NFC Notes: Cowboys, Eagles Washington

Cowboys

An NFL executive tells Mike Sando of The Athletic that the Cowboys could be an overrated team in 2021. 

“Their O-line got old in a hurry, Zeke Elliott took a step back, their entire defense played gawd-awful last year,” the executive said. “They are bringing in Dan Quinn to stabilize it and signing his former players to do it, but I don’t know, it’s like their good players aren’t good anymore. I do think Keanu Neal playing linebacker is a good change. A lot of teams have wanted him to play linebacker.”

However, a separate evaluator offered praise for the moves Dallas made this offseason, particularly on defnese. 

“Solid additions,” an evaluator said. “Keanu Neal is a good fit, familiar with Dan Quinn, and he’s a leader and he’s smart. They got him cheap because he’s been hurt. Tarell Basham is a backup-level pass-rusher. They did re-sign Jourdan Lewis, which is good, but they might need to address corner.”

Eagles

Notre Dame LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah feels he’d be a “strong fit” for the Eagles’ defense based on his “gritty” mentality, athletic ability, and block-shedding skills. 

“Speaking in terms of the Eagles, I think I fit better than the other guys in terms of my mentality, going back to that. The Eagles is a gritty place,” said Owusu-Koramoah, via Mike Kaye of NJ Advance Media. “You’ve got to have some fierceness to you to survive in Philly. If you win in Philly, they love you. If you lose in Philly, they hate you. You’ve got to be able to deal with that. Coming from my background — coming here to Notre Dame — (there were) a lot of situations that I had to preserve through. I think, first and foremost, my mentality prepares me more than some of the other players, in terms of Philly. In terms of my athletic ability, in terms of my physicality on the point of attack, physicality in terms of block-shedding, I think I excel in a lot of things, if we’re comparing other guys. But, in terms of Philly, I think that’s what separates me.”

• Washington HC Ron Rivera said Ryan Fitzpatrick will initially be their No. 1 quarterback but he intends on having “competition” for the starting job: “He’s going to come in as the No. 1 but there will be a competition [at QB].” (Nicki Jhabvala)
• Rivera added that they turned to signing Fitzpatrick after Matthew Stafford landed with the Rams: “When the whole Stafford deal went down and a couple things happened, we wanted to get a guy in here that has the experience and can help us develop.” (Nicki Jhabvala)
• Rivera mentioned that Washington “doesn’t feel pressure” to immediately sign their long-term quarterback and feels they can sign “other pieces” at different positions: “I’ve always thought if you could do it the other way, where you put all the other pieces around them and then go get your quarterback, that could be good.” (Nicki Jhabvala)
• Rivera said he has not spoken to G Brandon Scherff since he signed his franchise tag: “That situation hasn’t changed… We haven’t talked since he signed [the franchise tag].” (Nicki Jhabvala)
• Rivera says the organization is still interested in a long-term extension for Scherff. (Rhiannon Walker)
• Rivera added that Fitzpatrick brings a “veteran element” to their locker room and believes the quarterback has steadily improved over the last few years. (Rhiannon Walker)
• Rivera said Washington OL Saahdiq Charles‘ alignment is still “up in the air” between tackle and guard: “We’ll see where he fits best for us.” (Nicki Jhabvala)
• As for the addition of CB William Jackson III, Rivera called him a dynamic signing for their defense: “It’s going to add to the things we are currently doing… This is a dynamic football player. We’re very happy to have him.” (Nicki Jhabvala)
• Washington CB Darryl Roberts‘ one-year, $1.595 million deal includes a $275,000 signing bonus, $355,000 salary of his $1 million base salary is guaranteed, to go along with up to $340,000 in per-game roster bonuses, and $600,000 in playing-time and interceptions incentives. (Aaron Wilson)