NFC Notes: Cowboys, Seahawks, Washington

Cowboys

• The Athletic’s Jon Machota thinks the Cowboys could double up with FB Jamize Olawale also serving as the No. 3 running back. 
• Machota gives Cowboys veteran WRs Cedrick Wilson and Ventell Bryant the edge for the final two receiving spots behind their starting three. 
• Machota has Cowboys developmental OT Brandon Knight snaring the ninth and final offensive line spot. 
• There’s a lot of competition at defensive end, according to Machota, with fifth-round DE Bradlee Anae getting the edge ahead of 2019 fifth-round DE Joe Jackson — assuming DE Randy Gregory isn’t reinstated. 
• Machota projects Cowboys LBs Joe Thomas, Luke Gifford, Justin March and UDFA rookie Francis Bernard will round out the depth chart at inside linebacker. 
• Machota believes Cowboys safeties Darian Thompson and Donovan Wilson have locked up the backup spots. At cornerback, he has them keeping Maurice Canady and C.J. Goodwin as the final two out of seven players, edging out veteran Daryl Worley.

Seahawks

Per NBC Sports’ Peter King, Seahawks HC Pete Carroll called the trade for S Jamal Adams “an extraordinary opportunity for us.”

“We haven’t drafted above 25 for what—10 years?” Carroll said. King notes Seahawks took EDGE Bruce Irvin 15th in 2012, and in 2014 the team drafted OT Russell Okung No. 6 and S Earl Thomas No. 14. Apart from that, Carroll is correct. “So we haven’t had a shot at a top-10 pick in a while, and we haven’t had a shot at a top safety in the draft since Earl. This was an extraordinary opportunity for us. Jamal’s a legitimate impact player, in the style we love.”

• King notes the prevailing opinion around the NFL was the Jets got the better side of the deal, with one veteran general manager questioning Adams’ positional value: “I wouldn’t trade two ones for a safety. Particularly when you’ve got to pay the safety a lot of money. I like what the Jets did.”
• According to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, Adams and the Seahawks agreed he would play out 2020 on his existing contract. 
• The Seahawks saved a net of $500,000 in cap space by trading S Bradley McDougald for Adams, shedding $4.1 million and picking up Adams’ $825,000 base salary plus a $2.765 million roster bonus due the fifth day of camp. (Brady Henderson)
• While the Seahawks haven’t closed the door completely on DE Jadeveon Clowney, they won’t shed any more salary to fit him onto the roster. Seattle is open to adding another run-stuffing defensive tackle, though. (Henderson)
• Seahawks CB Quinton Dunbar plans to appeal the NFL’s decision to place him on the commissioner’s exempt list pending a resolution to charges of armed robbery against him. (Bob Condotta)

Washington

New Washington HC Ron Rivera made some waves when he didn’t commit to 2019 first-round QB Dwayne Haskins immediately as the team’s starter in 2020. Rivera stoked the speculation even more when he announced the team would interview some of the top quarterback prospects and then traded for his starter in Carolina last year, Kyle Allen. But Rivera says he and a lot of people in the organization are rooting for Haskins to respond to that challenge. 

“You know, the guy that I think a lot of people are pulling for, would love for it to be is Dwayne,” Rivera said via the Athletic’s Ben Standig. “Just from what I saw and what I’ve heard, I felt that that’s one of the things that Dwayne had to learn to do is work on himself. Work on the details of his position. When I talk about the position, I don’t just mean the position of quarterback, but having been a first-round draft pick. The expectations are gigantic. Playing the position of quarterback (means), the expectations are gigantic. And being from this area, that responsibility is huge.

“He’s in a position wherein order for him to succeed, he’s got to understand the scope and the dynamics of being a franchise quarterback. And so that’s why I wanted to challenge him,” Rivera continued. “I did the same thing with Cam Newton in Carolina. You know, we didn’t name Cam (the starter) right away. We told him it was an open competition. He went out, competed and earned it, and became our starter from that point on from his rookie year. I’m not afraid to play young players as long as they prove to us that they deserve to be on the field.”