Commanders
Appearing on the Rich Eisen Show, Commanders HC Dan Quinn spoke about how first-round pick LB Sonny Styles can impact the defensive unit as a whole, given his athleticism and versatility.
“I think it’s rare. … This type of linebacker; the athletic traits, the speed, the size, the length — it’s not an every-year player,” Quinn said. “I’m a developmental coach — I can’t wait to coach him. He’s hungry for it; he wants to improve. Seeing his first couple years at DB and then shifting down to linebacker at the start of the 2024 season, I just felt like this guy’s gonna take off. Reps at the position, and like just seeing it more and more, I cannot wait to get rolling with him.”
“He has such unique traits to him,” Quinn continued. “And so, we will play in a lot of zone where we will have vision to the QB and you can imagine this type of speed, this type of length, to be able to close to the ball. Although he hasn’t blitzed a ton at Ohio State — (Arvell) Reese was there, as well — the fact that we’re going to send this guy as a blitzer. So, I think it’s that type of versatility, where we will align him, how we can do that. He’s got the football acumen because of his time at safety, the coverage part of his game is intact and so to see him unleashed in some new ways, that’s going to be something that I very much look forward to being a part of.”
- Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that an NFL national scout compared Commanders’ third-round WR Antonio Williams to former Packers WR Randall Cobb.
- As for Washington taking Styles at No. 7, Fowler’s sense from talking to the team is that their fallback options would’ve been S Caleb Downs or CB Mansoor Delane.
Cowboys
The 49ers traded LB Dee Winters to the Cowboys for a fifth-round pick during the draft because of his expiring contract after the season. San Francisco GM John Lynch revealed the Cowboys had been interested in Winters for a long time, and said he remained in contact with Dallas EVP Stephen Jones since the trade for DT Osa Odighizuwa.
“We just felt like we were in a good position at linebacker, and Dallas has been really interested in him for a long time,” Lynch said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “And I’d say the talks probably started with myself and Stephen Jones, when we were talking about Osa (Odighizuwa). They’ve stayed on that. We kind of held it off for a while, and as we got there (Friday), we just felt like it was the right thing to do for our team.”
“It’s a good opportunity for Dee. I think there’s a lot of opportunity for him to shine, and just very grateful for Dee’s time here and all his contributions he made to our squad.”
- Cowboys DC Christian Parker: “This is our defense. I don’t want it to be called the Eagles defense or Vic (Fangio’s) defense. This is going to be ours. We’ve been real intentional about going about that process from the language that we use, the work flow that we have and everything else. It’s been real fun.” (Machota)
Giants
The Giants took EDGE Arvell Reese at No. 5 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, but Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports cites a team source who said they had “basically the same grade” on RB Jeremiyah Love, who was taken by the Cardinals at No. 3. Vacchiano cites one anonymous general manager who thinks taking Love that early was a “terrible use of assets.”
“It’s a terrible use of assets,” the general manager said. “Obviously, you can find 1,000-yard rushers for much less. You have to really believe [Love] is a Hall of Fame talent and can transform your team immediately. Because financially, you’re saying he’s 33% better than [Saquon] Barkley. And he’s not.”
One anonymous scout is unsure what the Giants would’ve done if Love was available at No. 5, but thinks teams need to “ignore the cost” if they are completely sold on a player.
“I don’t know what the Giants would have done,” the scout said. “But sometimes you just have to take the talent and ignore the cost. He’s a special running back. Forget the finances. It’s about: What can he do for you?”
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