NFC East Notes: Zach Brown, Jordan Howard, Eagles, Redskins

Zach Brown

New Eagles LB Zach Brown says the environment in Philadelphia’s locker room is completely different from what he experienced with the Redskins. 

“Everybody’s cool,” Brown said via ESPN’s Tim McManus. “No one has a problem with anybody. Everybody’s cool. Offense is talking to defense. This locker room is just different from the locker room I came from. There’s no clicks, just one big click. I can talk over there with the offensive linemen, talk with the corners. The running backs are right here (next to me) so I always give them (grief).” 

Jordan Howard

New Eagles RB Jordan Howard is also finding Philadelphia to be more of a fit than his former team, the Bears. 

“I feel like they’re allowing me to do more, show my game off more instead of just being one-dimensional like Chicago had me,” Howard said via Zach Berman of the Philly Daily News. 

The Bears traded Howard because his struggles in the receiving game made their offense more one-dimensional when he was on the field. But so far that hasn’t been the case with the Eagles. 

“He’s caught the ball when we’ve thrown it to him, so that’s what I’m going to go [off] right now, his production with us,” Eagles OC Mike Groh said. “I think he’s worked hard at it and doesn’t fight the ball, and we just have to keep throwing him balls.”

Redskins

Redskins WR Josh Doctson says he doesn’t have any negative feelings toward the organization for not picking up his fifth-year option.

“I won’t be the first and I won’t be the last that this has happened to,” Doctson said via Jake Kring-Schrelfels of the team’s official website. “It’s nothing to be sad about, be mad about. Somebody wants you out there so it’s all love.”

Doctson added the team declining his option didn’t add any extra motivation. 

“That would mean it would have gotten to me, it would have frustrated me and made me feel some type of way,” he said. “There’s no motivation into that.” 

• Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer says Redskins QB Colt McCoy will try to do some individual work before the team breaks for the summer. 
• The goal is for McCoy to be ready for team drills by training camp as he recovers from a broken fibula that ended his 2018 season. 
• Redskins HC Jay Gruden says QB Alex Smith is “recovering nicely” and might be back sooner than people think. (Tom Pelissero)
• Gruden says he’s talked with OT Trent Williams, who is skipping mandatory minicamp in the hopes of a new deal: “I want him back in the worst way but there is a business side to it.” (John Keim)