Commanders
Commanders HC Ron Rivera didn’t have much to say when asked about the team re-signing S Kamren Curl this offseason. But that’s more of an indication of Washington wanting to keep Curl, who had a breakout 2022 season, without the price rising too much.
“He is somebody that fits what we do,” Rivera said via the Athletic’s Ben Standig. “You gotta be careful at this point. I promise you, I sit down (with Curl’s agent), and he goes to negotiate, and the first thing (he) does (is say), ‘Wow, you just said he’s a very, very, very, very, very important part.’ And that’s what we’re trying to avoid. I mean, that’s why we can’t answer that question directly.”
Cowboys
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott had a standout performance in the team’s win over the Buccaneers on Monday night and addressed his poor performance against the Commanders in the final game of the season, which was a tough loss to swallow.
“I got away from how I play this game — I got greedy,” Prescott said, via DallasCowboys.com. “I tried to force some throws, take the big ones, and that’s not who I’ve been in my career. I take what they give me, waiting on the big shot, and [Washington] was uncharacteristic. So it was a way for me to just dial back in, but I wiped that clean because I knew what this game meant.”
- Cowboys S Jayron Kearse (knee) said he expects to play in Sunday’s Divisional Round: “100 percent. I’m good. Feeling good. This is easier to handle than the first time. We want to win it all. We’re craving a Super Bowl, that’s enough motivation for us.” (Jon Machota)
Eagles
Eagles RB Miles Sanders said that he keeps a chip on his shoulder in games given he hasn’t gotten a lot of respect throughout his career.
“We try to ignore all the stuff that’s being said about us, but we hear it, we see it. I just tuck it in. And I think about it all friggin’ day,” Sanders said, via Tim McManus of ESPN. “Especially when I’m training, I’m thinking like, ‘OK, I really don’t have no respect out here. Why don’t people respect me?’ Stuff like that going through my head. I just wanted to earn a lot of respect. And the only way I knew how to do that was work, work, work.”
Sanders reflected on sitting behind Giants RB Saquon Barkley during their time together at Penn State, describing that he felt his opportunity for playing time was gone once RB coach Charles Huff departed from the school.
“With my running backs coach gone, I thought my opportunity was gone, literally, because I just felt like I didn’t get a fair chance based on how things went out,” Sanders said. “I just took it upon myself to just say, ‘F’ this and just go ball out. So that’s exactly what I did.”
- The Eagles hosted DB Tristin McCollum for a visit on Tuesday. He was later signed to a futures deal. (Aaron Wilson)
Giants
Giants WR Isaiah Hodgins has had strong performances since being claimed off of waivers by the team and has gained respect from his teammates including WR Darius Slayton.
“To be honest, I wasn’t very familiar with him before he got here, but he’s a good player,” Slayton said, via NJ.com. “That’s all he has shown since he got here. He’s consistent, steady and that’s what I expect out of him.”
“You have to have that mindset as a receiver,” Hodgins said Sunday, via the New York Daily News. “That’s something I really learned in Buffalo with Stefon Diggs, Emmanuel Sanders, Cole Beasley, John Brown, and Gabe Davis: When you line up, I’m the best receiver on that field and no one can stop me. You just have to believe in that and have that confidence in yourself, go out there play by play and show that improvement.”
“I feel like our confidence level is high every week coming in,” Hodgins added. “Not a lot of people believe in us. We come in with that chip on our shoulder every single week and go out there and try to prove people wrong.”
- Giants OLB Azeez Ojulari (quad) said he feels “good” and expects to play in Saturday’s Divisional Round. (Jordan Raanan)
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