NFC Notes: Eagles, Lions, Packers

Eagles

After the Eagles offense stagnated in 2019, HC Doug Pederson made a few moves to shake it up this offseason. While Pederson calls the plays and has a major hand in the offense, he took steps to change the other voices around him, firing OC Mike Groh, promoting QB coach Press Taylor to passing game coordinator, hiring former Broncos OC Rich Scangarello as a senior offensive assistant and bringing on former Ravens OC Marty Mornhinweg as a senior consultant. It’s not clear what the end result will look like exactly but it almost certainly will be different. 

• NJ.com’s Mike Kaye lists Eagles CB Rasul Douglas, CB Cre’Von LeBlanc, OT Jordan Mailata, TE Josh Perkins, DT Anthony Rush and LB Alex Singleton as notable players on the roster bubble for Philadelphia this year. 

Lions

Lions QB Matt Stafford says his back is healthy and has been working out this offseason with WR Kenny Golladay, WR Danny Amendola, WR Quintez Cephus, RB D’Andre Swift, and TE Isaac Nauta.

“As far as the way I feel about my body, I feel great,” Stafford said, via Dave Birkett of Detroit Free Press. “I’m not worried about going out there and playing. If we could put the

e pads on today and go play, I would do it. Every time you go play football there’s a risk, especially when you put your pads on and go hit. But I’m excited. I’m hoping that everything goes as safe and as smooth as it can this offseason and we’re allowed back in at some point as long as that’s safe.”

• Lions ILB Jarrad Davis said he believes he can be a good coverage linebacker but hasn’t shown it yet. (Michael Rothstein)

Packers

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers addressed the team’s decision to draft QB Jordan Love in the first round for the first time on Friday. 

“I think it was more the surprise of the pick, based on my own feelings of wanting to play into my 40s, and really the realization that it does change the controllables a little bit,” Rodgers said, via ESPN.com. “Because as much as I feel confident in my abilities and what I can accomplish and what we can accomplish, there are some new factors that are out of my control. And so my sincere desire to start and finish with the same organization, just as it has with many other players over the years, may not be a reality at this point.

“And as much as I understand the organization’s future outlook and wanting to make sure they’re thinking about the team now and down the line — and I respect that — at the same time, I still believe in myself and have a strong desire to play into my 40s. And I’m just not sure how that all works together at this point.”

Rodgers still left open the possibility of playing for another team, depending on how things play out. 

“I think what it does is just reinforce kind of the adage that you can only control what you can control,” Rodgers said. “It’s always been a mantra for myself, but I think any great athlete there’s things that are just out of our control. That obviously is something that’s very important to me, but I think is definitely telling at this point that is truly something that’s out of my control. What I can control is how I play and making that decision at some point a very hard one. You know, if I were to retire in the organization’s timetable, then it’s an easy decision. But if there comes a time where I feel like I can still play at a high level and my body feels great, you know, then there’s other guys that have gone on and played elsewhere.”

• Rodgers mentioned Equanimeous St. Brown, Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Jake Kumerow as returning wide receivers who he expects big things from this coming season. (Matt Schneidman)
• Love was asked by Omar Ruiz if there’s pressure to justify the Packers pick: “No matter where I would have landed, that was the goal for me. You ought to go out there & prove yourself… It’s a job, you’ve got to be able to keep that.”  
• One of Love’s college coaches said that since the Packers heavily scouted Love dating back to before his junior year and they believe he’ll handle all of this well because he’s known to “put his head down and work.” (Jeremy Fowler)