NFC Notes: Jalen Tolbert, Jalin Hyatt, Commanders, Cowboys, Giants

Commanders

Commanders OC Eric Bieniemy was impressed with the way the offense found ways to finish drives.

“I thought our guys did a heck of a job just finishing the game, and the thing that I loved, that stood out, our guys are learning to strain to finish,” Bieniemy said, via Commanders Wire. “That was impressive. Now it is on to the next one.”

Bieniemy added that the team is progressing but there’s still a long ways to go to get where they need to be.

“I think we are taking the necessary steps, but we still have a long way to go. There’s a lot of things that we can clean up and continue coaching through.”

Cowboys

Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy said WR Jalen Tolbert has done well to improve entering his second year in the NFL after only recording two receptions in 2022. 

“When they come in the door, the expectations, you do try to give them opportunities,” McCarthy said, via Saad Yousuf of The Athletic. “Things happen, and maybe it doesn’t go as quickly as you’d like. I’m more satisfied for him because I know how much pressure he puts on himself and how important it is to him. I go back to last year as a rookie. I had an opportunity to meet with JT in private meetings on a Sunday night in back-to-back weeks. I’ve seen his playbook. I’ve seen the detail that he puts into this too. But it’s all part of the development. Everybody has a whole different storyline.”

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said they have to stay patient with younger players, who must adjust to a much longer season in the NFL compared to the college game.  

“I think you have to handicap every player in the NFL,” Jones said. “You might say an NFL season is two-and-a-half college seasons long. Two and a half. So, you come in as a freshman, when you finish one year in the NFL, you’re in the middle of your junior year of college. I don’t know about you but when I went to school, that seemed like an eternity, and it was. A long time. You’ve got to know that a player, if he has the chance to, is going to get better as the year and the games go along. So, you should handicap that and plan on that if you’re going to put them out there and have them planned on in your 53. … Given repetition, there are very few players, that if they’ve got the repetition, they’ve got the game experience, which is precious stuff, shouldn’t and wouldn’t be better, young players, if they played all during the year when you get into the late fall. So, you’ve got to handicap and you’ve got to plan on players getting better, young players getting better.”

Cowboys’ executive Stephen Jones thinks Tolbert’s development is a “perfect example” of them staying patient 

“I think Tolbert’s a perfect example of it,” Jones said. “Some guys walk in — I don’t want to harp on Overshown but Overshown came in ready to roll. Then you’ve got a guy like a Tolbert, who ended up needing a little bit of time, then you end up getting a veteran in the room like a (Brandin) Cooks. Now, we’re seeing what we drafted. Tolbert’s locked down that (fourth wide receiver) spot and certainly shown he can be productive for us. Dak’s very comfortable with him. That third-round pick has turned into something we felt we were going to have. Obviously, last year it was slow. He wasn’t quite ready yet; didn’t get the playing time he would have liked. Every player is going to be different. Just because they don’t necessarily make it in the first year, it doesn’t mean — and it may be because of extenuating circumstances (like) depth in front of them. That’s part of it. … It’s a long haul in terms of looking at young guys.”

Giants

Giants third-round WR Jalin Hyatt is embracing the team’s mentality of focusing on the next play regardless of what happened on the last. That includes when the last play is a wide-open long touchdown like what happened in the second preseason game against the Panthers. 

“It’s always good to get the first one,” Hyatt told Giants.com. “Those are the ones that are the hardest ones. When you’re open and it’s just you and the ball, sometimes you (lose) focus. It’s always good to look it in, focusing, and making a play when you need to make a play.”

“As a receiver, when the ball touches our hands, we want to catch everything. I believe I can catch any ball that comes to me,” Hyatt continued. “When you have a play like that — and I didn’t come up with it — it’s always next play mentality. That’s what (Brian Daboll) and (Mike) Groh have been teaching me. . . I am just glad that Coach Dabes trusted me and called that next play. A lot of respect for him. It’s speed, it’s acceleration, it’s getting open, it’s knowing what you have to do and being comfortable with the quarterback.”