NFC Notes: Commanders, Cowboys, Eagles, Giants

Commanders

Commanders HC Ron Rivera has plans to bring WR Curtis Samuel into the offense slowly to cut down the risk of injury moving forward.

“He came in and did the beginning of practice,” Rivera said during his appearance on the Sports Junkies podcast. “Then we slowed him down. Trying to ramp him up, get him going, then be careful. He’s missed a lot of football, and you don’t just wanna throw guys out there, and all of a sudden expose them to too much. So, you’ve gotta kind of work your way into it.”

• Rivera added more on Samuel being brought along slowly by the team this offseason: “It’s all about the plan… had some chances to look at him [last week]…. some concern about football conditioning. Nothing to do with last year’s groin injury.” (John Keim)

Cowboys

Cowboys CB Kelvin Joseph didn’t play much as a rookie in 2021. Then this offseason, the former second-round pick was in the news for the wrong reasons, as he was in a car in which shots were fired from that killed a 20-year-old man. Joseph was not charged with anything by the police and remains on the team in Dallas, with owner Jerry Jones willing to give Joseph a chance to make his name for something else. 

“We obviously don’t need our players to be involved in situations that make this come up about your character,” Jones said, via Nick Eatman with the team’s website. “He needs to be a good player on and off the field and we’re going to give him a chance to do that. [Our message to him is] Now get in here and be a good player, be a guy everybody depends on, and make your name in a positive way and clean it up.”

Eagles

• Eagles first-round DT Jordan Davis told the media that the team wants him to have a playing weight of around 340 pounds. (Jeff McLane)

Giants

• ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reports Giants fourth-round S Dane Belton has a broken collarbone and will be sidelined for an extended time, with the hope that he is available for the start of the season.
• Veteran LB Kwon Alexander talked to the Jets, Giants, and Saints before settling on signing with the Jets. (Zack Rosenblatt)