACL. 

“Derrius is coming along very well. We’re just trying to make sure that leg — his quad and everything — is full strength before we let him go. That will probably be another thing we’ll wait for training camp as well,” Gruden said via Pro Football Talk.