NFC Notes: Cowboys, Eagles, Washington

Cowboys

Regarding La’el Collins re-earning his starting spot at right tackle over Terence Steele, Cowboys’ HC Mike McCarthy said he wants the lineman to get back into his routine of practicing and being a part of the team. 

“I just want him to get back out there and get back in a routine of everything,” McCarthy said via David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. “I think it’s like anything, there’s a reason why we practice. There’s a reason why those O-lineman spend so much time together, just the way they go about their business. I just want to see him go back in rhythm.”

McCarthy added that Collins responded well to Steele being announced the starter at right tackle and is “anxious to get back out there.” 

“He’s a pro,” McCarthy said. “LC is going through a tough spot, just being out of it for five weeks, but I think he’s done a really good job in the weight room and staying on top of his conditioning. He’s just anxious to get back out there.”

• According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb has been fined five times in six games for a total of $46,865. Lamb has been fined $10,300 for taunting in Week 6, $10,815 for an illegal crackback block in Week 4, $5,150 for having socks too low in Week 1, and $5,150 and $15,450 for having his jersey untucked in Week 3 and Week 4. 
• Fines triple for successive violations, so the next time Lamb is fined for having his jersey untucked, it will be $46,350. 

Eagles

• NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reports the NFL fined Eagles C Jason Kelce $10,300 for unsportsmanlike conduct vs. Las Vegas.
• CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora writes if the Eagles make any trades before Tuesday’s deadline, it’s more likely to be a player on an expiring contract. That list includes Kelce, S Rodney McLeod, DE Derek Barnett, and DE Ryan Kerrigan. 
• Eagles WR Jalen Reagor has continued to slip further down the pecking order, as he now ranks sixth on the team in targets. He demurred when asked about his role, though: “That’s not a question I can answer. I’m doing my job to the best of my ability. That’s what I got to keep doing every week, and when opportunities come, just make them when they come my way.” (Jeff McLane)
• Eagles HC Nick Sirianni didn’t call out Reagor specifically, but he did say the receiving group as a whole could be better with contested catches: “If I’m nitpicking one thing, it’s that we’ve got to continue to get better on the contested catches that we need to make when it’s there. I’m not saying anything to you guys that I haven’t said to them, and so that’s where we’ve got to get better.” 
• The Eagles once nearly cut LB Alex Singleton during training camp because they mistook him for LB Joey Alfieri. (McLane)
• McLane tells the anecdote as an illustration of how the Eagles organizationally have put such little value on the linebacker position. He also mentions that former LB coach Ken Flajole had 2020 third-round LB Davion Taylor rated low in his rankings, and the Eagles front office valued Taylor’s excellent measurables over what some in the building saw as a lack of instincts. 

Washington

Washington HC Ron Rivera said LB Jamin Davis has shown “very good improvement” and is playing with more confidence. 

“He’s shown us some very good improvement,” Rivera said, via Ethan Cadeaux of NBC Sports. “You see him really getting more and more comfortable playing with more confidence. It had a lot to do with game planning. We really felt good about some of the things that we were going to do, and it really suited him very well.”

Rivera adds that Davis isn’t showing any hesitation when on the line of scrimmage. 

“You don’t see the hesitation, you know what I’m saying? When the ball is snapped, there’s usually a one, two, and then we go. Now we’re starting to see the things that now you can feel it’s become a little more natural for him in terms of what he reads and believing what he sees,” Rivera said.

Rivera reiterated that Davis is showing good development and is playing more naturally. 

“Part of getting these guys from the college ranks is obviously the offenses are a little bit different. Now learning these techniques, it hampered him a little bit, but now he seems to be getting the flow of it. He’s moving very quickly, getting good reads and trusting himself.”