NFC Notes: Cowboys, Giants, Panthers

Cowboys

The Cowboys had interest in Kony Ealy dating back to the 2014 NFL draft and they even placed a waiver claim for him after the Patriots cut him loose last year. However, the Jets had the higher priority.

Ealy says things ultimately worked out for him to end up in Dallas and he’s now looking forward to what he and DE Demarcus Lawrence can do next year.

“It’s kind of a good thing that I didn’t [get drafted by the Cowboys], obviously now we’re both on the same team,” Ealy said, via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. “With him and the other guys, it’s going to be a fun year for us.”

Ealy adds that the Cowboys’ defensive system and environment remind him off of being in Carolina.

“The whole scheme, the atmosphere, the players, everything reminds me of Carolina,” Ealy said. “. . . I’m just really blessed to have the opportunity to come here and be in the same system and getting back to what I know best.”

Giants

Giants second-year TE Evan Engram says he’s focused this summer on eliminating the drops he dealt with as a rookie.

“That was just a mindset thing. I wanted to have zero drops all spring,” Engram said, via Dan Duggan of The Athletic. “I knew what I was doing wrong. I knew how to fix it. I knew how to improve on it. So it was just a learning experience. I have the utmost confidence in myself. It’s definitely something that pisses me off a little bit, but I feel like that’s a good thing. So I never lost my confidence. It just kind of humbled me a little bit and allowed me to get back to the basics and be more consistent. . . .

“You get in the groove and then you start wanting to make moves after the catch and start getting a little bit too confident and a little bit too comfortable. Stuff like that kind of needs to happen for us as players to be able to take a step back like, ‘OK, let me get back to where it all started.’”

Panthers

• Joe Person reports that the Panthers are not renewing the contract of senior executive scout Don Gregory.