Commanders
Many people expected the Commanders to address the linebacker position this offseason after some struggles from starters Cole Holcomb and first-round rookie Jamin Davis. But Washington almost entirely skipped adding anything significant to the position and DC Jack Del Rio explained why.
“Last year Cole Holcomb really took a huge step forward. In fact, a lot of the guys around the league that are getting the pub, he played better and as well as they did. So I would say, don’t sleep on Cole Holcomb,” Del Rio said via Julie Donaldson. “Jamin had a rough rookie year. If you go back and look at it, and take 30 splash plays out of the year, you would say, ‘This guy is a great player.’ What we need for Jamin is more consistency and I think you will see that growth in his second year. If you are a four-year starter or someone that played a lot. When you look at it in retrospect, we do have a lot of experience coming in. I like talent. Give us the talent, and we will coach ’em up.”
- NJ.com’s Zack Rosenblatt believes the Eagles and Commanders are two teams to watch to sign former Giants CB James Bradberry.
Cowboys
As teams look to keep their quarterbacks happy and engaged, many are turning to them for input in certain offseason moves, especially on offense. Cowboys QB Dak Prescott called and talked to a few receivers prospects before the draft, including Dallas’ eventual third-round selection Jalen Tolbert.
“That’s just something we did this year,” Cowboys VP of player personnel Will McClay said via the Athletic’s Jon Machota. “It was just really looking at the importance and the impact that Dak has on the team and on different people from different walks of life. It was just something that I talked to him about, ‘Hey, why don’t you give these guys a call? Talk to Mike (McCarthy), Stephen (Jones) and Jerry (Jones) about it.’ The idea of finding out who these guys are from a different perspective because we are going in, we’re talking to coaches, we’re talking to trainers and all that other stuff about people, and that’s at a level that is different than a player talking to a player. And players know players.
“It’s one of the things I learned way back when. My dad used to say it all the time, players know players. If you trust the player, you trust his commitment and who he is, it’s just a great barometer. You get some information on guys that maybe we wouldn’t have because maybe we weren’t asking the questions or understanding the lingo or whatever in the way that somebody in their peer group does.”
Eagles
Eagles C Jason Kelce revealed that he helped pick Nebraska C Cam Jurgens to succeed him in Philadelphia and knew the team would be drafting him during day two.
“I knew we were taking him,” Kelce during Bleacher Report’s draft coverage. “So, this is my favorite player in the draft. I’m not just saying that because we picked him. The Eagles have been using me to evaluate some of the centers coming out, and of all the guys that I’ve looked at like for the past two to three years, out of all the guys that compare the most to myself, this guy is him. I mean, he is so athletic, so fast, you see him out in space. He runs. He’s a natural athlete. You see the fluidity. He played tight end, a position convert. He’s only been playing offensive line for two years. … This guy is a freak athletically. He has the best chance to be a difference-maker at the center position. I like this kid a lot. I really do.”
Eagles GM Howie Roseman was happy to get the endorsement from Kelce and also liked what he saw from the rookie center during his time in college.
“I think with Cam Jurgens, his athletic ability, the explosiveness, the range and mentality he played with,” Roseman said when asked about Jurgens. “Then we got to know him and got to know the person and the leadership and the presence he had and the fit, it was a comfort level with all of that. But you see it. You see it on tape and get out and lead and run and work on the second level and displace people at the line of scrimmage in run blocking, and just the mentality and the finish and all those things that we like that our offensive linemen do, we saw in Cam. You know, Kelce saw all the same things that we saw. We think Cam has got a chance to be a very special player in this offense. And I said to Kelce, ‘You know, Jason, we have this unbelievable opportunity for a guy who is really talented to learn from the best who has ever done it here.’ And I said you know, I don’t know if it’s the perfect analogy but it’s almost like Aaron Rodgers had the opportunity to learn behind Brett Favre, and then the Packers basically had 25 years of elite play at the quarterback position. For the Philadelphia Eagles, for us, having elite play at the center position, it’s important. We felt like this guy, he was different than the centers who have come out the last couple of years. We think he has a chance to be really, really good. Getting to learn from the best ever, we thought was a way for him to be even better.”
- Geoff Mosher reports that Colts director of scouting Morocco Brown is expected to interview with the Eagles for a high-ranking executive position this week.
- The Eagles interviewed Steelers pro scouting coordinator Brandon Hunt over the weekend, according to Mosher.
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