NFC Notes: Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, Washington

Cowboys

The Cowboys mentioned they are “very confident” about their current roster at safety despite Xavier Woods suffering a groin injury in practice. The team doesn’t think it’s a serious malady. 

“He just kind of felt it a little bit but never felt a pop and never lost strength in it,” Cowboys Executive VP Stephen Jones said via Pro Football Talk. “So, overall, we feel like we’ll get a good report on that. One of the things we do have is we have some flexibility with some of our corners that we feel like can play safety…We’ve got some options there that we feel good about, but hopefully, in particular, Xavier is the leader of the group back there. Serves on our senior leadership council, and a guy we hope is going to be just fine.”

With Woods out, S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix replaced him across from S Darian Thompson, while cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis were also still out with injuries. A knee injury also caused WR Ventell Bryant to leave practice early.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones seemed to mark his territory last week by calling out a reporter who said Dallas wouldn’t have interest in former Ravens S Earl Thomas, saying as the team owner he was the only one who could definitively say that. And while Dallas hasn’t shown interest in Thomas, Jones quibbled again by saying Thomas is the type of player they’d discuss adding. 

“Discussions internally, we have discussions that certainly he’s an outstanding football player. We’re sitting here at personnel time and we’re looking for ways to get better and he would be one of several that we would discuss during this particular time as we finalize this roster,” Jones said via PFT. “It would be a misleading thing to say we haven’t discussed him, it would be a misleading thing to say that we have.”

Eagles

Eagles HC Doug Pederson said Carson Wentz (soft tissue) is dealing with a minor injury and is considered “day-to-day.” 

“Well, obviously what Carson is working through right now is nothing major,” Pederson said, via Mike Kaye of NJ Advance Media. “It’s minor. It’s day-to-day. This is actually a good time for this week, to rest. As you know, if we played a game on Thursday, a pre-season game, he wouldn’t play this week anyway. All the backups would go.”

Pederson added that he has “no issues” with Wentz’s recovery. 

“I have no issues of where Carson is, where he’s headed,” Pederson said. “He’ll be ready to go.”

As for OL Jason Peters, Pederson mentioned that he is comfortable with him playing right guard. 

“Jason has really embraced a new role for him, he’s done it well,” Pederson said. “He’s playing at a high level in what we’ve asked him to do there and he’s comfortable.”

Giants

• NJ.com’s Zack Rosenblatt notes the Giants would save about $2.75 million by releasing C Spencer Pulley now that they’ve re-signed C Jon Halapio. 
• Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post writes the Giants could go with Halapio and Nick Gates at center, or keep Pulley and let Gates move back to right tackle. 
• Giants GM Dave Gettleman said the team felt comfortable with the background work they had done on CB Deandre Baker and K Aldrick Rosas before they were arrested this offseason: “Obviously it’s disappointing. There was nothing in their background that would suggest these things would happen.” (Zack Rosenblatt)
• Gettleman doubled down on that with Baker in particular, who fell in the draft due to maturity concerns until the Giants traded up to take him in the first round: “Did we thoroughly investigate DeAndre’s background? Absolutely. There’s nothing there we didn’t know.” (Ralph Vacchiano)
• Baker’s legal situation isn’t expected to be resolved until next year. The Giants could keep him on the commissioner’s exempt list but would still be responsible for his salary. Gettleman said the team still hasn’t decided what it will do: “We’re still in conversations about that.” (Paul Schwartz)
• Gettleman is confident in Giants first-round QB Daniel Jones as he enters his second season: “I’m comfortable and confident in Daniel Jones right now. The only thing that was a little frustrating last year was the fumbles. (But) he did things no other rookie QB has ever done.” (Vacchiano)
• He also thinks the Giants are close to putting it all together on the offensive line after two years of building: “We’ve got the right guys; they just gotta learn to play together.” (Pat Leonard)

Washington

• The Athletic’s Ben Standig and Rhiannon Walker think there’s a strong chance Washington places QB Alex Smith on injured reserve to start the season to give him more time to heal and prepare for a potential return to the field.
• Both think Washington will keep all five of RBs Adrian Peterson, third-rounder Antonio Gibson, J.D. McKissic, Bryce Love and Peyton Barber. 
• While Walker points out that the staff really seems to like TE Marcus Baugh, Standig believes the team would have no issue getting him to the practice squad. 
• Both writers really like the players Washington will end up cutting at defensive end, including Ryan Bee, Jordan Brailford, seventh-rounder James Smith-Williams and Nate Orchard.
• Both also don’t think LB Reuben Foster has looked healthy enough to keep and don’t think he’ll make the team. 
• Washington S Sean Davis is another veteran who has been outplayed by youngsters, notably Troy Apke and Kamren Curl, and someone who could be cut per Standig and Walker.