NFC Notes: Commanders, Cowboys, Jalen Hurts, Eagles, Giants

Commanders

• Commanders HC Ron Rivera said that DL James Smith-Williams is dealing with a hip injury and TE John Bates has a calf issue. (Ben Standig)

Cowboys

• Cowboys DE Dante Fowler is entering the 2022 season with a chip on his shoulder after struggling the past two seasons with the Falcons: “Oh yeah, I got some stuff to prove. Prove that I am who I am, and I can be a double-digit sack guy, and I’m one of the best ends in the league.” (Jon Machota) 
• Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy commented on fourth-round TE Jake Ferguson: “He’s everything we thought he was. You love his tenacity. Bright. Has a clear understanding. Multiple-positional player. I think Jake’s the kind of guy who will show up today when you put the pads on. That’s his game.” (Michael Gehlken)
• Cowboys fifth-round OT Matt Waletzko isn’t scheduled to practice anytime soon and surgery could be a possibility. (Jon Machota)
• Cowboys owner Jerry Jones believes fifth-round LB Damone Clark will be ready to play sooner than what people expect: “He’s going to be here a lot quicker than anybody thinks he is. And I mean, I think he’s gonna be here pronto. So we’ve got a good plan for him and of course his body’s got to cooperate, but it’s looking good.” (Jon Machota)

Eagles

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts said the team has always had a dynamic group of weapons and he’s taking advantage of having continuity amongst the team’s coach staff.

“I take it day by day, I take it play by play,” Hurts said, via 94 WIP sports radio. “I’ve always felt like we’ve had great players here. I’ve always felt like we’ve had dynamic receivers. I think some things just take time. It takes reps, it takes jelling with the coaches. This is my first time, really, have the same quarterback coach, same play caller since my dad in high school since I was 16. That in itself, it means a lot.”

Philadelphia has high expectations coming off of and off-season that saw them acquire WR A.J. Brown from Tennessee and a number of key defensive pieces through the draft. Hurts knows the expectations are high and said that he’s used to overcoming outside noise.

“It’s a big thing in this city and I love that and I respect that,” Hurts said. “I respect it a lot because it shows great passion, but it’s not foreign to me. Ever since I was 17, when I went to Alabama, it was—literally when I got on campus it was, ‘Who is going to be the starting quarterback for the Crimson Tide?’ Nobody expected the kid from Houston with the long dreadlocks to take over and that’s exactly what I did. So, it’s always been all eyes on me, it’s always been that way and it’s something that I embrace.”

Hurts said that consistency was one thing that he was focused on improving this season.

“Process and stuff, seeing it, and being consistent in it,” he said. “I think there were games where I played at a really high level last year and then there were games where it wasn’t the same guy from the week before. Simply put, it’s consistency. I think being consistent will make things elite around here, it will make me elite, it will make this offense elite. And that’s on all levels, that’s on every position.”

Giants

• The Athletic’s Dan Duggan reports Giants DL coach Andre Patterson hasn’t been with team due to a medical issue, with assistant DL coach Bryan Cox handling duties in his absence.
• The Giants opened practice with OL Ben Bredeson as the first-team center while C Jon Feliciano worked on the side with trainers. (Duggan)
• PFF’s Doug Kyed says Giants WR Sterling Shepard has been jogging in practice as he progresses through his rehab for a torn Achilles. He’s still on the PUP list. 
• The Giants worked out DB Rodney Clemons on Monday. (Aaron Wilson)