NFC Notes: Cowboys, Eagles, Giants

Cowboys

The Cowboys take undrafted free agency seriously and have a long history of success with finding players even when the draft is over. As an example of their process, Cowboys DC Dan Quinn noticed Florida A&M OLB Isaiah Land when he was watching his teammate, S Markquese Bell, who was one of their top UDFA signings in 2022 and a great bet to make the team this year. He tracked Land all year and ended up bringing him to Dallas, too. 

“He had a fantastic junior year, over 20 sacks and really lit it up,” Quinn said via the Athletic’s Jon Machota. “I was like, ‘Who is this guy?’ … I’ve always had my vision on him, the size, the length, could this defensive end play linebacker, could he go down? I know he can rush. So, I was just trying to add, one of the examples of what else can they do? He’s somebody that I’m excited to see, and there is no timeline on that. Like, development takes time. You’re not going to get there in one day or two days.”

Another notable UDFA signing is former Oregon OL T.J. Bass, who saw a great situation in Dallas with the uncertainty at left guard and the chance to learn from some other elite linemen like G Zack Martin and OT Tyron Smith. Bass played left tackle in college which is valuable experience even if he projects to guard in the NFL. 

“I have shown that I have versatility,” Bass said. “I’m a pretty physical player and I’m also a pretty smart player. … I played tackle in college. I didn’t play any center but I think I could play center. (Guard) is where I started my college career and then things just worked out to where I was playing left tackle the majority of my career at Oregon. I’m comfortable there. I think it fits my play style.”

Eagles

Eagles veteran C Jason Kelce called G Isaac Seumalo, who signed with the Steelers this offseason, one of the best guards in the league and will be difficult to replace. 

“I think he’s one of the best guards in the NFL, and I think he has been,” Kelce said, via NFL.com. “I think he’s one of the most consistent players I’ve ever been around, one of the most consistent people I’ve ever been around. So we’re not going to replace Isaac, there’s going to be someone new in there, and they’re going to have their attributes that they’re going to excel with, and I’m looking forward to seeing who does a really good job with that.”

Kelce thinks Seumalo was never fully appreciated for what he contributed to the team. 

“Isaac is a really, really special player,” Kelce said. “I know we’ve said that here for a long time, and I still don’t think people really truly grasp what he did for our room. And me personally, I think he’s probably the smartest player I’ve ever been around. Really, really gifted physically, mentally, across the board. So I think the Steelers are getting a steal, that’s a good pun, I guess.”

• Eagles DC Sean Desai, OC Brian Johnson, and senior offensive assistant Marcus Brady were selected to participate in this week’s Coach Accelerator program at the May NFL owners meetings. The program is intended to increase exposure between owners and executives and diverse coaching talent with the goal of increasing the number of minority head coaching hires. 

Giants

• Giants ST coordinator Thomas McGaughey and RB coach Jeff Nixon were selected to participate in this week’s Coach Accelerator program at the May NFL owners meetings. The program is intended to increase exposure between owners and executives and diverse coaching talent with the goal of increasing the number of minority head coaching hires.