NFC Notes: Brian Burns, Kenny Pickett, Commanders, Eagles, Giants

Commanders

Commanders DE Efe Obada told a story that showed his appreciation for HC Dan Quinn, whom he considers a great coach and a caring person after Quinn messaged him following an injury back when he was the head coach for the Falcons. 

‘Early in my career when I was still trying to figure out what football was, I had the opportunity to go for a training camp in Atlanta,” Obada said, via CommandersWire.com. “And Dan Quinn was the head coach there. I was there for about two or three weeks and thought nothing of it. Recently, when I broke my leg and when I was at my lowest point in the hospital, apart from Rivera, he (Quinn) was one of the only coaches that messaged me. He messaged me that I was a warrior and that I would get back. And that meant so much to me. So, for everything to play out the way it played out and for him to be here, honestly, he’s the only coach that I would want to play for right now. He’s one of the only coaches I want to go to war for, and it’s a testament to the kind of guy that he is because he cares about someone eight years later. He didn’t need to text me, and he did.”

• Michigan WR Roman Wilson met with the Commanders before his pro day. (Tony Pauline)

Eagles

New Eagles QB Kenny Pickett spoke about what it’s like joining his hometown team and how he can fit in after the fallout in Pittsburgh.

“Talking with Howie, I think he said it was the first college game he was at in three years or something,” Pickett said, via ESPN’s Tim McManus. “A great memory I had at Pitt. Really cool that he was in attendance for that game and made it a point to be there after not previously going to a lot of games. I knew there was definitely interest from back at my Pitt days.”

“I wanted to get a chance to go somewhere else and continue to grow my career. The fact that it is in Philly, the [area] that I grew up and found a love for the game here, with a great coaching staff, great players — I’m looking forward to meeting all these guys in a couple weeks when everybody gets back into town, but I think it’s an awesome opportunity to join this team.”

Giants

New Giants DE Brian Burns was traded from Carolina and inked a massive deal with New York. He had great things to say about the defensive line talent and mentioned some prior connections with his new teammates.

“New York has a ton of young pieces. Looking down the line, I’ve got Dexter (Lawrence), I came out with Dexter. (Kayvon) Thibodeaux, I know him. I actually took him on a recruit from Florida State. But they’ve got dogs on the inside, they’ve got a dog behind them in the linebacker corps,” Burns said, via John Fennelly of the Giants Wire.

“So, there’s a lot of talent on this team. Other than with Carolina — respect to Carolina. I really appreciate them drafting me back in ’19, and I had a great five years there. It just came to an end, and we split paths. I’m just super excited to be a Giant now. I’m ready to start this new journey and continue my career. I’m ready to do great things.”