NFC Notes: Derrick Henry, Terry McLaurin, Commanders, Cowboys, Giants

Commanders

The consensus around the league is Washington will take a quarterback number two in the draft and allow him to get the chance to start in 2024. Washington’s top WR Terry McLaurin touched on what he has to do to make the rookie QB’s life easier.

“We’ll get one of the elite guys, so I’m just looking forward to whoever they bring in, helping bring them along. Going into my sixth year I know the lay of the land, and anything I can do to help them become acclimated and part of the team, I’m going to do that,” McLaurin said, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “My job when they get here is to help bring him along as well as I can, because we’ll go as far as the quarterback goes.”

Cowboys

When appearing on The Pivot podcast, Ravens’ new RB Derrick Henry said he considered the Cowboys a “perfect situation” given he lives in Dallas during the offseason. 

“I knew once free agency started that I wanted to work something out [with the Ravens] if we could,” Henry said. “Even though I’m living in Dallas and Dallas being a perfect situation, as well, because we lived there, we ain’t got to move. But at the same time, Ravens, the history of it, and then talking to Ray (Lewis) at the Pro Bowl, his passion about the organization, his impact there and how he talked about it. I was like, man, if I’m not in Tennessee or I don’t get to go to Dallas, I’d love to be a Raven.”

Henry mentioned that Dallas never showed interest in him as a free agent.  

“It would’ve been crazy,” Henry said. “I thought it’d been some type of reach out, some type of talks or whatever. They never reached out, you know what I’m saying? I don’t really know too much about their organization. All I know is what I hear. I was talking to my agent. They weren’t really interested. It is what it is. Like I said earlier, I’m gonna be where I’m gonna be, and I feel like Baltimore was the perfect spot.”

Giants

Giants GM Joe Schoen discussed his process for scouting quarterbacks and explained what he has learned from so many years of experience. 

“It’s one thing to do the work in the fall and see a guy play, but I think the other half is equally as important,” Schoen said, via Dan Duggan of The Athletic. “Being around the player — how smart are they? Can they process information? Can they handle the market we’re in? There are a lot of unknowns. How are they going to face adversity? How are they going to react? It’s not just what you see on the film.”

“You’ve got to get around these kids, and you’ve got to get to know them. Until you’re able to do that, it’s hard to make those types of moves.”