NFC Notes: Cowboys, Jalen Hurts, Eagles, Giants

Cowboys

Cowboys C Tyler Biadasz confirmed the team’s play call that ended their playoff run, a designed run by QB Dak Prescott, was something they practiced often.

“We actually repped this out in practice a lot,” he said, via Cowboys Wire. “It’s one of those plays where you have that split-second decision. You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t. But the play call wasn’t anything new to us. It was more, ‘If the ref has a better angle,’ or, ‘If it’s not on the hash versus the middle,’ or whatever the case may be. And that’s football. Football comes down to the inches of the game.”

Biadasz explained that regardless of the outcome, the team should’ve never been in the position where they were in a do-or-die moment at the end of the game.

“We just have to be better throughout the whole game,” he said. “As a whole team, we’ve got to be more consistent through the whole game.”

Biadasz was impressed with Prescott and his mentality of attacking rehab and coming in stronger than he was pre-injury.

“The resilience that I saw coming into the league, after having a couple of games with him in 2020, and then his rehab after his injury,” Biadasz recalled. “By far, I’ve never seen a work ethic like that. And his mentality coming in after a gruesome injury, honestly; being on the field on watching it live- he came in every single day, just working. He would literally be at the facility, not kidding, honestly, like that whole day- eight hours, go home, do more rehab, come back, throw, everything- that whole offseason.”

Eagles

• Inside The Birds’ Geoff Mosher and Adam Caplan point out the Eagles like to do extensions early because they believe it saves them money in the long run, so if QB Jalen Hurts takes a step forward and plays legitimately well in 2022, Philadelphia will probably reward him with a new deal.  
• They also note DC Jonathan Gannon, who was criticized by other NFL sources for having a basic system last year, should have the personnel to run things differently in 2022 with newcomers like first-round DT Jordan Davis, DE Haason Reddick and third-round LB Nakobe Dean.
• Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com lists three players that could attract the attention of the Eagles now that the USFL championship game has come to an end, including RB Darius Victor (New Jersey Generals), S Shalom Luani (New Jersey Generals), and P Colby Wadman (Birmingham Stallions).

Giants

• Jordan Raanan of ESPN writes that Giants’ fourth-round TE Daniel Bellinger got time with the first-team offense in OTAs and minicamp and could be a surprise performer next season.  
• Doug Kyed of ProFootballFocus thinks free-agent LB L.J. Fort could be a suitable option for the Giants given his best years were under DC Don Martindale while with the Ravens.