Eagles
The Eagles raised some eyebrows when they drafted QB Jalen Hurts in the second round instead of adding more to the team around starting QB Carson Wentz. Wentz just signed a massive extension last year, so his job isn’t in any jeopardy. But the team explained finding a backup for Wentz, who started a full 16-game season last year for the first time since he was a rookie, was important. Former Eagles GM Joe Banner said he did something similar, drafting Kevin Kolb when he already had Donovan McNabb, and the result was it pushed McNabb to one of his better seasons.
“With Donovan, people underestimated his mental strength. Same thing with Wentz. Could he be a little annoyed? Possibly, who knows?” Banner said via Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “But I don’t think he’s lacking any confidence that he’s going to be the starting quarterback, and short of injury, that he’s going to be that for a long time to come.”
“But I do think that the Eagles did this with at least the possibility that if Wentz in fact continues to not be able to stay healthy — remember this is a franchise trying to win a Super Bowl. There are some teams just trying to get into the playoffs. That’s not the Eagles. They’re trying to win a Super Bowl,” Banner continued. “So, if what continues to block them from doing that is that he continues to not make it through a season, there’s nothing wrong with having somebody in-house that you think could be the next guy. Now, I’m sure Wentz, if he thinks about it that way, isn’t going to be happy. But it’s not going to change at all what he does or how he does it. He’s going to be as committed and as determined and as effective as he can possibly be. He’s still going to be the strong leader in the locker room that everybody is going to follow.”
Giants
Giants HC Joe Judge discussed his expectations for QB Daniel Jones in 2020 during an interview with Sirius XM.
“I’m very excited about working with Daniel,” said Judge, via Pat Leonard. “I love his toughness. I love his competitiveness. Those shine through right away. I want to be fair to Daniel right now and let him have the opportunity to learn the offense that he’s working in right now that he’s never taken a snap in, and let him progress at his rate and develop his career over the course of time that’s going to meet the expectations that we set internally.”
Judge also made comments about the work ethic that Jones exhibits, and is excited to get to work with Jones in person.
“I love working with this guy every day. He’s got a fire that burns in him. He brings other guys along with him. He shows up every day. He knows what you’re going to teach before you’re teaching it in terms of being prepared on material. He sets the tone for the room, and we’re very excited [for] when we finally get these guys in person. I’m glad he’s on our team. I’m really glad he’s on our team.”
Redskins
The most important job new Redskins HC Ron Rivera has is changing a culture that’s widely seen as one of the worst in the NFL. Rivera came in with a reputation as one of the most high-character coaches in the league and that’s carried over to his new players.
“I think the biggest difference between this year and my rookie year is this year is all business,” DT Jonathan Allen said via NBC Sports’ Ethan Cadeaux. “When I came in, the goals of the organization didn’t all align. Guys weren’t on the same page, from the top all the way down to the players…The direction we’re heading now is great. I’m excited for it, the players are excited for it.”
- Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated expects Redskins QB Dwayne Haskins to improve in his second year given new HC Ron Rivera and OC Scott Turner provide him better stability than the previous coaching staff.
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