NFC Notes: Eagles, Giants, Washington

Eagles

• NBC Sports’ John Clark spoke to a source who pushed back against the notion that former Eagles QB Carson Wentz dictated which team he was traded to and steered his way to the Colts. 
• The source added Wentz wanted a fresh start but the break between the two sides was civil. Clark adds the Eagles decided it would be best to trade him but weren’t going to take less in a deal, and it ended up working out well for everyone involved. 
• The Athletic’s Bo Wulf expects the Eagles to sign DE Derek Barnett to an extension to lower his $10 million cap hit in 2021 on the fifth-year option. Barnett hasn’t lived up to expectations as a former first-round pick but Wulf says he’s too valuable to just cut. 
• Wulf thinks the Eagles could move CB Avonte Maddox to free safety where he had some good reps as a rookie in emergency duty. Regardless, he’ll be making a move, perhaps to nickel corner, as he showed he wasn’t a boundary corner last year. 
• Both Wulf and Zach Berman believe addressing the secondary will be a major focus for the Eagles this offseason. 
• Berman writes former first-round LT Andre Dillard will either start at left tackle for the Eagles or be traded if he loses the competition to Jordan Mailata. 
• Berman is not totally convinced Eagles 2020 second-round QB Jalen Hurts will be the team’s started next year and says they could draft a quarterback if someone they like falls to No. 6 overall. 
• Iowa State safeties coach DK McDonald is expected to join the Eagles staff as the new secondary coach. (FootballScoop.com)
• Florida State CB Asante Samuel Jr. had a virtual meeting with the Eagles. (Justin Melo)

Giants

ACL injuries aren’t quite the career-killers they used to be, but there’s still a risk of a player not getting back to where they were before the injury. Some players do, some players are even better than before, but others are always missing something. Giants RB Saquon Barkley sees himself more in the former category. 

“No matter what, if I came back and things didn’t go the way I don’t envision it going, which I can’t see that because that’s the way I envision it, but I know I’m going to do everything necessary to put myself in the right position, in the smart way and the right way, to come back better,” Barkley said via NJ.com’s Chris Franklin. “If it’s not in the cards for me to me to do it, At least I know I can look myself in the mirror and know I put in the work ethic and I did the little things and all the all the things that matter to try to make myself become one of the best to do it.”

• ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler expect the Giants to try and re-sign impending free-agent DL Leonard Williams, who will have a “robust” market. 
• According to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News, the Rams have moved on from OL coach/run game coordinator Aaron Kromer. They recently interviewed Giants assistant OL coach Ben Wilkerson for the same position on their staff.  

Washington

• The Athletic’s Rhiannon Walker mentions Washington is interested in bringing back CB Ronald Darby but whether it happens or not probably depends on his pricepoint.