NFC Notes: Eagles, Giants, Washington

Eagles

Eagles WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside probably isn’t going to justify the second-round pick Philadelphia used on him on offense. But he’s developing into a strong special teamer which could keep him in the NFL for many more years. 

“He really puts in the time and effort to study who he’s got on the holdups, who he’s got blocking on kickoff return,” Eagles ST coordinator Michael Clay said via NJ.com’s Mike Kaye. “What’s the return coming at him right there? How can I get better? How should I take on this block? He just asks the right questions and he cares about making big plays right here. I think he’s done a great job, in terms of being a bigger wide receiver, bringing a little bit more of a physical presence.”

Giants

• Dan Duggan of The Athletic takes a look at seven potential replacements for Giants GM Dave Gettleman this offseason. 
• Duggan names Giants VP of football operations/assistant GM Kevin Abrams as someone to watch given New York’s ownership was “setting the table” for Abrams to get the job. However, Duggan believes a possible promotion for Abrams is a hard sell given their struggles in recent years. 
• Duggan writes that Titans director of player personnel Monti Ossenfort could be the “early favorite” given his connection to HC Joe Judge from their time together with the New England Patriots. 
• Duggan points out that Patriots director of player personnel Dave Ziegler also has ties to Judge. 
• As for NFL Network analyst Scott Pioli, Duggan mentions that his time as Patriots vice president of player personnel from 2000-2008 gives him a shared philosophy from Bill Belichick‘s system with Judge. 
• Texans assistant director of player personnel James Liipfert could be a “dark horse” option after working with Judge in New England as a national scout. 
• Duggan could see Patriots front office consultant Eliot Wolf being a candidate after being on the Giants’ radar back in 2017 before they hired Gettleman. 
• Duggan closes his list with Ravens director of player personnel Joe Hortiz despite not having any connection to Judge. Duggan mentions that Hortiz has been with Baltimore since 1999. 
• Paul Schwartz of the New York Post writes that Giants owner John Mara is aware of the public backlash that promoting Abrams to general manager would create, and that’s a real factor in the decision. 
• While Abrams is qualified and has added a variety of duties to his background as primarily a cap manager, Schwartz adds the sense is Mara prefers to hire someone with a scouting background. 
• He also adds having a connection to Judge is not a prerequisite, as there’s a decent chance the GM they hire outlasts Judge if he doesn’t turn things around in 2022. 
• If Abrams does get the job, though, he has the support of others in NFL circles who don’t think he would just be a continuation of Gettleman: “First of all, he’s a good negotiator. He’s been in the game a long time, his experiences are perfect for a GM job. He really is good. He’s developed more of a personality over the last 10 years. He can be assertive if he needs to be. I think he’s ready to be a frontman as opposed to the back-office guy that got no credit but did a lot of stuff.”
• Giants OL Billy Price is out dealing with an undisclosed personal matter, according to OL coach Rob Sale. (Darryl Slater)
• Sale declined to comment when asked about OL Isaiah Wilson, adding that he needs to “be dependable” after passing on a question related to Wilson’s professionalism. (Slater)
• Sale also declined comment on a report that he would be leaving to join the University of Florida’s offensive staff, though he’s expected to take the job. (Duggan)

Washington

• Washington QB Kyle Allen said he was “pretty sick” during his time on the COVID list, adding that during warm-ups on Sunday he had to stop 20 minutes early due to fatigue. (John Keim)
• Washington OT Cornelius Lucas believes he has had the coronavirus three times including during training camp and during the month of December. (Nicki Jhabvala)
• Washington OC Scott Turner has been impressed by fourth-round TE John Bates: “He’s really exceeded our expectations…He’s really sure-handed….He just keeps getting better and better and surprises us with the things he can do…I think he has a chance to be a really good player going forward.” (Jhabvala)