NFC Notes: Bryce Huff, Mike McCarthy, Cowboys, Eagles, Giants

Cowboys

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told his team that he’s not planning on throwing in the towel in 2024 yet despite being 3-5 at the deadline.

“Well, I really don’t want to get into that because it was a very emotional message,” Jones said, via ESPN. “But I spoke to the team about having my butt kicked a few times and been around men who’ve had their butt kicked, and I’ve seen them come back and hold the trophy up … Now there’s times for all things. We all know we’ve got to play better than we’ve played tonight or we’re not going anywhere.”

Jones wouldn’t go as far as to say that he would make a blockbuster trade like he did for WR Amari Cooper, but they will mull upgrades to the roster.

“The point is,” Jones said, “we got a shot, we think, to improve our roster.”

Jones, at this time, also doesn’t have any plans to replace HC Mike McCarthy and said that sticking with him could be the best path forward.

“I’m good with Mike,” Jones said. “I know how hard he works. I like his football mind. I know how good he works. He’s got, in my mind, an outstanding coaching record. He’s really good with the players. They think highly of him. But he’s got a lot of fire in his belly. And so I’m just giving you this: I like the positives I see. And, by the way, frankly, some of the best coaches that I’ve been around, I got to see them when times were bad. We came in here with Herschel Walker playing for us our first year and hadn’t won anything and they’re all here to see Herschel, and that guy [Johnson] took it and went to the house with it a few times, our coach there. I’ve had experience of having times when you were questioning and thinking about maybe you’d do it differently, but I’ve had good experience with staying with it.”

Eagles

• Eagles DC Vic Fangio said DE Bryce Huff is still their main choice in nickel personnel when healthy but he had a wrist injury in warmups that limited him in Week 9. (Brooks Kubena)
• Eagles HC Nick Sirianni said Huff is “still in the mix” and will continue to rotate their pass rushers, via Zach Berman. 
• Sirianni added third-round OLB Jalyx Hunt has been impressive in practice and could earn a role as well. 

Giants

• When writing about his biggest surprise from the trade deadline, Dan Graziano of ESPN said the Giants not making any moves was peculiar to him. Sources tell Graziano GM Joe Schoen was asking for too much in possible deals for OLB Azeez Ojulari and WR Darius Slayton.
• According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, New York was demanding at least a fifth-round pick in exchange for Ojulari, but the Broncos dealing LB Baron Browning to the Cardinals for a sixth-round pick diluted the market. 
• Giants OLB Brian Burns was disappointed to see the organization cut CB Nick McCloud after squeezing him for a pay cut of $1 million: “That’s my partner. I don’t know. I don’t really know the ins and outs of why it happened. But that’s just somebody I got close to since I got here, so it’s a bummer.” (Pat Leonard)