NFC Notes: A.J. Brown, Austin Ekeler, Commanders, Cowboys, Eagles

“I think you can kind of see how they’ve been building the team so far this offseason,” Ekeler said in an interview on the Up And Adams Show. “Went out and drafted a tackle first round, brought in some bigger backs over from Baltimore. So it’s like, hey, they want a guy they can hand the ball off to 300 times a year and, look, I haven’t had that capacity to do that. That’s not my game. That’s not how Austin Ekeler‘s gonna be the best on the field. So there was the misalignment there, which, no harm, no foul, I’m going to go find somewhere else where Austin can be the best version of myself out there.”

Cowboys

Cowboys RB Deuce Vaughn said he’s been talking with OC Brian Schottenheimer about lining up in the slot receiver role and thinks he can add value to their offense.

“It was one of those things that we had kind of talked about at the end of the season last year,” Vaughn said, via the team’s website. “Talking with [Schottenheimer] just a little bit about getting with the slot. . . . Just learning a little bit more about it. Because it’s one of the things I did in college and love to do. Just adds another value.”

Cowboys OT Terence Steele said their offensive line is coming together well. 

“As a unit, we’re gelling really good,” said Steele. “Everyone is killing it in the classroom and on the field, and we’re really moving leaps and bounds over last year.”

Eagles

Eagles WR A.J. Brown was limited to end the 2023 season after sustaining an MCL sprain in the last game of the regular season. Brown committed to stepping up his physical training in hopes of staying healthy for the entire season. 

“I think [I am in the best shape of my life],” Brown said, via ESPN’s Tim McManus. “I always ask myself at the end of the season: Can I work harder? What else can I do? Those are the questions I ask myself and the answer is always ‘Yes.'”