NFC Notes: Cowboys, Eagles, Washington

Cowboys

• David Moore of the Dallas Morning News points out that the Cowboys using a second franchise tag on Dak Prescott will result in the quarterback reaching the 2022 free-agent market if they are unable to finalize a long-term deal prior to training camp by July. 
• Moore feels that the Cowboys must avoid coming to the resolution of using a franchise tag this offseason and must move on from him if they cannot come to an agreement.
• Moore writes that the Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott is not at risk of being released or traded this offseason given his contract situation. Moreover, the organization is confident Elliott be successful again after injuries affected their offensive line, in addition to Prescott missing time. 
• When taking a look at the Cowboys’ potential activity in the free-agent market, Moore could see Chargers LB Denzel Perryman being a solid replacement for Sean Lee if he retires. 
• As for a potential defensive back, Moore names Falcons DBs Keanu Neal, Blidi Wreh-Wilson, and Damontae Kazee as players to keep an eye on given their connection to new DC Dan Quinn. 
• Instead, Moore writes that the Cowboys could look toward the fourth-round of the 2021 NFL Draft for a safety prospect and lists Florida State’s Hamsah Nasirildeen, Syracuse’s Andre Cisco, UCF’s Richie Grant, USC’s Talanoa Hufanga, and Auburn’s Jamien Sherwood as players to watch. 

Eagles

• When taking a look at the Eagles’ receiver position, Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice believes releasing WR DeSean Jackson to create $4,857,000 in cap space is a “no-brainer” decision. 
• Kempski expects the Eagles to finally part ways with WR Alshon Jeffery this offseason.
• As for Eagles’ exclusive rights free-agent WR Greg Ward, Kempski could see him returning given the lack of depth at the position and him being an “extremely cheap” option. 
• Kempski also expects the Eagles’ receiving core to include Travis Fulgham, JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Quez Watkins, and John Hightower.
• According to Geoff Mosher, the Eagles will not retain safeties coach Tim Hauck Sirianni’s coaching staff. 
• Bo Wulf of The Athletic says that while Eagles’ HC Nick Sirianni evaded questions about QB Carson Wentz during his introductory press conference, he still expects Philadelphia to open training camp with a competition between Wentz and Jalen Hurts.
• Mike Kaye of NJ.com notes that new Eagles’ ST coordinator Michael Clay was previously an assistant in Philadelphia under former HC Chip Kelly.

Washington 

Former NFL HC Mike Shanahan praised former Washington personnel executive Kyle Smith for his work at the organization now that he’s been hired by the Atlanta Falcons as their new general manager.  

“You could see at a very young age that Kyle left no stone unturned relative to evaluating somebody both on and off the field,” Shanahan said, via Nicki Jhabvala. “He was one of the best I had been around. … People would always ask me about Kyle, and I’d say there’s no way they would ever let him out of the building — and if they do, they’re complete idiots.”

Former Washington HC Jay Gruden added that Smith helped prepare for all scenarios around the NFL Draft and worked closely with coaches before owner Daniel Snyder ultimately made selection. 

“Every year that I was there, we had a pretty good draft class, with a couple exceptions,” Gruden said. “[Smith] was really good about listening to the coaches because the coaches also did evaluations. … When it came our time to pick, we’d always talk about the picks, where we’d like to go, what happens if [the player] is gone, and did all our scenarios. And then [owner Daniel Snyder] would come in off his yacht and make the pick.”