NFC Notes: Cowboys, Giants, Washington

Cowboys

• Cowboys’ WR Amari Cooper will return to the team facility tomorrow after missing time with COVID-19. (Jon Machota)
• Aside from OL coach Joe Philbin, the Cowboys will also be without offensive assistants Jeff Blasko and Scott Tolzien, with TE coaches Ben McAdoo and Lunda Wells expected to help coach the offensive line. (Calvin Watkins)
• Cowboys’ Strength and Conditioning coordinator Harold Nash is also in COVID protocols and will miss the game, meaning that all three strength and conditioning coaches will miss the game against the Saints. (Todd Archer)
• Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy was unwilling to comment on if RB Ezekiel Elliott would miss time due to his knee injury, noting the team had other issues to deal with: “We’re still working through this COVID situation.” (Michael Gehlken)

Giants

• CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora says Giants HC Joe Judge started pondering letting go of OC Jason Garrett just months into last season, Garrett’s first with the team. 
• Judge fired OL coach Marc Colombo, who came with Garrett from his staff in Dallas, in November and sources told La Canfora he was displeased with the state of the whole offense as well: “It was already bad between them then.” 
• He added Judge was concerned about the development of QB Daniel Jones under Garrett as well as his conservative play-calling tendencies. The two never really clicked. 
• La Canfora writes that Garrett had strong support from ownership, who liked what the long-time Cowboys head coach brought to Judge’s staff. Judge had previously been a ST coordinator and never a head coach at any level. 
• While Judge has played coy with reporters this week about new OC Freddie Kitchens‘ level of responsibility, La Canfora says he basically is taking over for Garrett, including play-calling. Judge and Kitchens know each other from being on the same staff at Mississippi State and La Canfora notes some believe Kitchens was Judge’s top choice for the coordinator role all along. 
• La Canfora mentions there’s an expectation in the scouting community that Giants GM Dave Gettleman will “move on” following this season. 
• Despite saying that it was a collaborative effort, Giants’ QB Daniel Jones admitted that Freddie Kitchens was the one relaying plays to him through the radio in his helmet. (Zack Rosenblatt)

Washington

• Ben Standig reports Washington DE Chase Young had ACL surgery performed by Dr. James Andrews on Monday and is expected to make a full recovery.
• Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post reports the NFL fined Washington S Kamren Curl $4,491 for unnecessary roughness last week.